NATO

NATO

From July 7 to 8, 2026, heads of state and government  gathered at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, where allies sought to capitalize on the success of 2025’s landmark defense spending pledge and begin converting cash into capabilities. Check out our commentary, analysis, and events covering the convening and our latest analysis on NATO, courtesy of our experts.

Ankara Summit Content Series

These articles are part of a series featuring Atlantic Council experts’ analysis and recommendations on the key challenges facing allies at the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, and beyond.

How European NATO allies are stepping up, by the numbers

This year’s NATO Summit takes place at a critical time for the Alliance. With no marquee deliverable like last year, NATO leadership will point to progress from European allies on defense spending, defense industrial production, and aid to Ukraine.

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European allies can boost NATO unity at the Ankara summit by accelerating eastern flank deterrence

Ahead of the upcoming summit, European allies should commit to accelerating their deployment of full-strength combat brigades to the Baltic states by 2027.

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NATO allies need a plan for addressing threats below the threshold of war

NATO should take on a more active role in coordinating the response to attacks below the threshold of war. Specifically, the Alliance should use the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara to establish response options for its member states.

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The Ankara summit is an opportunity for NATO to ramp up engagement with its southern neighborhood

NATO’s engagement with its southern neighborhood has been inconsistent, despite growing security challenges. The Ankara summit offers and opportunity to strengthen dialogue with regional partners and reinforce NATO’s southern strategy.

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Innovation ranges: How NATO can test and deploy cutting-edge capabilities faster

The Ankara summit offers allies an opportunity to absorb the lessons from innovation ranges and revitalize the defense innovation pipeline.

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Civilian infrastructure is now a strategic target. NATO must adapt to protect it.

To help build resilience, NATO allies should integrate Nordic, Baltic, and Ukrainian “total defense” practices into NATO planning and exercises.

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Europe should take the long bet on the US and the transatlantic security relationship

At the upcoming Ankara summit, European allies should underscore their increased defense spending and their tangible contributions to shared security.

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How NATO can strengthen the transatlantic defense industrial base in Ankara and beyond

The NATO Summit in Ankara is an opportunity to advance a stronger, more integrated transatlantic defense industrial base.

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Europe’s no-panic playbook for a radically different US foreign policy

NATO and the EU need to make significant, lasting changes in response to Trump 2.0 national security policy–quickly, and ideally in coordination with Washington.

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NATO’s new Arctic presence shows that European allies are stepping up

Heading into the Ankara summit, the Arctic region offers a prime example of where European allies are stepping up and laying the groundwork for deeper cooperation.

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More European NATO allies should step up help to Ukraine through PURL

NATO’s Ankara summit is an opportunity for allies to expand participation in the Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), which funds US-made military equipment for Ukraine.

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NATO can emerge from the Ankara summit stronger. Here’s how.

Allies can strengthen the Alliance by continuing to increase defense spending, accelerating joint capability development, and sustaining their support for Ukraine.

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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

NATO Faces Up to Russian Challenge

Dispatches
Jul 9, 2026

Eleven takeaways from the NATO Summit in Ankara 

By
Atlantic Council experts

Atlantic Council experts break down the most important developments coming out of the Ankara summit.

Defense Industry
Defense Policy

NATO Faces Up to Russian Challenge

Fast Thinking
Jul 8, 2026

Was the NATO Summit a success?

By
Atlantic Council

Atlantic Council experts break down an eventful two days in Ankara.

NATO
Security & Defense

NATO Faces Up to Russian Challenge

Dispatches
Jul 2, 2026

Civilian infrastructure is now a strategic target. NATO must adapt to protect it.

Allies must preserve the ability to move, reinforce, sustain, communicate, mobilize, and, if necessary, fight under conditions of disruption.

Europe & Eurasia
NATO

NATO Faces Up to Russian Challenge

Dispatches
Jul 2, 2026

Europe should take the long bet on the US and the transatlantic security relationship

By
Ian Brzezinski, Philippe Dickinson

In Ankara, European leaders must seize the opportunity to reinforce the long-term foundations of the Alliance.

Defense Policy
Europe & Eurasia

NATO Faces Up to Russian Challenge

Dispatches
Jun 23, 2026

How European NATO allies are stepping up, by the numbers

By
Kristen Taylor, Matt Trunkey

Expect NATO leadership to focus on three main issues: defense spending, defense industrial production, and aid to Ukraine.

Defense Industry
Defense Policy

NATO Faces Up to Russian Challenge

Dispatches
Jun 17, 2026

NATO’s southern flank is exposed. Portugal can help fortify it.

By
Randi Charno Levine

The Alliance was not designed to focus only on its easter flank. Vulnerabilities to NATO’s south are accumulating faster than strategy is adapting.

Maritime Security
NATO

FEATURED EVENTS

Private Event
Thu, June 25, 2026 • 1:45 pm ET

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the Ankara Summit Agenda

AN AC FRONT PAGE EVENT—NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte lays out his priorities for the upcoming Ankara summit.

Central Europe
Eastern Europe
Europe & Eurasia
European Union


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 hosts Senators Shaheen and Tillis for a conversation on the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara.

Europe & Eurasia
NATO
Security & Defense


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


TUNE IN

ARCHIVES: THE ATLANTIC COUNCIL ON THE ROAD TO THE NATO SUMMIT

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

Col. Colin Tuley of the 82nd Airborne Division, June 15, 2016 (photo: Sgt. Michael Giles/ U.S. Army National Guard)

NATOSource

Jul 13, 2016

NATO Faces Up to Russian Challenge

By Ian Brzezinski, CNN

[T]he alliance today is confronted by Russia’s ability to suddenly seize limited swaths of territory along its periphery, including that of the Baltic states and Poland.

NATO Russia
President Barack Obama, March 14, 2016 (photo: State Department)

NATOSource

Jul 13, 2016

America’s Alliance with Britain and Europe Will Endure

By Barack Obama, Financial Times

This may be the most important moment for our transatlantic alliance since the end of the cold war.

NATO Security & Defense
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Polish President Andrzej Duda, July 8, 2016 (photo: NATO)

NATOSource

Jul 12, 2016

Does Restraint Make Germany an Unreliable Ally?

By Jan Techau, Carnegie Europe

[German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter] Steinmeier rightfully describes how Germany has already come a long way in its foreign policy.

Germany NATO

In the News

Jul 12, 2016

Brzezinski in CNN: NATO Faces Up to Russian Challenge

By Ian Brzezinski

Read the full article here.

NATO Russia
NATO Heads of State at Warsaw Summit, July 8, 2016 (photo: NATO)

NATOSource

Jul 12, 2016

NATO’s Warsaw Summit: A Refreshed Alliance for Troubled Times

By the Editors of the Guardian

[L]ast week in Warsaw, the alliance held a gathering for a new era – one in which Europe’s collective security and territorial defence are once again Nato’s core mission, and with new resources to fulfil it.

NATO Security & Defense
UK Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama at the NATO summit in Warsaw, July 8, 2016 (photo: NATO)

NATOSource

Jul 12, 2016

In the Dark Aftermath of Brexit, a Ray of Light Comes from NATO

By the Editorial Board of the Washington Post

The shadow cast over the West by Britain’s vote to exit the European Union will not be dispelled anytime soon. But a summit of the NATO alliance in Warsaw over the weekend provided a ray of light.

NATO Security & Defense

In the News

Jul 12, 2016

Lightfoot in The Cipher Brief: More than Meets the Eye

By Jeff Lightfoot

Read the full article here.

NATO Security & Defense

Bremain vs Brexit

Jul 12, 2016

Wilson Joins Radio Poland to Discuss Washington’s Growing Role in European Politics After Brexit

By Damon Wilson

Listen to the full interview here.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Event Recap

Jul 11, 2016

Unwrapping the NATO Warsaw Summit

By Lauren Speranza & Marija Vaicekauskaite

On July 11, 2016 the Atlantic Council hosted a private roundtable with General Denis Mercier, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation on “Unwrapping the NATO Warsaw Summit.” Gen. Mercier briefed out the key deliberations and conclusions of the Alliance’s July 8-9 Warsaw Summit. A select group of experts, including Julie Smith of the Center for a […]

European Union International Organizations

In the News

Jul 9, 2016

Herbst Quoted by RFE/RL on Russia and NATO

By John E. Herbst

Read the full article here.

NATO Russia
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Experts

Fellow

Daniel Fried

Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow

Economic Statecraft Initiative Eurasia Center

Eastern Europe Democratic Transitions

Staff

Markus Garlauskas

Director

Indo-Pacific Security Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Crisis Management Indo-Pacific

Fellow

Paul R.S. Gebhard

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Fellow

Gorana Grgić

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Indo-Pacific Security Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Croatian Democratic Transitions

Fellow

Heidi Hardt

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Transatlantic Security Initiative

Climate Change & Climate Action International Organizations

Fellow

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

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Europe & Eurasia NATO
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