Ever since NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte forged a consensus on massive spending hikes and flattered the United States president, Donald Trump has developed a newfound appreciation of the alliance. And many people at NATO breathed a sigh of relief.

But not everyone gave Rutte a hero's welcome when he came back from The Hague. The secretary general is facing a barrage of criticism, some of it public, over what his team calls an "optimization" of NATO resources. 

What might in normal times be described as a bureaucratic reshuffle, has created a different impression in the current trans-Atlantic climate. Some observers say Rutte is reconfiguring NATO to please the White House — and are doing so in ways that don't serve the alliance's broader or longer-term interests.

Dr. Gerlinde Niehus, who held many positions at NATO over 26 years, has taken the lead in lambasting the changes. She went so far as to say that Rutte is following the controversial Elon Musk-driven downsizing under the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE).

"Taking inspiration from the ill-conceived US 'DOGE' exercise, [the reorganization] is largely a sleek ingratiation aligned to US MAGA politics," Niehus wrote in a LinkedIn post, opinions which she later confirmed to DW directly. "Under the disguise of 'efficiency,' NATO HQ functions which could become the target of Donald Trump's ire for their presumed 'wokeness' or 'irrelevance' are either downgraded, tucked away or dissolved."

What are the NATO changes?

Niehus refers to two changes she finds particularly disturbing: The transfer of the office of NATO's Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security (WPS) out of the secretary general's office and the merger of the Climate and Energy Security Section with Defence Policy and Planning.  She says these actions have been taken to "ensure lower visibility" of these issues.

In Washington, DC, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has all but eliminated WPS programs at the Pentagon, and Trump is famously dismissive of efforts to combat climate change.

Is it a coincidence that some of NATO's changes seem to mirror White House priorities? A senior NATO official who spoke on condition of anonymity insists the more dangerous security environment, not any single ally, has compelled the reorganization of staff structures. 

"The secretary general, like his predecessors, wants to ensure that the NATO Headquarters is organized so that it can function efficiently and effectively," the official told DW, "That is the impetus behind this structural reform, which is not aimed at cutting costs or numbers of staff but at better aligning areas of work."

Shifts underway in communication?

Perhaps the most visible difference will be the shuttering of NATO's Public Diplomacy Division (PDD). This has traditionally housed NATO's press operations; co-sponsorship of projects on issues such as societal resilience, interaction with students and other visiting groups; and general outreach to citizens.

Many people in PDD will need to find other positions, while some will see their functions move to other units. The press office will be put directly under the secretary general and the spokesperson's office. The other division being cut is Executive Management, which covers a range of tasks from recruitment to the internship program to archives.

NATO sources say the number of posts being cut is not huge, perhaps 40 overall, because others are being created at the same time. Meanwhile, they say, there are some 300 vacancies.

But Niehus, who spent many years in NATO public diplomacy and engagement efforts, still finds the elimination of PDD and reassignment of remaining communications staff hard to fathom at a time when she believes the alliance should be working overtime to "foster informed discussions on NATO and wider defense matters in our societies." 

She also fears the co-sponsorship grants program, which works with think tanks, universities and other civil society initiatives, "will come to a grinding halt." 

This takes on added significance with the U.S. government having disbanded its USAID global humanitarian assistance agency, which also helped fund some of these activities and services.

But the senior NATO official told DW that the alliance's outreach efforts will not diminish; rather, PDD is "being reshaped into a more focused office of strategic communications." Other changes likewise "all drive toward the same principle  — better alignment so that we can deliver on the crucial work of the alliance." 

NATO sources say the grants program will not be ended, although there may be a temporary pause to allow the bureaucratic changes to take effect.

Ex-US diplomat on what happens when aid programs fold 

One former US State Department diplomat, given anonymity to discuss their views, agrees with the critics that there are risks to this shake-up if funding or staffing for public outreach is downgraded. Having served in both NATO and European Union public diplomacy posts in Brussels and around the world, this retired official fears the changes seen at both NATO and in the US could further fuel alienation and apathy among the public, both in alliance territory and other parts of the world. 

The former official sees that happening in practice, for example, through long-distance conversations held at 5:30 a.m. once a week, as they continue mentoring a colleague posted in Asia. 

"A former colleague told me that in her last conversation with her ambassador, she was considered 'failing' because the newspapers carried more about Australian assistance and Chinese assistance than American assistance," the retired official recounted, referring to the elimination of the USAID presence in this country. "She was 100% blamed for that. How are you supposed to win against the Chinese when we have nothing?"

German MEP describes 'super frustrating' situation

Back at NATO headquarters, regardless of whether it was an official order or not, some employees working in areas such as Women, Peace and Security and Climate have been encouraged not to make these parts of their job particularly visible. Several people have shared their experiences first-hand with this reporter.

 

One prominent advocate on these issues, Hannah Neumann, a German Green member of the European Parliament, said she has similar stories from her NATO contacts. Neumann says she considers this "super frustrating because it doesn't make any sense from a purely scientific, security, political perspective.” However, she also emphasizes that it's essential to ensure that work on these topics keeps going. At present, she said she's been assured that this is happening — even if people have to change offices and keep their heads down to do it.

Edited by: Jess Smee