On 12-13 May 2026, NATO hosted the Centres of Excellence (COE) Marketplace at its Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. This biennial event aims to promote interactions and strengthen mutual understanding between COEs – international military organisations that provide training, education and subject-matter expertise to NATO member and partner countries – and NATO staff. Holding the Marketplace at NATO Headquarters brought COE expertise directly into the Alliance’s political and military environment, helping connect their work more closely with NATO priorities and the needs of national representatives, senior leaders and staff.

On Wednesday (13 May 2026), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte participated in the Bucharest Nine (B9) and Nordic Allies Summit, co-hosted by President Nicușor Dan of Romania and President Karol Nawrocki of Poland.

On 12 May 2026, the Netherlands succeeded the United Kingdom in leading NATO’s Transatlantic Quantum Community (TQC).

On Tuesday (12 May 2026), NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Montenegro and met with Prime Minister Milojko Spajić and President Jakov Milatović. They discussed transatlantic security, stability in the Western Balkans, and preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara.

On 7-8 May 2026, Ambassador Kevin Hamilton, the NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, paid a visit to Georgia. He met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maka Botchorishvili, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Irakli Chikovani, and Deputy Foreign Minister Lasha Darsalia.

In 2025, photographers from across the Alliance took thousands of pictures, capturing landmark political events like the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, the grit and cooperation of Allied troops conducting NATO exercises, and other moments of beauty, unity and humanity. We chose four of our favourite photos and put them to a vote on social media, asking the public to choose NATO’s photo of the year for 2025. Scroll to the end to see the winner!

Mauritania is an essential NATO partner and a key security actor in the Sahel region. As part of the Defence and Related Security Capacity Building (DCB) Package for Mauritania, NATO is supporting the country to retrain retired military personnel and enable them to find new employment outside the Armed Forces, strengthening national and regional security. This type of support highlights the Alliance’s flexibility in responding to its partners’ specific security challenges.

Meet Lieutenant Colonel Annukka Ylivaara, who commanded Finland’s Jaeger urban combat battalion

Meet Ambassador Csilla Würtz, who directed NATO summits in Wales and Warsaw

Born and raised in Lebanon and having lived in Nigeria and now in Italy, Myriam has a natural ability to engage with people from different cultures and religions. Her international background and fascination with multiculturalism, identity and language made her interested in pursuing a career in the area of cultural consultancy and digital communications, which she currently carries out at the NATO Strategic Direction-South Hub, located within the Allied Joint Force Command Naples.