Please join the Atlantic Council and NATO Defense College Foundation, in cooperation with the NATO Defense College and National Defense University, for a public panel discussion on “NATO at 70: Refocusing for Change?” on Thursday, June 27, 2019 from 2:30 p.m. to 6:10 p.m. at the Atlantic Council’s headquarters (1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor, West Tower Elevators, Washington, DC 20005.) Registration will begin at 2:00 p.m.

The 70^th anniversary of the Washington Treaty, the founding document of NATO, represents more than just a historical moment to commemorate NATO’s past, but also an opportunity to address the challenges facing the Alliance today and its mission going forward.

At this critical juncture, the Alliance faces an era of renewed great power competition, with the European security environment increasingly contested by both traditional and nontraditional actors. Challenges such as Russia’s aggression towards neighboring states and China’s increasing investment in Europe are forcing the United States and its NATO Allies to reimagine the Alliance’s approach to collective defense. While NATO is making progress on issues such as defense spending and military readiness, the Alliance must work with greater urgency to respond to 21^st century challenges.

To inform and contribute to the discussion surrounding these issues, this high-level seminar convenes experts from both sides of the Atlantic. The seminar features two panel discussions. The first focuses on today’s evolving security environment in Europe and new ways to think about collective security, burden sharing, and partnerships and features Dr. Richard D. Hooker, professor of national security strategy at the National War College; Dr. Kathleen J. McInnis, nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative; Anthony H. Cordesman, Arleigh A. Burke chair in strategy at CSIS, and; Atlantic Council Senior Vice President and Director of the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Barry Pavel, and was moderated by Stephen Mariano, dean of the NATO Defense College.

The second discussion focuses on the need for a new strategic approach within NATO for today’s rapidly changing world and includes GEN John W. Nicholson Jr., USA (Ret.), former commander of the NATO Resolute Support Mission and US Forces-Afghanistan; Charles Kupchan, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and; Dr. Hans Binnendijk, distinguished fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative. The discussion is moderated by Scowcroft Center Senior Fellow Ian Brzezinski. The seminar also features concluding remarks by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

SESSION I:

FROM ORDER TO DISORDER

A Conversation with:

Richard D. Hooker Jr.

Professor, National Security Strategy

National War College

Kathleen McInnis

Specialist, International Security

Congressional Research Service;

Nonresident Senior Fellow,

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Atlantic Council

Anthony H. Cordesman

 Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy

Center for Strategic and International Studies

Barry Pavel

Senior Vice President and Director,

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Atlantic Council

Moderated by:

Stephen Mariano

Dean

NATO Defense College

SPECIAL INTERVENTION:

THE IMPORTANCE OF ALLIES IN AN

ERA OF GREAT POWER COMPETITION

Damon Wilson 

Executive Vice President

Atlantic Council

SESSION II:

 TOWARDS A FUTURE NATO STRATEGY

A Conversation with:

GEN John W. Nicholson Jr., USA (Ret.)

Former Commander, Resolute Support and US Forces-Afghanistan

NATO

Charles Kupchan 

 Senior Fellow 

Council on Foreign Relations

Hans Binnendijk 

Distinguished Fellow, Transatlantic Security Initiative,

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Atlantic Council

Moderated by:

Ian Brzezinski

Senior Fellow, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Atlantic Council

CONCLUDING REMARKS

Secretary Madeleine K. Albright 

Chair

Albright Stonebridge Group;

Former US Secretary of State