Former Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen took the helm of NATO as its new secretary general Monday. (Thierry Charlier/Associated Press)

NATO needs more international help from the United Nations and European Union to secure and rebuild Afghanistan, the alliance's new civilian chief said Monday in Brussels.

"NATO will do its part but it cannot do it alone. This needs to be an international effort, both military and civilian," said Anders Fogh Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister who took office earlier in the day as NATO's new secretary general.

Fogh Rasmussen said his top priorities would be guiding the war in Afghanistan to a successful conclusion, repairing ties with Russia that were further strained by last year's Russo-Georgian war, and expanding NATO's partnership with moderate nations in North Africa and the Middle East.

NATO has about 64,000 soldiers in Afghanistan — half of them Americans — where they are struggling to contain an escalating Taliban insurgency. More than 20,000 new U.S. troops are being deployed, but European allies have been reluctant to increase their contributions to the international force.

Asked if the mission in Afghanistan represented a "make or break," situation for NATO, Fogh Rasmussen replied: "It will not be a break, it will be a make [because] a lot is at stake for the Afghan people, for the international community, and also for NATO."

Alliance leaders picked Fogh Rasmussen during their summit in April. The Dane was a controversial choice because he infuriated many Muslims following the 2005 publication in Denmark of 12 cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.