Washington (CNN) President-elect Donald Trump's says he thinks NATO is "obsolete," but that view stands in stark contrast to his own picks for Defense Secretary and Secretary of State. The clear gulf between Trump's characterization of the alliance and that of his Cabinet nominees could set-up potential policy clashes with the White House. "I have just had a conversation with the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who is concerned that President-elect Trump regards NATO as obsolete," German foreign minister Frank Walter Steinmeier said Monday. "This is in contradiction with what the American defense secretary (nominee) said in his hearing in Washington just a few days ago," Steinmeier added. NATO officials have told CNN that the post had "been considered for some time," as part of an effort to increase the alliance's ability to deal with threats such as hybrid warfare.

Source: CNN January 16, 2017 19:24 UTC