TRACKING NATO SPENDING

Trackers and Data Visualizations

Jun 20, 2025

NATO Defense Spending Tracker

The Transatlantic Security Initiative’s NATO defense spending tracker delves into data and figures to analyze current defense spending trends.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

FEATURED READING

O’Toole quoted in Bloomberg on the limited options for bondholders with cash stuck in Russia

Fast Thinking Jun 25, 2025

Trump warmed to NATO at The Hague. But what about Ukraine?

By Atlantic Council

Allies reiterated their commitment to collective defense. But absent from the communiqué was any mention of how Russia’s war against Ukraine should end.
Europe & Eurasia NATO
O’Toole quoted in Bloomberg on the limited options for bondholders with cash stuck in Russia

New Atlanticist Jun 25, 2025

Experts react: NATO allies agreed to a 5 percent defense spending target in a low-drama summit. Now what?

By Atlantic Council experts

The Alliance summit was notable for what was said and done, especially about defense spending—but also for what was left off the agenda.
Europe & Eurasia NATO
O’Toole quoted in Bloomberg on the limited options for bondholders with cash stuck in Russia

Inflection Points Jun 24, 2025

Dispatch from The Hague: How Trump can build on his Middle East success with NATO

By Frederick Kempe

As the Alliance summit begins, the US president can already justifiably trumpet three major achievements in the Middle East. Will he add one more in Europe?
Conflict Europe & Eurasia
O’Toole quoted in Bloomberg on the limited options for bondholders with cash stuck in Russia

New Atlanticist Jun 23, 2025

Expect NATO’s new spending pledge to be overshadowed by weakening US commitment and inaction on Ukraine

By Ian Brzezinski, Ryan Arick

The Hague summit will ultimately be defined by what the US president communicates about his commitment to transatlantic security and what NATO allies do to support Ukraine.
Defense Policy NATO
O’Toole quoted in Bloomberg on the limited options for bondholders with cash stuck in Russia

New Atlanticist Jun 20, 2025

What counts as ‘defense’ in NATO’s potential 5 percent spending goal?

By John R. Deni, Ryan Arick

The Alliance must ensure that “defense related” items truly contribute to collective defense as it plans its new, larger spending goal.
Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia
O’Toole quoted in Bloomberg on the limited options for bondholders with cash stuck in Russia

Issue Brief Jun 5, 2025

Immediate steps that Europe can take to enhance its role in NATO defense

By Franklin D. Kramer, Kristen Taylor

As NATO members gather in the Hague amid uncertainty about US commitment to the continent and concerns about Russia’s military rebuilding, what can European nations do to deter and, if necessary, defeat threats from Moscow?
Europe & Eurasia NATO
O’Toole quoted in Bloomberg on the limited options for bondholders with cash stuck in Russia

New Atlanticist Jun 5, 2025

What explains the transatlantic rift? It’s all about threat perception.

By Jason Davidson

NATO allies’ differing threat perceptions provide the backdrop for what could be a contentious summit in The Hague this month.
Defense Industry Defense Policy
O’Toole quoted in Bloomberg on the limited options for bondholders with cash stuck in Russia

Issue Brief Jun 2, 2025

For NATO in 2027, European leadership will be key to deterrence against Russia

By Scott Lee, Andrew Michta, Peter Jones, and Lisa Bembenick

NATO lacks the operational integration, logistics, and joint force capabilities needed to quickly counter Russian mass and tempo near its borders. With the United States increasingly focused elsewhere, how can the Alliance retain military superiority in 2027 without overreliance on US military might?
Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia
O’Toole quoted in Bloomberg on the limited options for bondholders with cash stuck in Russia

Issue Brief Mar 31, 2025

Why NATO’s Defence Planning Process will transform the Alliance for decades to come

By Angus Lapsley and Pierre Vandier

NATO’s successes over the last seventy-six years are the result of constant adaptation, and the Alliance is now going through its most profound changes since the end of the Cold War.
Europe & Eurasia International Organizations

FEATURED EVENTS

Online Event Fri, June 20, 2025 • 4:00 pm ET

Sweden’s foreign minister on the 2025 NATO Summit agenda

Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard joins the Atlantic Council to discuss the NATO Summit and the future of transatlantic relations.
Europe & Eurasia NATO Northern Europe Politics & Diplomacy
Online Event Tue, June 10, 2025 • 12:00 pm ET

Senator Jeanne Shaheen on Russia’s war and The Hague summit

Shaheen joins Punchbowl News’ Andrew Desiderio for a conversation on the upcoming NATO Summit in The Hague and US policy on Russia and Ukraine.
Conflict International Organizations NATO
Public Event Wed, May 14, 2025 • 9:30 am ET

Navigating a new era of NATO

A discussion on navigating a new era of NATO in today’s shifting geopolitical environment.
Europe & Eurasia NATO Security & Defense United States and Canada

TUNE IN

Programs and initiatives

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.

Learn more

Content

In the News

Apr 1, 2022

O’Toole quoted in Bloomberg on the limited options for bondholders with cash stuck in Russia

Read the full article here.

Conflict Economic Sanctions

In the News

Mar 31, 2022

Polymeropoulos in NBC news on US efforts to arm Ukrainians

By Atlantic Council

Marc Polymeropoulos notes that overall, US weapons assistance to Ukraine has proven relatively effective.

Conflict Defense Policy

In the News

Mar 31, 2022

Lichfield quoted in NBC News on how countries approach neutrality

Read the full article here.

Conflict Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2022

Putin will win unless the West sends Ukraine offensive weapons

By Alyona Getmanchuk

Western weapons have played a key role in helping Ukraine to inflict punishing losses on Putin's invasion force but Russia may still secure a bloody victory if the democratic world fails to accelerate arms deliveries.

Conflict European Union

New Atlanticist

Mar 30, 2022

Russia Crisis Military Assessment: Russia is forced to make a major shift in strategy

By Atlantic Council military fellows

The main Russian effort is now in the Donbas, where Russia will continue to send reinforcements and resupply in the hope of building on (and consolidating) small gains on the ground.

Conflict NATO
A Russian tank spotted in southern Belarus. (Source: @tendar/euroradio)

New Atlanticist

Mar 30, 2022

Russian War Report: Contradictory reports of Russian vehicles returning to Belarus

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Russian forces seen returning to Belarus, Telegram channels undermining peace talks with Ukraine, and how Russians continue using banned social media.

Belarus Conflict

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

Event Recap

Mar 29, 2022

What the Baltic presidents want the West to do now against Russia

By Nick Fouriezos

Estonian President Alar Karis, Latvian President Egils Levits, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda, proposed a number of options to counter Russian aggression at an Atlantic Council Front Page event Tuesday.

Conflict Eastern Europe

AC Selects

Mar 28, 2022

AC Selects: AC Front Page highlights—War in Ukraine and NATO’s Eastern flank

Week of March 28, 2022 Over the past two week, we hosted four #ACFrontPage events centered around Russia’s war in Ukraine. Our experts interviewed Head of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, German Minister of Defense, Christine Lambrecht, President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, President of Latvia, Egils Levits, President of Estonia, Alar Karis, and US […]

Conflict NATO

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2022

Russian War Report: Additional units from Georgian breakaway regions join Russian offensive

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Soldiers from the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia are confirmed to be providing military support for Russian forces in Ukraine.

Belarus Conflict
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Experts

Fellow

Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Europe & Eurasia National Security

Fellow

Beniamino Irdi

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Disinformation English

Fellow

Marta Kepe

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Defense Industry English

Fellow

Timo S. Koster

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Cybersecurity Dutch

Fellow

Erwan Lagadec

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

English Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Natasha Lander Finch

Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Arms Control Europe & Eurasia
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