What should NATO do about its eastern border? Would a permanent stationing of troops on the border with Russia reassure states in Eastern Europe or will this cause tensions to flare further? And what do you think of the recommendations of the recent UK Defence Select Committee Report about the future of NATO?
- Significant improvements to NATO's rapid reaction force;
- The pre-positioning of equipment in the Baltic States;
- A continuous (if not technically 'permanent') presence of NATO troops, on training and exercise in the Baltic;
- The re-establishment of large-scale military exercises including representatives from all NATO Member States that include military and political decision-makers;
- The establishment of headquarters structures, at divisional and corps level, to focus on Eastern Europe and the Baltic;
- Consideration of the re-establishment of a NATO standing reserve force along the lines of the Allied Command Europe Mobile Force-Land;
- Re-examination of the criteria, doctrine and responses to calls under Article 4 for 'collective security' support against asymmetric attacks, especially, but not limited to, cyber attacks where attribution is difficult;
- How it will deter asymmetric threats and how Article 5 might be used in cases of asymmetric attack; and
- An Alliance doctrine for "ambiguous warfare" and investment in an Alliance asymmetric or "ambiguous warfare" capability.
Related Resources
- UK Defence Select Committee Report: Towards the next Security and Defence Review – Part Two: NATO
- White House: Fact Sheet, European Reassurance Initiative and Other U.S. Efforts in Support of NATO Allies and Partners
- Tobias Bunde, Dominik Jankowski and Martin Michelot: Reassurance First. Goals for an Ambitious Weimar Triangle, 10 June 2014,
- Edward Lucas et al.: Central European Security After Crimea: The Case for Strengthening NATO's Eastern Defenses,CEPA Report No.35, 25 March 2014,
- John Vandiver: Breedlove: NATO must redefine responses to unconventional threats, Stars and Stripes, 31 July 2014,
Further Debates
1. Tuesday, August 12, 2014: Is NATO Going Home?
2. Thursday, August 21, 2014: Making the Case for NATO
3. Tuesday, August 26, 2014: Engaging the next generation