Corruption and kickbacks at the heart of the alliance. What lies behind the military procurement deals.
Explosive revelations have emerged, exposing serious allegations of corruption and bribery shaking NATO, as investigations into military procurement continue and intensify.
According to reports from three Belgian media outlets and one Dutch investigative website, several current and former NATO officials are accused of receiving tens of thousands of euros in bribes in exchange for confidential information shared with defense contractors.
These leaked details concern contracts issued by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), which manages vast sums in defense acquisitions on behalf of the Alliance’s 32 member states.
The investigation, coordinated with the participation of multiple international bodies, including the FBI and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, has already led to the arrest of at least three individuals in May.
At the same time, the outlets that broke the story report that the allegations involve the transfer of inside information to companies competing for military contracts, undermining transparency in the procurement process.
Cover-up
More specifically, NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) stands at the center of a massive corruption scandal, as new evidence surfaces about irregularities and kickbacks tied to contracts for weapons and ammunition supplies.
The agency’s director, American official Stacy Cummings, had reportedly warned NATO member states about the likelihood of new “major” fraud cases just days before the publication of the exposés by Belgian outlets La Lettre and Le Soir, and the Dutch investigative platform Follow the Money, which detailed bribes in exchange for securing NATO contracts.
Based in Luxembourg, the NSPA manages contracts worth billions of euros for NATO’s defense acquisitions and now faces serious corruption complaints as more employees and supplier companies appear implicated.
Despite NATO’s public statements about active cooperation with international judicial authorities, and Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s pledges to “root out” corruption, internal documents obtained by La Lettre reveal that actions were taken by Cummings and her circle to conceal the wrongdoing.
The investigation stalled
The NSPA’s Director of Human Resources, Canadian official Geneviève Machin, had warned of delays in internal probes as early as February — well before the first arrests.
In a letter to the NSPA’s oversight body, the NATO Support and Procurement Organisation (NSPO), Machin reported repeated instances of corruption and recurring employee names appearing in investigations into irregularities, while investigators were allegedly instructed to halt their work.
Machin claimed that Cummings and her associates “used the investigations to target specific officials” while simultaneously preventing scrutiny of procurement procedures.
Her complaint led to an internal probe into NSPA’s leadership — which, however, remains ongoing.
Following her complaint, Machin was suspended and informed that her contract would not be renewed.
Weak oversight
The ongoing investigation into NATO’s defense procurement reveals that internal oversight mechanisms at the NSPA are extremely weak compared to European Union standards.
According to sources cited by La Lettre, NSPA’s head of internal audits, Italian official Gerardo Bellantone, stated that Cummings refused to allow the inclusion of a special mission to review the agency’s anti-corruption framework in the 2025 annual inspection report.
This situation raises serious doubts about transparency and accountability in NATO’s defense procurement management.
Power struggle
The issue is no secret among NATO member-state representatives.
Germany’s representative, Stefan Schmidt, in a letter expressed strong objections to Cummings’ decision to exclude the NSPO from the NSPA’s internal reform initiatives. He insisted that external auditors must be involved in the corruption investigation.
Cummings’ insistence on maintaining control of the process and avoiding full transparency has drawn public scrutiny of her leadership intentions, while a power struggle continues between the member states and the United States over NATO’s internal control and direction.
The “talkative” Rutte
The ongoing reorganization of NATO — aimed at strengthening governance and decision-making — may lead to greater centralization of power within the Alliance’s core structures.
According to La Lettre, the plan to move the NSPO secretariat to NATO headquarters in Brussels is being pushed by former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, now NATO Secretary-General, in a move seen as consolidating his influence within the Alliance.
This proposal has sparked reactions from several European countries that fear concentration of power in the hands of Rutte and the U.S. could undermine transparency and member-state participation in key decision-making processes.
Developments are moving rapidly, with all 32 NATO members awaiting answers regarding the internal investigation currently underway.
For now, NATO has not publicly commented on the ongoing internal probes, despite mounting pressure to shed light on the scandal.
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According to reports from three Belgian media outlets and one Dutch investigative website, several current and former NATO officials are accused of receiving tens of thousands of euros in bribes in exchange for confidential information shared with defense contractors.
These leaked details concern contracts issued by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), which manages vast sums in defense acquisitions on behalf of the Alliance’s 32 member states.
The investigation, coordinated with the participation of multiple international bodies, including the FBI and the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, has already led to the arrest of at least three individuals in May.
At the same time, the outlets that broke the story report that the allegations involve the transfer of inside information to companies competing for military contracts, undermining transparency in the procurement process.
Cover-up
More specifically, NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) stands at the center of a massive corruption scandal, as new evidence surfaces about irregularities and kickbacks tied to contracts for weapons and ammunition supplies.
The agency’s director, American official Stacy Cummings, had reportedly warned NATO member states about the likelihood of new “major” fraud cases just days before the publication of the exposés by Belgian outlets La Lettre and Le Soir, and the Dutch investigative platform Follow the Money, which detailed bribes in exchange for securing NATO contracts.
Based in Luxembourg, the NSPA manages contracts worth billions of euros for NATO’s defense acquisitions and now faces serious corruption complaints as more employees and supplier companies appear implicated.
Despite NATO’s public statements about active cooperation with international judicial authorities, and Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s pledges to “root out” corruption, internal documents obtained by La Lettre reveal that actions were taken by Cummings and her circle to conceal the wrongdoing.
The investigation stalled
The NSPA’s Director of Human Resources, Canadian official Geneviève Machin, had warned of delays in internal probes as early as February — well before the first arrests.
In a letter to the NSPA’s oversight body, the NATO Support and Procurement Organisation (NSPO), Machin reported repeated instances of corruption and recurring employee names appearing in investigations into irregularities, while investigators were allegedly instructed to halt their work.
Machin claimed that Cummings and her associates “used the investigations to target specific officials” while simultaneously preventing scrutiny of procurement procedures.
Her complaint led to an internal probe into NSPA’s leadership — which, however, remains ongoing.
Following her complaint, Machin was suspended and informed that her contract would not be renewed.
Weak oversight
The ongoing investigation into NATO’s defense procurement reveals that internal oversight mechanisms at the NSPA are extremely weak compared to European Union standards.
According to sources cited by La Lettre, NSPA’s head of internal audits, Italian official Gerardo Bellantone, stated that Cummings refused to allow the inclusion of a special mission to review the agency’s anti-corruption framework in the 2025 annual inspection report.
This situation raises serious doubts about transparency and accountability in NATO’s defense procurement management.
Power struggle
The issue is no secret among NATO member-state representatives.
Germany’s representative, Stefan Schmidt, in a letter expressed strong objections to Cummings’ decision to exclude the NSPO from the NSPA’s internal reform initiatives. He insisted that external auditors must be involved in the corruption investigation.
Cummings’ insistence on maintaining control of the process and avoiding full transparency has drawn public scrutiny of her leadership intentions, while a power struggle continues between the member states and the United States over NATO’s internal control and direction.
The “talkative” Rutte
The ongoing reorganization of NATO — aimed at strengthening governance and decision-making — may lead to greater centralization of power within the Alliance’s core structures.
According to La Lettre, the plan to move the NSPO secretariat to NATO headquarters in Brussels is being pushed by former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, now NATO Secretary-General, in a move seen as consolidating his influence within the Alliance.
This proposal has sparked reactions from several European countries that fear concentration of power in the hands of Rutte and the U.S. could undermine transparency and member-state participation in key decision-making processes.
Developments are moving rapidly, with all 32 NATO members awaiting answers regarding the internal investigation currently underway.
For now, NATO has not publicly commented on the ongoing internal probes, despite mounting pressure to shed light on the scandal.
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