Hide

NATO 20/2020

NATO 20/2020 Podcast

NATO 20/2020 is a weekly podcast that explores 20 bold ideas to push NATO to be more visionary, more capable, and more self-evidently valuable to the security of more people.

Read the essays

Modernize the kit and the message

by H.E. Dame Karen Pierce DCMG

NATO will only remain successful over the next seventy years if it modernizes its capabilities, takes command of emerging technology, and harmonizes its strategic messaging.

Read the essay

Open a bank

by Max Bergmann and Siena Cicarelli

NATO can fund critical defense investments by bringing the necessary financial tools in house.

Read the essay

Design a Digital Marshall Plan

by the Hon. Ruben Gallego and the Hon. Vicky Hartzler

NATO allies, led by the United States, must cooperate in securing national 5G communications systems in Europe and beyond against malign Chinese influence.

Read the essay

Rethink and replace two percent

by Derek Chollet, Steven Keil, and Christopher Skaluba

NATO’s two percent metric is reductive and politically fraught but offers lessons for better ways to measure burden sharing.

Read the essay

Build an Atlantic-Pacific Partnership

by James Hildebrand, Harry W.S. Lee, Fumika Mizuno, Miyeon Oh, and Monica Michiko Sato

NATO is the only institution capable of organizing transatlantic and transpacific stakeholders to address China’s political, military, and information threats.

Read the essay

Disband the NATO Response Force

by John R. Deni

Replacing the NRF with a plug-and-play interoperability model increases the chance that NATO will employ its high-readiness forces.

Read the essay

Build resilience for an era of shocks

by Jim Townsend and Anca Agachi

NATO needs a fourth core task to protect allied populations from nontraditional threats like COVID and climate change.

Read the essay

‘Game out’ decision making

by AM Sir Christopher Harper, KBE, RAF (Ret.)

In an era where the distinction between peace and conflict is increasingly complex, NATO should retain its competitive advantage by using synthetic environments and virtual worlds to support rapid, efficient, and effective strategic decision making.

Read the essay

Digitalize the enterprise

by Jeffrey Reynolds and Jeffrey Lightfoot

If NATO is to unlock new frontiers of innovation and harness emerging technology, digitalizing how it does business is the key.

Read the essay

Listen to women

by Lisa A. Aronsson

Twenty years after its creation, NATO should affirm the strategic significance of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda and define what it means for an era of great power competition.

Read the essay

Ramp up on Russia

by Amb. Alexander Vershbow

NATO needs to increase the costs for Russian aggression while building back crucial dialogue if there is any prospect for improved relations with Moscow.

Read the essay

Put NATO back in the narrative

by Bridget Corna and Livia Godaert

NATO can recapture the imagination of allied publics by telling its own story better and in new ways to new audiences.

Read the essay

Seek membership for Mexico

by Christopher Skaluba and Gabriela R. A. Doyle

Mexico’s membership in NATO may be the key to keeping a rapidly changing America invested in European security.

Read the essay

Supersize cyber

by Safa Shahwan Edwards, William Loomis, and Simon Handler

NATO should adopt a digital .2 percent policy whereby member states commit to spend .2 percent of their gross domestic product on cybersecurity and digital defense modernization.

Read the essay

Christen a carrier strike group

by Michael John Williams

Using the HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales as its backbone, a NATO carrier strike group is an opportunity for high-end interoperability under European leadership.

Read the essay

End the Russian veto on Georgian accession

by Luke Coffey and Alexis Mrachek

Admitting Georgia to NATO without extending an Article 5 guarantee to Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region can fulfil the promise of the Bucharest Summit.

Read the essay

Threaten decisive nuclear retaliation

by David Gompert and Hans Binnendijk

NATO should thwart Russian use of nuclear weapons by threatening certain retaliation.

Read the essay

Revitalize NATO’s grand strategy

by Amb. Timo Koster and Ivanka Barzashka

Collective strategic analysis is the pathway to a more inclusive, transparent, and systematic process for creating NATO’s next strategic concept.

Read the essay

Set NATO’s sights on the High North

by Jim Danoy and Marisol Maddox

Security in the Arctic is waiting on no one. NATO needs a strategy for defense and deterrence in the High North before it is outflanked.

Read the essay

Reimagine the Washington Treaty

by Damon Wilson and Will O’Brien

Reexamining NATO’s founding charter can be an exercise in creating an Alliance fit for a new geopolitical era.

Read the essay

Issue spotlight

If the West sticks together, it can find a way forward with Russia

New Atlanticist Sep 23, 2021

The US can’t fix Afghanistan, but it can still fix NATO

By Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

Now is not the time for Europe to raise its defense spending or for NATO to extend its reach beyond Europe—especially into the Indo-Pacific region. Rather, it’s time to get back to the core focus of NATO.
Afghanistan Crisis Management
If the West sticks together, it can find a way forward with Russia

UkraineAlert Sep 9, 2021

Why Ukraine must join NATO

By Adrian Hoefer

Given the Kremlin’s hostile revisionism, Ukraine’s membership in NATO is in the long-term interest of the US and its allies. As Moscow expands its hybrid war on the West, Ukraine is an asset.
Eastern Europe International Organizations
If the West sticks together, it can find a way forward with Russia

TURKEYSource Aug 27, 2021

What Afghanistan’s fall means for the future of NATO and Turkey

By Atlantic Council IN TURKEY

Former Turkish Ambassador Alper Coşkun joins the Atlantic Council IN TURKEY to discuss the implications of recent developments in Afghanistan to the NATO alliance and the future of Turkey’s foreign policy and engagement with Afghanistan.
Afghanistan Conflict

Visualizing burden-sharing data

NATO allies contribute to a variety of missions. Here’s a look at how each country chips in.

The NATO alliance conducts a variety of missions on land, sea, and air. Here is a breakdown of how each country has been contributing to a selection of these missions.

Despite COVID-19 pandemic, NATO defense spending continues to rise

Even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, NATO allies have continued to increase their defense investments.

In-depth reports on NATO’s agenda

In-Depth Research & Reports

Jun 11, 2021

The case for a Comprehensive Approach 2.0: How NATO can combat Chinese and Russian political warfare

By Kathleen J. McInnis, Clementine G. Starling

Kathleen J. McInnis and Clementine G. Starling outline how NATO’s Comprehensive Approach program can serve as a model to counter political warfare at the strategic level.

Cybersecurity Disinformation

Issue briefs and reports

Mar 22, 2021

The China plan: A transatlantic blueprint for strategic competition

By Hans Binnendijk, Sarah Kirchberger, James Danoy, Franklin D. Kramer, Connor McPartland, Christopher Skaluba, Clementine G. Starling, Didi Kirsten Tatlow

China presents the United States and its partners with the most serious set of challenges they have faced since the Cold War. To manage this challenge, transatlantic nations need a blueprint to build a common approach.

China Europe & Eurasia

In-Depth Research & Reports

May 12, 2021

Falling in: The deterrent value of Host Nation Support in the Baltic Sea region

By Kathleen McInnis and Connor McPartland

Host Nation Support plays a vital, yet often overlooked, role in enabling NATO’s overall deterrence strategy for the Baltic Sea region.

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

In-Depth Research & Reports

May 18, 2021

Predictable strategy and unpredictable operations: The implications of agility in Northern Europe

By Conor Rodihan, Matthew R. Crouch, Ronald C. Fairbanks

As the US military becomes increasingly agile, its evolving strategy and activities pose implications for cooperation with allies, deterrence, and stability in Northern Europe.

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia
Women in Swiss security

In-Depth Research & Reports

Mar 8, 2021

NATO partnerships for Women, Peace, and Security

By Lisa Aronsson

Lisa A. Aronsson outlines the achievements and the implementation challenges NATO faces, and offers three sets of recommendations for overcoming institutional hurdles, leveraging non-NATO members, and reviving NATO’s sense of purpose on the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.

Europe & Eurasia NATO
more in-depth reports on nato

Learn more

Subscribe for the latest on NATO

Sign up for updates from the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative, covering the debate on the greatest security challenges facing the North Atlantic Alliance and its key partners.



  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Related reading

If the West sticks together, it can find a way forward with Russia

New Atlanticist Jul 22, 2021

Why ‘human security’ matters for tomorrow’s conflicts

By Sarah Dawn Petrin

NATO leaders are finally focusing on human security, a major step toward a broader vision of crisis management.
Conflict Europe & Eurasia
If the West sticks together, it can find a way forward with Russia

UkraineAlert Jul 1, 2021

The need for a renewed NATO

By French Hill

As the principal military pillar of the transatlantic partnership, NATO is essential to meeting the security challenges America and her allies face. However, if it is to be effective, it must evolve. It has done so in the past, and it can do so now, argues Rep. French Hill.
Europe & Eurasia NATO
If the West sticks together, it can find a way forward with Russia

New Atlanticist Jun 17, 2021

MARKUP: Our experts annotate the NATO communiqué

By Transatlantic Security Initiative

But what were they really saying amid all the jargon? And what was missing? Atlantic Council experts combed through the document and left their insights in the margins.
Europe & Eurasia European Union

Programs

The Transatlantic Security Initiative shapes and influences the debate on the greatest security challenges facing the North Atlantic Alliance and its key partners.

Explore the Initiative

Experts

Fellow

Jorge Benitez

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Sophia Besch

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center

Defense Industry European Union

Fellow

Anika Binnendijk

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Defense Technologies Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Hans Binnendijk

Distinguished Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Henrik Breitenbauch

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Danish Defense Industry

Fellow

Ian Brzezinski

Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Central Europe Defense Policy
Load More

Content

New Atlanticist

Jan 17, 2022

If the West sticks together, it can find a way forward with Russia

By Daniel Fried

The US and Europe need to resist the temptation to respond to threats with concessions, and maintain a willingness to discuss European security in a way that benefits all, not just Moscow.

Conflict Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

Jan 17, 2022

Countering the growing Russian naval threat in the Black Sea region

By Skyler Blake

With Russian President Vladimir Putin currently threatening to escalate his eight-year war against Ukraine, it is now vital to implement an effective NATO security strategy for the Black Sea region.

Conflict Maritime Security

UkraineAlert

Jan 14, 2022

Western weakness has emboldened Putin and invited Russian aggression

By Tinatin Khidasheli

The West's weak response to repeated instances of Russian aggression in the ex-USSR has emboldened Vladimir Putin and created today's European security crisis, says former Georgian defense minister Tinatin Khidasheli.

Conflict European Union

Transcript

Jan 14, 2022

Transcript: Top Ukrainian official Andriy Yermak on Russia’s military moves against Ukraine and a possible Putin-Biden-Zelenskyy summit

By Atlantic Council

After this week's talks with Russia, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak talked about what he sees happening next.

Conflict NATO

Fast Thinking

Jan 13, 2022

FAST THINKING: A big week of diplomacy with Russia is over. What’s Putin’s next move?

By Atlantic Council

Is war in Europe more likely after this week's diplomatic flurry? Our experts weigh in on what to expect next.

Crisis Management NATO

UkraineAlert

Jan 13, 2022

Russia Crisis: War fears mount as West rejects Putin’s ultimatum

By Peter Dickinson

A week of high-stakes meetings between Kremlin officials and their US, NATO and OSCE counterparts has failed to defuse tensions in Eastern Europe or reduce the threat of a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Conflict NATO

Blog Post

Jan 13, 2022

State of the Order: Assessing December 2021

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

Conflict Coronavirus

New Atlanticist

Jan 11, 2022

What will Putin do? An expert guide to this week’s high-wire diplomacy with Russia

By Atlantic Council experts

As the tensions ratchet up, our experts parse through the details, signals, and developments to distill what this moment means for Europe and beyond.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

In the News

Jan 11, 2022

Wieslander interviewed by Radio Sweden on Russian demands

By Anna Wieslander

Russia’s demands that NATO should not expand any further, or face the consequences, has raised concerns over the security of the two Nordic non-NATO members Sweden and Finland. “This is very troublesome for Sweden… and it is not the first time Russia has done this,” Wieslander said.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

UkraineAlert

Jan 10, 2022

The US and NATO must attack Vladimir Putin’s intimidation strategy

By Harlan Ullman

The current US approach to the crisis with Russia is predictable and conventional. The principle author of the "shock and awe" doctrine, Harlan Ullman, believes it is time to turn Putin's intimidation tactics against him.

Conflict Defense Policy
Load More