British minister Wallace says NATO chief job 'would be fantastic'

British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has revealed an interest in succeeding NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, with the post set to become vacant later this year.

"I've always said it would be a good job. That's a job I'd like," Wallace told dpa in Berlin.

"But I'm also loving the job I do now. I mean, to be defence secretary of the British government at a time of reform and investment, just like Boris Pistorius," he said, referring to the German defence minister.

After 30 years of cuts, it was "exciting" that money was now being put into the military, he said.

"Secretary general of NATO is a fantastic job and NATO is an incredibly important part of all our securities," he said. "But it's not for me to decide. It's for all the other allies," he said.

Stoltenberg's last term at NATO chief was extended to help ensure stability in the alliance against the backdrop of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

His current term expires at the end of September, and he has dismissed reports about a possible further extension.

The alliance's member states usually agree behind the scenes on who will be the next NATO chief.

British newspaper The Sun reported that the former German defence minister and current European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was also in the running. Von der Leyen has denied reports about any planned move to head the defence alliance.