Benedetta Berti Appointed NATO Assembly’s New Secretary General

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly on Monday appointed Benedetta Berti as its new Secretary General. In that role, she will lead the Assembly’s Secretariat as senior executive officer and principal strategic advisor to the Assembly’s political leadership.

“I accept with gratitude the passing of the torch of the Assembly’s leadership, and I thank the Standing Committee for its trust and confidence,” Berti said on the sidelines of the plenary session in Ljubljana. 

“As Secretary General, I am looking forward to supporting the essential role of the Assembly, fostering transatlantic unity and ensuring strategic convergence at a time of growing strategic competition and instability,” she stressed. 

Benedetta Berti succeeds Ruxandra Popa (France), who has led the NATO PA since 2020. 

In her new role, Berti will oversee the Brussels-based International Secretariat and be responsible for supporting the Assembly’s activities and policy work. She will advise the political leadership, build relationships with the Assembly’s member delegations, maintain close relations with NATO, and represent the Assembly externally. 

Her priorities will include supporting stronger collective defence through increased defence spending and a robust transatlantic defence and technological industrial base, sustaining support for Ukraine, and boosting the resilience of Allied countries against hybrid threats, from economic coercion to energy blackmail.

“The Assembly, as an essential link between NATO and the Parliaments of NATO countries, will play a key role in ensuring we continue strengthening our collective defence and have the forces and capabilities needed to protect our freedom and security and defend ourselves against any threat,” she said. “The Assembly can also contribute to future-proofing our armed forces and increase public engagement on defence and security matters.” 

The Assembly will continue to work closely with the Ukrainian Parliament, providing strong political messaging and robust practical assistance through its special fund. 

“We will prioritise standing with Ukraine, supporting efforts to secure a just and lasting peace, and contributing to its free, sovereign, and prosperous future,” Berti added. 

A further priority will be reinforcing resilience against malign interference and coercion, with a focus on securing defence-critical supply chains and safeguarding research and innovation ecosystems. 

“In the face of adversaries and strategic competitors using hybrid tactics to undermine our freedom and security, a sustained focus on protecting our strategic assets, industries, and technologies remains essential,” Berti emphasised. 

Between 2017 and 2025, Berti held senior posts at NATO. She was Director for Policy Planning in the Office of Secretary Generals Jens Stoltenberg and Mark Rutte, and previously served as Senior Policy Advisor, and Head of Policy Planning in the Secretary General’s office. 

She has also been a visiting professor at the College of Europe and at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; an Associate Researcher at the Centre for Security and Diplomacy and Strategy at Vrije Universiteit Brussel; and a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Earlier in her career, she held research and teaching positions at West Point, the Institute for National Security Studies, the Modern War Institute, and Tel Aviv University, among others. An expert on international security and defence, Dr Berti is the author of four books, including Armed Political Organizations. From Conflict to Integration (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013). Her research has appeared, among others, in Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, The National Interest, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times; as well as in Civil Wars, Democratization, Government & Opposition, Mediterranean Politics, The Middle East Journal, Parameters, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, and Terrorism and Political Violence.

She holds a BA in Oriental Studies from the University of Bologna, and a MA and a PhD in International Relations from The Fletcher School (Tufts University).

She was recognised with the Fletcher Women’s Leadership Award in 2021, the Eisenhower Global Fellowship and the TED Senior Fellowship in 2017, and the Order of the Star of Italy – a high-level state award – in 2015.

Berti is also active on X and LinkedIn, where she engages with the public on international affairs. 

The Assembly, though institutionally separate from NATO, serves as an essential link between NATO and the parliaments of the NATO nations. It provides greater transparency of NATO policies and fosters better understanding of the Alliance’s objectives and missions among legislators and citizens of the Alliance. Throughout 2025, the Assembly celebrates 70 years of parliamentary diplomacy.

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