The Fletcher Alumna Shaping NATO Strategy
Thirty-two countries count on Benedetta Berti. As Director of Policy Planning for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, she operates at the epicenter of international security, shaping strategies for an era of upheaval and uncertainty. Berti led the drafting of NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept, which set the alliance’s approach to the war in Ukraine and tensions with China, among other crucial challenges. Politico named her one of twelve people to watch at NATO’s historic 75th anniversary summit in July.
A native of Italy, Berti earned two degrees at The Fletcher School, an MA in 2007 and a PhD in 2011. Her research on non-state armed groups, which began at Fletcher, launched her on a career that’s taken her from Capitol Hill to the Middle East to NATO’s inner sanctum in Brussels. On October 2nd, the day after Mark Rutte began his term as the new NATO Secretary General, Berti sat with Fletcher for an interview, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
The Fletcher School: How did you become interested in the field of international security?
Benedetta Berti: Before Fletcher, my first real job was for an NGO in southern Mexico. At the time, there was a low-intensity conflict in that region, which especially affected the indigenous communities. I became interested in understanding the impact of insecurity on civilians and what could be done to improve their situation. That led me to Fletcher.
How did you choose Fletcher among other graduate schools?
Fletcher has an excellent security studies program, a supportive faculty, and a strong community of both civilian and military fellows. The program focuses on how to better affect, influence and shape policy decisions. It addresses asymmetric threats and challenges, including countering terrorism, which were issues I was interested in.
During my MALD program at Fletcher, I also began thinking about pursuing my PhD. This was driven by the fact that I had a research question in mind, a puzzle, and I wanted to interrogate it further. I developed the question when taking classes with Professor Richard Shultz on threats from non-state armed groups. Since it was the Fletcher environment that got me thinking about these questions, it was a no brainer to stay at Fletcher for my PhD.
Your PhD work evolved into books on armed groups. Could you tell us about the research process?
My studies at Fletcher got me interested in non-state armed groups, how these actors provide governance, and how their violent activities impact civilian populations. I focused on these question for my PhD. It was a comparative study. I looked at groups in Europe and the Middle East.
My PhD work gave the opportunity to study and then work in Israel for a few years, where I continued to focus on non-state armed groups.
Through my PhD process, I was able to gain valuable skills in qualitative and quantitative methodologies. All the jobs I've had since my PhD involved research, so it has certainly helped me in my career. It was also a great opportunity to spend a few years where my task was to sit, read, learn, and think. I quite enjoyed it.
This expertise led you to your current role at NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. How do you see NATO’s role in transatlantic security?
NATO has been the cornerstone of peace and security in Europe for the past 75 years. It is the most successful political military alliance in history, and it's grounded on the very simple premise that members work together for their common defense and security. To boil it down to one slogan: all for one, one for all.
Today, we are in a particularly complex security environment. Our goal of working together for strong deterrence and collective defense for our citizens is more relevant than ever. NATO remains the foundation of our common peace and security.
Tell us about your current role as NATO Director of Policy Planning. What sort of work does this involve?
It's a really interesting job. Essentially, I provide the Secretary General with the best possible analysis, advice and policy recommendations on issues germane to the alliance. That’s a long list, because we live in a complex and interconnected world.
In the past few years, I have worked on a number of issues, from the evolution of the Russian threat, to the rising systemic challenge posed by the People's Republic of China, to enhancing cooperation with partners in the Indo-Pacific, to climate change and security. On all issues of policy planning, we aim to future-proof what we do today. We seek to anticipate changes in the security environment, helping the alliance stay agile and adaptable.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the most well-known challenge for Europe, but you’ve also helped develop NATO’s Indo-Pacific strategy. Tell us about the role that NATO plays outside of the European security theater.
The main purpose of NATO has remained the same for the past 75 years: to ensure the collective defense of the NATO allies. There are now 32 allied countries from Europe and North America, and the Atlantic bond remains essential to how we think about security and defense.
But though our mandate has not changed, the world has become more complex. Today, we recognize that to ensure security and defense for member states, we need to work with partners. We need to understand how security developments in other parts of the world affect the Euro-Atlantic area.
We also work to contribute to stability in our broader neighborhood, which includes the Middle East and North Africa. So, while we remain an organization focused on Europe and North America, we also understand that there are threats and challenges not bound by geography. On cyber threats, hybrid threats, the rise of strategic competition, and terrorism, we need to work with partners.
NATO has over 35 partners. These are countries that are not member states, but with whom we work on common security challenges. These include partners in the Indo-Pacific region, such as Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. Though we are geographically far, we share values, including a common interest in stability and maintaining a rule-based international order. We recognize that security is global, not regional.
For the first time in ten years, NATO is transitioning to a new Secretary General. What's it been like working with the outgoing and incoming leaders, Jens Stoltenberg and Mark Rutte?
The only word that comes to mind is privilege. It's been a unique privilege for me to support now former Secretary General Stoltenberg for the past six years. He has been instrumental in adapting NATO politically, strategically, and militarily to the most complex security environment we’ve faced in generations. Serving him has given me a vantage point into European and transatlantic history. It's been fantastic.
Today is my second day working for a new team, as Mark Rutte officially became Secretary General of NATO only yesterday. It’s been very exciting to hear his new ideas, learn his vision, and support this transition. Ultimately, transitions in NATO mean differences but also significant continuity. We have strong leaders with a shared, firm belief in the importance of preserving transatlantic unity.
Another significant moment you played a role in was the historic 75th anniversary summit this July. Can you tell us about how your work shaped the summit?
The last decade from 2014 to 2024 has been the most consequential decade of adaptation for NATO since the end of the Cold War.
My team at the policy planning unit drafted a new strategic concept for NATO that was adopted in 2022. Since then, we have been operationalizing that strategy. The 75th anniversary summit integrated much of the work we've done on issues such strengthening Allied deterrence and defense, responding to the systemic challenge posed by China, boosting cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners, and delivering on the commitment to Ukraine as it fights for its freedom.
Our work on these topics will continue beyond the summit for years to come, as these geopolitical challenges will remain with us for the foreseeable future.
Your career has taken you from Italy to Mexico, the United States, the Middle East, and now Belgium. How does life in Brussels compare to your previous chapters?
It's been interesting for me to come back to Europe. I left Europe at the end of high school, and I hadn't been back. I had never worked in Europe in my adult career. As a European, the job at NATO was an opportunity to come back home, bring my family, and experience European life and culture.
I spend a lot of time at the NATO headquarters, since as you can imagine, these are quite busy days for the transatlantic alliance. But I’ve also had the great opportunity to travel to the capitals of our 32 member states and partner countries. I’ve now seen parts of Europe that I didn't know before taking this job.
Fletcher’s MATA program gives students an opportunity to study for one year each in Belgium and the United States. Have you found different perspectives on security issues through your own experiences working in these two locations?
There's so much that we have in common on both sides of the Atlantic, but there are also differences in strategic cultures and perspectives. One of the ways we have maintained a strong transatlantic bond over 75 years has been by fostering these exchanges. It's important for Europeans to spend time in the United States to understand the political system and political culture, and vice versa for Americans to understand how Europe functions, how the European Union works, and what NATO does. These programs are essential to maintaining our shared security and prosperity. I hope that academic programs like MATA continue to thrive, building our transatlantic culture.
How has Fletcher continued to impact your own life and work?
I think grad school is always a very formative stage in one's life. To have the opportunity to study in an environment like Fletcher, that is so diverse culturally and in terms of disciplines, was quite influential in my career. It taught me to always connect the dots between various subjects and approaches, which is something I found unique to the Fletcher experience. In my case, it was an important step in my professional and personal development.
Today, it's difficult to work in security and defense without running into Fletcher graduates. We are everywhere. Security is a strong focus of the school, and therefore I run into alumni in virtually all countries. It's a warm, welcoming network. In my particular field of work, we tend to have a very strong voice.