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

Disband the NATO Response Force

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
Disband the NATO Response Force

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
Disband the NATO Response Force

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
Disband the NATO Response Force

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
Disband the NATO Response Force

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
Disband the NATO Response Force

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

NATO 20/2020

Oct 14, 2020

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.

Crisis Management Defense Policy

NATO 20/2020

Oct 14, 2020

Seek membership for Mexico

By Christopher Skaluba, Gabriela R. A. Doyle

Building a relationship between NATO and Mexico may be the key to keeping a rapidly changing America invested in European security.

Europe & Eurasia Mexico

NATO 20/2020

Oct 14, 2020

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.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

NATO 20/2020

Oct 14, 2020

Revitalize NATO’s grand strategy

By Ambassador 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.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

NATO 20/2020

Oct 14, 2020

Supersize cyber

By Safa Shahwan Edwards, Will Loomis, 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.

Cybersecurity Europe & Eurasia

In the News

Oct 5, 2020

Ashford reviews Andrew Bacevich’s book, The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory

By Atlantic Council

Emma writes a review of Andrew Bacevich’s book, The Age of Illusions: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory. More about our expert

NATO Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Sep 30, 2020

Russia as aggressor, NATO as objective: Ukraine’s new National Security Strategy

By Alyona Getmanchuk

Ukraine unveiled a new National Security Strategy in September 2020 that clearly identifies Russia as the enemy and sets out NATO membership as the end goal of the country's security policy.

Conflict National Security

In the News

Sep 30, 2020

Ashford and Robert Kaplan Discuss Post-Election US Foreign Policy Direction: Biden vs. Trump

By Atlantic Council

Emma and Robert Kaplan discuss what kind of foreign policies to expect from a second Trump presidency or a new Biden administration. More about our expert

China International Norms

Issue Brief

Sep 30, 2020

Why the US-Italy relationship matters

By Giovanna de Maio

In spite of the overall worsening of transatlantic relations over the past four years, and more inward looking foreign policy choices, Italy and the United States were able to preserve consistently positive relations. As far as trade is concerned, Italy managed to avoid the brunt of US tariffs on European goods, and trade exchange between […]

Coronavirus Economy & Business

New Atlanticist

Sep 28, 2020

Pompeo’s trip highlights strong US-Greece relationship

By Katerina Sokou

Rather than being simply an effort to mediate among the parties in the Eastern Med, Pompeo’s trip has focused on the bilateral US-Greece relationship, on a strategic as well as a personal level

Energy & Environment Greece
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Experts

Fellow

Elisabeth Braw

Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

NATO Resilience & Society

Fellow

Henrik Breitenbauch

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Danish Defense Industry

Fellow

Ian Brzezinski

Senior Fellow

Europe Center Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Central Europe Defense Policy

Fellow

Justina Budginaite-Froehly

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center Transatlantic Security Initiative

Defense Industry European Union

Fellow

Chung-Yu Chou

Former Visiting Military Fellow

Indo-Pacific Security Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

China Conflict

Fellow

Jonathan R. Cohen

Nonresident Senior Fellow

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

Greece Iraq
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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