The new NATO Secretary, General Rutte, will maintain Stoltenberg’s priorities during his tenure.

Incoming NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will need all of the coalition-building skills he honed as prime minister of the Netherlands to keep the Western alliance together amid the war in Ukraine, fears about Russia’s next moves, and political uncertainty in the US.

On Tuesday, Rutte will replace Norwegian Jens Stoltenberg. Much depends on whether Rutte can build consensus within the 32-member Alliance. Its ability to protect the nearly one billion people under its care depends not only on military might but also on political unity.

Rutte faces many challenges. These include the possibility of Trump, a NATO skeptic, returning to the US presidency, and control of the Alliance’s dominant power, as well as calls from Eastern European allies for more reinforcements against Russian aggression, and requests from Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, for more military assistance.

NATO officials expect Rutte to maintain Stoltenberg’s priorities – rallying support for Kyiv, pushing the bloc’s membership to increase defense spending, and involving the US in European security.