The two major drivers of Europe’s newly insecure strategic environment both have reflections in the maritime domain: Russia’s military assertiveness is often expressed above, on, or under the sea; and the instability of the Middle East and North Africa spreads turbulence and disorder around the Mediterranean’s southern rim.
In “NATO’s Next Consortium: Maritime Patrol Aircraft,” Magnus Nordenman, director of the Scowcroft Center’s Transatlantic Security Initiative, argues that in order to successfully tackle these new security challenges, NATO’s member states must regenerate high-end maritime capabilities, including the ability to conduct anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare. He argues that a NATO maritime patrol aircraft consortium would be a cost-effective way for Alliance members to build a robust set of capabilities, at a time when NATO’s maritime flanks are increasingly turbulent, contested, and competitive.