Why is NATO important for the United States?
Are we in a more dangerous nuclear situation than we were during the Cold War?
What is the credible path back to peace in Europe?
What was the significance of serving as the first woman and only second American Deputy Secretary General of NATO?

In this episode, Rose Gottemoeller reflects on her time as NATO Deputy Secretary General during a pivotal time for the Alliance. She discusses her previous experience working on arms control policy in the US State Department, shares her opinions about Russia’s nuclear sabre-rattling and her thoughts about the role of the United States in NATO and the strength of the transatlantic bond between Europe and North America.

How do the political and military sides of NATO work together?
What lessons are NATO militaries learning from Russia’s war against Ukraine?
How does an alliance of 32 countries combine their armed forces into one integrated military force – and how would this change in the event of war?

In this episode, Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Wiermann, who served as Director General of NATO's International Military Staff from 2019 until 2022, explains how NATO’s command structure unites diverse militaries under one banner. He clarifies how NATO military leaders give advice to – and receive guidance from – NATO political leaders, ensuring democratic civilian oversight of Allied armed forces.

He also speaks about his experience serving in the Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces), before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany. And he reflects on the future of the Alliance, including the development of new military capabilities based on lessons learned in Ukraine and the importance of critical undersea infrastructure.

What are the main responsibilities of the NATO Secretary General?
How and why did Jens Stoltenberg become the head of the Organization?
How has NATO changed over the past decade, and what does its future look like?

In this episode, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reflects on his time at NATO over the past 10 years. He shares the personal motivations that led him to accept the job after serving as Prime Minister of Norway, and how his parents' values and his own political activity as a young man shaped his views of NATO.

He also gives a preview of the main topics that will be on the agenda at the 2024 NATO Summit, taking place in Washington, D.C. in July.

Welcome to the NATO Through Time podcast!

This podcast dives deep into NATO’s history, reflecting on how the past influences the present – and future – of the longest-lasting alliance in history.

Our first episode introduces the podcast’s co-hosts: former NATO Spokesperson Jamie Shea, along with young content creators Ben Wheeler, Maciej Musiał and Paulius Mikolaitis, who are helping tell NATO’s story to the next generation.

Join them in this initial episode on a 15-minute whirlwind tour of NATO’s 75-year history – from the creation of the Alliance in 1949, to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, to NATO’s first out-of-area operations and the first wave of post-Cold War enlargement in the 1990s. The following episodes will cover all of these topics, and many more, in greater depth.