Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, is set to meet with US President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday. Reports suggest that the White House is considering her for the position of NATO’s first female secretary-general, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg in September. Frederiksen gained prominence for her support of Ukraine in its conflict with Russia and her efforts to unite Western nations. Despite Denmark’s defense spending lag, Frederiksen accelerated NATO’s target to 2030 and announced significant defense investments over the next ten years. She has visited Ukraine three times since February 2022 and provided significant financial and military assistance. Frederiksen is divisive in Denmark, but she has demonstrated her ability to be pragmatic despite ideological differences. She has avoided open conflict with Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Despite rumors of her candidacy for NATO’s secretary-general, Frederiksen has stated that she is not applying for any job postings and is looking forward to meeting President Biden.
On Thursday, Denmark’s former Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt was appointed as the first female Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This appointment comes at a crucial time for the Alliance just ahead of her scheduled visit to the United States this week.
Thorning-Schmidt succeeds the former Danish Prime Minister and NATO Secretary General, Danish Foreign Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. She will be the first woman in the organization’s history to hold this post.
Her background and rise to the top holds potential to strengthen the Alliance’s ability to tackle the many pressing global security issues. Thorning-Schmidt’s 6-month tenure as Prime Minister of Denmark was marked by staunch support for NATO and European Union objectives. She is said to have been a leader in crisis management, and her skill set is just what NATO needs.
Ahead of her visit to the White House on Wednesday, Thorning-Schmidt has already addressed her commitment to the Alliance’s objectives. In an address to NATO, she promised to work with member states to meet global security threats and safeguard the democratic and security ideals of the Western world. Thorning-Schmidt also noted her determination to strengthen the Alliance’s relations with countries across the globe.
Thorning-Schmidt’s appointment has been met with both praise and criticism. Those critical of the decision point to her lack of experience in military and international diplomatic relations as a factor that might compromise the Alliance’s efficacy. Others point out her leadership skills to coordinate and complete major tasks and her inspiring capacity to pull people together to get things done.
Regardless of opinion, the reality is that Thorning-Schmidt has taken on a new challenge amid volatile times. As she prepares to make her first visit to the White House while representing NATO, her appointment marks a significant milestone as the the first female Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
