Brussels, 15 December 2025. National Defence Personnel Directors held their second annual meeting today in Brussels to discuss how Allies can build, sustain, and regenerate their defence workforce, both in numbers and key skillsets, to underpin NATO's warfighting readiness.
Directors focused on ways to rapidly mobilise active and reserve forces prepared for high-intensity warfare, and highlighted NATO's role in supporting national efforts, including through the NATO Defence Planning Process. They underscored how strengthening defence workforce bolsters NATO's deterrence and defence against any potential adversary, called for renewed action and innovative approaches to recruit and retain personnel for Allies' armed forces, and affirmed the enduring value to Allied societies of those who have served.
The discussions were co-chaired by NATO Assistant Secretary General for Defence Policy and Planning Nick Catsaras and Deputy Chair of the NATO Military Committee Lieutenant General Winston P. Brooks.
