NATO

NATO

From July 7 to 8, heads of state and government will gather at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, where allies will seek to capitalize on the success of last year’s landmark defense spending pledge and begin converting cash into capabilities. Check out our commentary, analysis, and events covering the convening, courtesy of our experts.

TRACKING NATO SPENDING

Trackers and Data Visualizations

Jun 20, 2025

NATO defense spending tracker

By Kristen Taylor, Julia Salabert

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

FAST THINKING: The US bets big on NATO to deter Russia

Dispatches Apr 20, 2026

Five ideas to make the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara a success

By Atlantic Council experts

While the upcoming summit is unlikely to produce anything as singularly significant as 2025’s “5 percent” pledge, there are important steps the Alliance should take.
Europe & Eurasia NATO
FAST THINKING: The US bets big on NATO to deter Russia

Dispatches Apr 10, 2026

Dispatch from Vilnius: Warfare is evolving rapidly. Here’s how NATO can keep up.

By David Julazadeh, Julia Salabert

The most important change is that the cost barrier to generating strategic effects has dropped dramatically.
Defense Industry Europe & Eurasia
FAST THINKING: The US bets big on NATO to deter Russia

Dispatches Jan 21, 2026

To adapt to today’s security threats, NATO should prioritize the basics of defense innovation

By Julia Salabert, Kristen Taylor

Transatlantic allies must focus on accelerating defense innovation while strengthening their defense industrial bases.
Defense Industry Defense Policy
FAST THINKING: The US bets big on NATO to deter Russia

New Atlanticist Jun 27, 2025

Four fundamental questions the NATO Summit did not answer

By Torrey Taussig

Over the coming months, NATO allies will have to wrestle with questions about the US commitment to Europe, their shared approach to China, and more.
Conflict Defense Industry
FAST THINKING: The US bets big on NATO to deter Russia

Inflection Points Jun 26, 2025

Dispatch from The Hague: It’s been Trump’s week in Europe and Iran

By Frederick Kempe

What connects the recent events in Iran and at the NATO Summit is that they won’t be remembered for the threats countered but rather for the opportunities seized.
Europe & Eurasia Iran
FAST THINKING: The US bets big on NATO to deter 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

FEATURED EVENTS

Public Event Tue, April 28, 2026 • 10:15 am ET

Belgium’s defense minister on the future of transatlantic security relations

Minister of Defense of Belgium Theo Francken shares his views on transatlantic security developments and Belgium’s role in Europe’s growing defense industry.
Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia NATO Politics & Diplomacy
Public Event Fri, April 17, 2026 • 11:45 am ET

The British ambassador to the US on Euro-Atlantic security and the Middle East

British Ambassador to the United States Sir Christian Turner joins the Atlantic Council to discuss the UK’s ongoing diplomatic efforts in the Middle East and its vision for the future of Euro-Atlantic security cooperation.
Europe & Eurasia Iran Middle East NATO
Online Event Tue, April 7, 2026 • 10:00 am ET

US-Turkish defense relations and the upcoming NATO Summit

A discussion on the new era for the bilateral US-Turkish defense relationship and the significance of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara.
Defense Industry Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia Geopolitics & Energy Security

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

Within the Atlantic Council’s longstanding commitment to strengthening the transatlantic relationship, the Atlantic Council Turkey Program conducts research, provides thought leadership, and offers a platform for strategic dialogue between the US, Turkey, and NATO allies to address the region’s toughest challenges and explore opportunities, including in the fields of energy, business & trade, technology, defense, and security.

Learn more

Content

Fast Thinking

Jan 25, 2022

FAST THINKING: The US bets big on NATO to deter Russia

By Atlantic Council

Can the United States convince the twenty-nine other NATO members to support a troop movement in Eastern Europe?

Conflict Crisis Management

In the News

Jan 25, 2022

Wieslander quoted in Financial Times on Sweden-Finland NATO debate

“I used to think that Sweden would have to take the lead, as we’re the biggest Nordic country. But given how the dynamics are now, I would bet more that it could start moving quicker in Helsinki than Stockholm,” said Wieslander.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

In the News

Jan 24, 2022

Ashford in Responsible Statecraft: What would US intervention in Ukraine really look like?

By Atlantic Council

On January 24, Emma Ashford participated in a Responsible Statecraft symposium on what a US intervention in Ukraine would look like, warning that the Biden administration should be cautious about an overly militarized approach to the problem that could escalate into more direct conflict. “The United States isn’t going to get directly involved in defending […]

Eastern Europe English

In the News

Jan 24, 2022

Scowcroft Center Military Fellows quoted in the New Zealand Herald on the Russia-Ukraine crisis

By Atlantic Council

Scowcroft Center Military Fellows are quoted in the New Zealand Herald follwing their article outlining military developments in the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

Conflict Crisis Management

In the News

Jan 23, 2022

Sales in Fox News: To deter Putin in Ukraine, Biden must stand up to the Russian strongman

By Atlantic Council

Europe & Eurasia National Security

UkraineAlert

Jan 23, 2022

Ukraine Crisis: Putin the gambler may have gone too far to back down

By Timothy Ash

Russian President Vladimir Putin has gained the world's attention with his threat to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine but he may now feel he must act or risk a serious loss of credibility on the international stage.

Conflict European Union

Inflection Points

Jan 23, 2022

Putin is threatening not just Ukraine but post-Cold War principles. And the stakes are generational.

By Frederick Kempe

Unless Biden can shift the tide, Putin will continue his long campaign to reverse the post-Cold War principles under which countries in the world navigate the future together.

Conflict Crisis Management

Britain Debrief

Jan 22, 2022

#BritainDebrief – Are we on the brink in Ukraine? A debrief from Tom Tugendhat, MP

By Ben Judah

Tom Tugendhat, MP, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, joins #BritainDebrief for a look at Britain's policies towards Ukraine and how realistic the threat of war in Ukraine is.

Conflict Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

Jan 22, 2022

Stop asking what Putin wants and start asking what Ukrainians want

By Mychailo Wynnyckyj

Fears of a major European war have sparked endless speculation over what Putin may want and how the West should react, but Ukraine itself has been largely reduced to the status of bystander in its own national drama.

Civil Society Conflict

In the News

Jan 22, 2022

Sales in Fox News: To deter Putin in Ukraine, Biden must stand up to the Russian strongman

By Atlantic Council

Conflict Crisis Management
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Experts

Fellow

Anca Agachi

Nonresident Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Africa Conflict

Staff

Nika Aleksejeva

Resident Fellow, Baltics

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Disinformation

Millennium fellow

Kirk Allen

Digital Communications Lead, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems

Millennium Leadership Program

Middle East NATO Partnerships

Fellow

Lukas Andriukaitis

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Disinformation Eastern Europe

Fellow

Ryan Arick

Nonresident Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

NATO Security & Defense

Fellow

Lisa Aronsson

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Europe & Eurasia NATO
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Events

Public Event Wed, June 17, 2026 • 3:30 pm ET

Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Thom Tillis on the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara

AN AC FRONT PAGE EVENT—The Atlantic Council is hosting Senators Shaheen and Tillis for a conversation on the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara.
Europe & Eurasia NATO Security & Defense