Rose Gottemoeller, U.S. undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, has been appointed as the next NATO deputy secretary general, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced Monday. Gottemoeller is set to replace former Alexander Vershbow, a veteran U.S. ambassador who has served in that position since 2012, the statement said. Gottemoeller will begin her service on Oct. 1.
“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Rose Gottemoeller, who will bring to NATO a wealth of experience in international security policy, and in areas such as arms control and relations with Russia,” Stoltenberg said. “She will also be the first woman to hold this key post, which is a milestone in NATO.”
Thirteen House Republicans, in a March letter to Secretary of State John Kerry, objected to Gottemoeller’s nomination to the NATO position. They argued she had misled Congress and withheld information about Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty and the country’s new nuclear weapons capabilities. The State Department dismissed those allegations.
