NATO

From June 24 to 25, heads of state and government gathered at the NATO Summit in The Hague, where they agreed on a new commitment to spend 5 percent of gross domestic product on defense by 2035. 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

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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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Event Recap

Aug 29, 2013

NATO Partnerships in Asia: Allied and Regional Perspectives

On August 28, the Atlantic Council and NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) hosted an off-the-record roundtable discussion.

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Aug 29, 2013

The Baltic Way

By Damon Wilson

A Scenesetter for the Meeting of US-Baltic Presidents As President Obama prepares to meet the three Baltic presidents on Friday, I am reminded of standing on the floor of the Riigikogu in the summer of 1992:  as I watched Estonia’s restored parliament conduct business amidst the political jostling in the run-up to the nation’s first […]

Eastern Europe NATO
USAF KC-135R Stratotanker at Incirlik air base

NATOSource

Aug 28, 2013

Turkey may Open İncirlik Base for NATO Mission in Syria

By Murat Yetkin, Hurriyet Daily News

Turkey may open its strategic İncirlik air base for possible military operations into neighboring Syria, if the Western defense alliance NATO decides for an intervention in the ongoing civil war, a ranking Turkish official told the Hürriyet Daily News on Aug. 26.

France Germany
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, June 5, 2013

NATOSource

Aug 28, 2013

NATO Condemns Use of Chemical Weapons and Warns that ‘Those Responsible must be Held Accountable’

By Anders Fogh Rasmussen, NATO

The North Atlantic Council has just discussed the situation in Syria and in particular the horrific use of chemical weapons around Damascus on 21 August.

NATO Security & Defense
NATO membership cannot "replace a strong national defence capability"

NATOSource

Aug 27, 2013

President of Finland: NATO Membership no Substitute for Strong National Defense

By YLE

President Sauli Niinistö told Finland’s diplomatic corps that the country’s current relationship with NATO had served its interests.

NATO Security & Defense
Meeting of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters, June 4, 2013

NATOSource

Aug 27, 2013

Report: NATO Planning Emergency Meeting on Syria on Thursday

By ITAR-TASS

NATO is planning an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Syria in the wake of the chemical attack in suburban Damascus on August 21. According to the available information, the meeting might take place on August 29, a well-informed diplomatic source told Itar-Tass.

NATO Security & Defense
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

NATOSource

Aug 26, 2013

Syria: Russia Dooms Hopes of UN Security Council Resolution

By Raf Sanchez and Roland Oliphant, Telegraph

As the US, Britain and France edged closer to approving strikes in response to the alleged use of chemical weapons, the Kremlin said that the West was moving down “a very dangerous path.”

France International Organizations
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, February 2012

NATOSource

Aug 26, 2013

Turkey Readies for Syria Intervention with NATO-Backed Coalition

By Today's Zaman

As speculation on whether or not chemical gas was used in a recent attack in Syria — killing more than 1,000 and injuring many more in Damascus — rang alarm bells globally, Ankara, along with a NATO-backed international coalition, has started to ready itself against a possible intervention in Syria.

NATO Security & Defense
Meeting of the North Atlantic Council

NATOSource

Aug 26, 2013

NATO Members Could Act Against Syria Without UN Mandate

By Ian Traynor, Guardian

Barack Obama is unlikely to have much trouble mustering a Nato coalition of the willing if Washington opts for military intervention in Syria in response to the alleged chemical weapons atrocities by the Assad regime.

France Germany
USAF Gen. Philip Breedlove with Turkish Brig. Gen. Serdar Gulbas

NATOSource

Aug 23, 2013

SACEUR: Budget Cuts Already Have ‘Significant Impact’ on US Forces in Europe

By Andrew Tilghman, Military Times

Excerpt from interview by SACEUR and EUCOM commander Gen. Philip Breedlove with Military Times

Europe & Eurasia NATO

Experts