Baltic Sea Regional Security

With Russia’s increasing assertiveness on NATO’s eastern flank, this effort is centered around building defense and deterrence capacity in the Nordic-Baltic region. Maintaining a decade-long focus on the region, the Council has built a robust portfolio of in-depth research, cutting-edge analysis, and high-level programming on a wide-ranging set of Nordic-Baltic issues including: maritime security in the Baltic Sea; Anti-Access/Area-Denial (A2/AD) threats; capability gaps and infrastructure development; conventional defense and deterrence strategies; reinforcement arrangements; NATO’s role in the region; and defense cooperation with the US and regional partners. This year, through several fact-finding trips, war games, conferences, and workshops, this body of work includes a stronger focus on hybrid challenges in Europe’s Northeast, as well as the implementation of the 2016 NATO Warsaw Summit decisions.

High North and the Atlantic

The High North is a rapidly-changing region and a friction zone between Russia and the transatlantic community. This effort takes a deeper look at the security challenges around NATO’s northern flank, with a particular focus on maritime security, capabilities, and the role for the Alliance and its partners in the region. With a number of strategy sessions, public events, publications, and a trip to the region, this body of work is geared toward understanding the evolving security and geopolitical dynamics in the High North and the broader North Atlantic region, and the policy and strategy options to best grapple with these emerging challenges and opportunities.