NATO Archives

Issue spotlight

Zelenskyy’s chief of staff: Ukraine has a shot at ‘complete liberation’

Issue Brief Mar 9, 2022

Defending every inch of NATO territory: Force posture options for strengthening deterrence in Europe

By The Scowcroft Center Task Force on Deterrence and Force Posture

Deterrence in Europe can be enhanced through a range of US and NATO force posture enhancements.

Conflict Defense Policy

New Atlanticist May 13, 2022

Why Finland and Sweden can join NATO with unprecedented speed

By Christopher Skaluba, Anna Wieslander

Both have put in the prescient and painstaking work to make a potential transition from partner to member so straightforward.

Defense Policy European Union

Event Recap May 11, 2022

How can the US and NATO help bring about Russia’s ‘strategic failure’ in Ukraine?

By Connor McPartland

On May 2, the Scowcroft Center’s Transatlantic Security Initiative hosted a public conference discussing priorities for the upcoming NATO Summit and next steps for security in Europe.

Conflict Defense Industry

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.

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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.

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Open a bank

by Max Bergmann and Siena Cicarelli

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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‘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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Threaten decisive nuclear retaliation

by David Gompert and Hans Binnendijk

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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In-depth reports on NATO’s agenda

Issue Brief

Mar 9, 2022

Defending every inch of NATO territory: Force posture options for strengthening deterrence in Europe

By The Scowcroft Center Task Force on Deterrence and Force Posture

Deterrence in Europe can be enhanced through a range of US and NATO force posture enhancements.

Conflict Defense Policy

Issue Brief

Mar 4, 2022

Europe’s security architecture, transformed: Why Finland is now on a path to join NATO

By Rasmus Hindrén

Finland is now on a prudent approach to NATO membership that is likely to build on its post-Cold War approach of continuity yet also to adapt to a new European security environment.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Report

Mar 30, 2022

All security is local: Arctic defense policies and domain awareness

By David Auerswald

This report maps Arctic allies’ and partners’ defense strategies and domain awareness capabilities to make recommendations for enhancing Arctic security.

Defense Policy Defense Technologies

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

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

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 the aftermath of the Russian war in Ukraine, the US and NATO Eastern Flank force postures have been enhanced.

The United States and NATO allies have taken numerous steps to bolster allied force posture in Eastern Europe, enhancing deterrence against further Russian aggression and demonstrating the Alliance’s ability to defend its eastern flank.

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Programs

The Transatlantic Security Initiative, in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, shapes and influences the debate on the greatest security challenges facing the North Atlantic Alliance and its key partners.

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Experts

Fellow

Ian Brzezinski

Senior Fellow

Europe Center Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Central Europe Defense Policy

Fellow

Ben Connable

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Iraq Initiative Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Defense Policy

Fellow

R. Clarke Cooper

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Africa Defense Policy

Fellow

James B. Cunningham

Nonresident Senior Fellow

South Asia Center

Democratic Transitions Politics & Diplomacy

Fellow

Ann-Sofie Dahl

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Danish Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

James Danoy

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Europe & Eurasia Intelligence

Content

New Atlanticist

May 20, 2022

Zelenskyy’s chief of staff: Ukraine has a shot at ‘complete liberation’

By Dan Peleschuk

Andriy Yermak urged the West to help his country maintain its momentum at an Atlantic Council Front Page event on Friday.

Conflict European Union

Banner image: Incendiary weapons explode above the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine. (Source: @faceofwar/archive)

New Atlanticist

May 20, 2022

Russian War Report: Russian forces use incendiary munitions in Mariupol

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

New photo and video evidence suggests that the Russian military continues to use incendiary and cluster munitions against Ukrainian forces.

Disinformation Eastern Europe

New Atlanticist

May 20, 2022

For Finland, the Cold War never ended. That’s why it’s ready for NATO.

By Paul R.S. Gebhard

For decades, Finland has persevered on its own—and now NATO has the opportunity to benefit from that.

Defense Policy NATO

In the News

May 19, 2022

Hindrén in Breaking Defense: What Finland will bring to NATO – and how it might change the alliance

By Rasmus Hindrén

Rasmus Hindrén writes that while the public has been focused on whether Finland will join NATO. there are five key areas to watch if it does

Defense Policy Eastern Europe

Event Recap

May 19, 2022

Event Recap: “Cooperation in the Arctic: Ways forward in a Changed Security Environment”

On April 28th, 2022, the Atlantic Council Northern Europe office, in cooperation with the US Embassy Stockholm, held the conference “Cooperation in the Arctic: Ways forward in a Changed Security Environment.” Convening as Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine entered its third month, the future of Arctic governance was in question. Joint research projects on climate change […]

Climate Change & Climate Action Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

May 18, 2022

Putin’s Black Sea blockade leaves millions facing global famine

By Andriy Zagorodnyuk

Russia’s blockade of Ukraine’s Black Sea ports is strangling the country’s economy and also threatening to spark a global food security crisis by preventing Ukrainian agricultural exports from reaching international markets.

Conflict Economic Sanctions

New Atlanticist

May 18, 2022

Sweden would strengthen NATO with fresh thinking and an able force

By John R. Deni

Sweden’s unique characteristics could make it a serious security provider—not merely a security consumer—in the heart of Northern Europe.

Crisis Management Defense Policy

New Atlanticist

May 18, 2022

Dashboard: Tracking the Western response to the war in Ukraine

By Atlantic Council

Explore the Atlantic Council's interactive trackers for how the world has responded by sending humanitarian and military aid, redeploying forces, and hammering Russia's economy.

Economic Sanctions Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

May 17, 2022

How the US Senate could slow down Sweden and Finland’s NATO future

By David Auerswald

Now isn't the time to debate for the sake of debating: The United States and Europe will be safer with Finland and Sweden in the Alliance.

Defense Policy European Union

In the News

May 17, 2022

Wieslander speaks at Lennart Meri Conference in Estonia

On May 15th, Anna Wieslander spoke at the Lennart Meri Conference in Tallinn. Her concluding panel “Trusting Who We Are: Baltic Regional Security,” moderated by President of Estonia Alar Karis, took place on the verge of Swedish and Finnish NATO membership applications. Bringing two EU members into NATO’s framework will “solidify the West,” Wieslander said. Attempts at dialogue […]

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Events

Public Event Tue, June 7, 2022 • 12:00 pm ET

A stronger transatlantic relationship for the stability of the Middle East and North Africa

Crisis Management Democratic Transitions Middle East NATO

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Issue spotlight

Defending every inch of NATO territory: Force posture options for strengthening deterrence in Europe

Why Finland and Sweden can join NATO with unprecedented speed

How can the US and NATO help bring about Russia’s ‘strategic failure’ in Ukraine?

NATO 20/2020

NATO 20/2020 Podcast

Read the essays

Modernize the kit and the message

Open a bank

Design a Digital Marshall Plan

Rethink and replace two percent

Build an Atlantic-Pacific Partnership

Disband the NATO Response Force

Build resilience for an era of shocks

‘Game out’ decision making

Digitalize the enterprise

Listen to women

Ramp up on Russia

Put NATO back in the narrative

Seek membership for Mexico

Supersize cyber

Christen a carrier strike group

End the Russian veto on Georgian accession

Threaten decisive nuclear retaliation

Revitalize NATO’s grand strategy

Set NATO’s sights on the High North

Reimagine the Washington Treaty

In-depth reports on NATO’s agenda

Defending every inch of NATO territory: Force posture options for strengthening deterrence in Europe

Europe’s security architecture, transformed: Why Finland is now on a path to join NATO

All security is local: Arctic defense policies and domain awareness

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

The China plan: A transatlantic blueprint for strategic competition

Visualizing burden-sharing data

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

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

In the aftermath of the Russian war in Ukraine, the US and NATO Eastern Flank force postures have been enhanced.

Learn more

Related reading

Europe needs to prepare for a future without Russian energy

The best defense: Why NATO should invest in resilience

Sweden would strengthen NATO with fresh thinking and an able force

Programs

Experts

Ian Brzezinski

Ben Connable

R. Clarke Cooper

James B. Cunningham

Ann-Sofie Dahl

James Danoy

Content

Zelenskyy’s chief of staff: Ukraine has a shot at ‘complete liberation’

Russian War Report: Russian forces use incendiary munitions in Mariupol

For Finland, the Cold War never ended. That’s why it’s ready for NATO.

Hindrén in Breaking Defense: What Finland will bring to NATO – and how it might change the alliance

Event Recap: “Cooperation in the Arctic: Ways forward in a Changed Security Environment”

Putin’s Black Sea blockade leaves millions facing global famine

Sweden would strengthen NATO with fresh thinking and an able force

Dashboard: Tracking the Western response to the war in Ukraine

How the US Senate could slow down Sweden and Finland’s NATO future

Wieslander speaks at Lennart Meri Conference in Estonia

Events

A stronger transatlantic relationship for the stability of the Middle East and North Africa