Atlantic Council at the NATO Summit in Washington

In 1949, twelve countries came together to sign the Washington Treaty, marking the beginning of what would become the world’s most powerful military alliance. In the seventy-five years that have followed, NATO has expanded to include an additional twenty like-minded allies as well as numerous partnerships in order to counter threats to the rules-based international order. As NATO celebrates its milestone anniversary, it also must respond to today’s—and the future’s—wide-ranging global challenges. 

During this historic year for the Alliance, the Atlantic Council is leading the charge in shaping the agenda for the Washington summit, guiding the transatlantic community, and demonstrating NATO’s enduring value. 

NATO’s seventy-fifth anniversary is a milestone in a remarkable story of reinvention, adaptation, and unity. However, as the Alliance seeks to secure its future for the next seventy-five years, it faces revanchist old rivals, escalating strategic competition, and uncertainties over the future of the rules-based international order. 

With partners and allies turning attention from celebrations to challenges, the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative invited contributors to engage with the most pressing concerns ahead of the historic Washington summit and chart a path for the Alliance’s future. This series features seven essays focused on concrete issues that NATO must address at the Washington summit and five essays that examine longer-term challenges the Alliance must confront to ensure transatlantic security.