BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO is giving Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg two more years at the head of the world's biggest military alliance.

NATO said in a statement Tuesday that the 29 NATO nations decided to prolong the former Norwegian prime minister's term until Sept. 30, 2020.

It said the allies "congratulate the Secretary-General and have full confidence in his ability to continue his dedicated work to advance NATO's adaptation to the security challenges of the 21st century."

Last week, the German government backed a two-year extension of Stoltenberg's term.

Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said Stoltenberg had "the full support of Germany," adding that he had "done excellent work modernizing NATO and adapting its structures to a changed security situation."

She also praised his strong support of closer cooperation between NATO and the European Union, which have 22 member states in common.

Stoltenberg's term at NATO's helm since 2014 has been marked by a spike in security challenges.

Russia had just annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and the Islamic State group had recently seized cities in Syria and Iraq, inspiring a new, more brutal form of terrorism that would wreak havoc in European capitals.

For the NATO Secretary-General "2014 was a turning point," he told The Associated Press during a trip to Poland in late August for talks with top officials and to thank some of around 4,000 NATO troops stationed in eastern Europe to deter an increasingly aggressive Moscow.

"Suddenly the world really changed," Stoltenberg said.