NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is set to eliminate dozens of positions across the military alliance, with critics labeling the move as heavily influenced by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk's effort to downsize the federal government.
Rutte is planning to cut two divisions and remove dozens of staff roles at NATO headquarters in Brussels, three current staff members and one former official told Politico on Thursday. "He is basically DOGEing NATO," one official told the outlet in reference to the Department of Government Efficiency previously led by Musk which eliminated thousands of federal jobs.
On Tuesday of next week, NATO leaders will come together for the annual meeting in The Hague at a time when the U.S. has pressured allies to do more heavy lifting in the shadow of Russian aggression.
President Trump has demanded that NATO allies invest 5% of their gross domestic product on defense, a substantial increase from the current level of 2%. Rutte has proposed expanding the definition of military spending to help countries meet the new threshold. The new plan would seek a target of military spending at 3.5% plus 1.5% aimed at newer, nontraditional spending. The latter could include such improvements as improved infrastructure such as rail lines and developing advancements in cybersecurity and communications.
The planned reorganization of NATO comes at a tenuous time as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine shows no signs of slowing down and war between Israel and Iran has erupted in the Middle East. When Rutte took over from Jens Stoltenburg last year he noted in his inaugural speech that NATO has "work to do" in order to stay on top of burgeoning threats. "It is my job to ensure that ... we continue to adapt our alliance to a more complex world," he said.
The divisions set to be eliminated are the Public Diplomacy Division, which serves as NATO's press service, and the Executive Management Division, the alliance's human resources department. A senior official told Politico that Rutte's cuts were done with more precision than Musk's, taking a swipe at the Tesla CEO's broad approach to shrinking government.
"It's done by people on the inside who actually understand the priorities, and existing structures and processes," the official said. "So it's a much more long-term, deliberate process than DOGE."
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.