BRUSSELS, July 10 — NATO’s command architecture is often described as a two-track system: political decision-making on one side, military execution on the other. The mechanics here are worth unpacking, because the catch is that consensus—not command—drives nearly everything. The North Atlantic Council is the alliance’s principal political body.
It brings together permanent representatives from all 32 member states and meets at least weekly. The NAC is chaired by the Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, who has held the post since October 1, 2014.
Decisions are made by consensus. On the nuclear side, the Nuclear Planning Group handles policy. The Military Committee—composed of the Chiefs of Defense from each member state—advises the NAC on military matters.
The military command structure has two principal commands. Allied Command Operations, or ACO, is headquartered at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe—SHAPE—in Mons, Belgium.
The commander is the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, or SACEUR. That post is currently held by U.S. General Christopher G. Cavoli, who took over in July 2022.
His deputy is a British officer. Allied Command Transformation, based in Norfolk, Virginia, handles the other side of the coin: modernizing and training NATO forces. Below that, three Joint Force Commands sit in Brunssum, Netherlands; Naples, Italy; and Norfolk, USA.
The headquarters in Brussels employs about 7,000 civilian and military staff. On closer reading, the division between political and military lines is not as clean as the chart suggests.
The NAC makes the decisions, but the Military Committee shapes the options. SACEUR commands the forces, but the member states provide the troops. What to watch next: whether the consensus model can keep pace with the speed of modern threats.
The NAC meets at least weekly, but hybrid attacks and cyber operations unfold in hours. The structure was built for a different era of warfare.
Adapting it without breaking the consensus rule is the challenge that sits on Stoltenberg’s desk and, eventually, his successor’s.
