NATO

Security & Defense

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2025: The Hague, Netherlands

Recorded events

Video analysis

Select publications

2024: Washington, DC, United States

Landing page: Atlantic Council at the NATO Summit in Washington

Recorded events

Video analysis

Select publications

2023: Vilnius, Lithuania

Recorded events

Ideas to implementation: Priorities for NATO’s Vilnius Summit

Select publications

Prior to 2023

2022: Madrid, Spain

Event: Priorities for the NATO Summit and security in Europe
Publication: The triumphs and question marks from this week’s NATO summit

2021: Brussels, Belgium

Event: A conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
Publication: FAST THINKING: A new era for NATO

2018: Brussels, Belgium

Event: Raising the curtain on the 2018 NATO Brussels Summit
Event: The road to NATO’s Brussels 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

NATOSource

Mar 15, 2013

Spain and NATO look to the future

By NATO

From NATO: General Knud Bartels, Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, paid an official visit to Spain, where he discussed with the Spanish Chief of Defence, Admiral Fernando García Sánchez, NATO defence priorities post-2014, particularly Smart Defence, and the Connected Forces Initiative.

NATO Security & Defense

NATOSource

Mar 14, 2013

After 61 years, NATO headquarters in Heidelberg deactivates

By Matt Millham, Stars and Stripes

From Matt Millham, Stars and Stripes: As part of NATO’s transformation to a more flexible and affordable force, the alliance on Thursday deactivated its Headquarters Allied Force Command Heidelberg, ending a 61-year history that tracks largely alongside that of the U.S. Army’s in this old German city.

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Mar 14, 2013

Transatlantic Confessions

By Stanley R. Sloan

Are transatlantic relations in another crisis, perhaps a slow rolling one, or are we at the opening of a new and more promising era for the United States, Canada, and their European partners? Decisions on both sides of the Atlantic in the next few years will determine the fate of America’s most important alliance.

Economy & Business NATO

NATOSource

Mar 13, 2013

The transatlantic community needs a common vision

By Isabelle Francois, New Atlanticist

From Isabelle Francois, New Atlanticist: Eminent American strategic thinkers indeed consider that their country is at a crucial juncture of human history and have advised the Obama administration to seize the opportunity towards collaborative partnerships with its most stalwart allies in Europe

Economy & Business European Union

New Atlanticist

Mar 12, 2013

Muddling Through from One NATO Ministerial to Another

By Isabelle Francois

NATO Defense Ministers recently met for their periodic discussions on allied capabilities and operations, and engaged with their counterparts from partner countries to discuss the way ahead in Afghanistan. Automatic US budget cuts which went into effect on March 1st were looming large. The Pentagon spokesman, George Little, announced on the eve of the ministerial […]

NATO Security & Defense

NATOSource

Mar 11, 2013

Mattis urges keeping 20,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan

By Gopal Ratnam, Bloomberg

From Gopal Ratnam, Bloomberg: The general who heads the U.S. Central Command went beyond the Pentagon’s positions today on issues including how many troops to keep in Afghanistan, giving candid testimony to Congress as he prepares to step down.

NATO Security & Defense

Report

Mar 5, 2013

NATO Global Partnerships: Strategic Opportunities and Imperatives in a Globalized World

By Franklin D. Kramer

International security in today’s globalized world demands a framework responsive to interconnectedness, multiple power centers, shared vulnerabilities, and dramatic change. To meet these diverse challenges that affect the security of its members, NATO, as the West’s premier security organization, must reach beyond the transatlantic arena. Download PDF

NATO NATO Partnerships

Event Recap

Feb 26, 2013

NATO Defense Ministerial Debrief

By Jason Harmala

On February 26, the Atlantic Council hosted James J. Townsend, Jr., deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO Policy, for a roundtable discussion on the outcomes of the NATO Defense Ministerial Meetings which took place February 21-22, 2013 in Brussels.

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Feb 22, 2013

Security Force Assistance: It’s Not Just for Weak States

By Derek Reveron

Doctrinally, security force assistance (SFA) is a set of activities to develop the capacity and capabilities of foreign security forces and their supporting institutions. We often associate SFA with weak states, where the United States enables partner countries such as Pakistan, Colombia, and Yemen to combat challenges that threaten their own security and regional stability.

NATO Security & Defense

NATOSource

Feb 22, 2013

Panetta, Germany differ on troop numbers in Afghanistan

By Lolita C. Baldor, AP

From Lolita C. Baldor, AP: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and his German counterpart offered conflicting accounts Friday of a discussion about how many U.S. and European forces would remain in Afghanistan after the anticipated end of combat after 2014.

NATO Security & Defense

Experts

Fellow

David Auerswald

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

Staff

James Batchik

Deputy Director, EU Programs and Operations

Europe Center

Central Europe Digital Policy

Fellow

Andrew Bernard

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center

NATO Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Hans Binnendijk

Distinguished Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Sara Bjerg Moller

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Indo-Pacific Security Initiative Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security

Danish Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Elisabeth Braw

Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

NATO Resilience & Society

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Ankara Summit Content Series

How European NATO allies are stepping up, by the numbers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TRACKING NATO SPENDING

NATO defense spending tracker

FEATURED READING

Eleven takeaways from the NATO Summit in Ankara

Was the NATO Summit a success?

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

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

How European NATO allies are stepping up, by the numbers

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

FEATURED EVENTS

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the Ankara Summit Agenda

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

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

TUNE IN

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

Programs and initiatives

Content

Spain and NATO look to the future

After 61 years, NATO headquarters in Heidelberg deactivates

Transatlantic Confessions

The transatlantic community needs a common vision

Muddling Through from One NATO Ministerial to Another

Mattis urges keeping 20,000 NATO troops in Afghanistan

NATO Global Partnerships: Strategic Opportunities and Imperatives in a Globalized World

NATO Defense Ministerial Debrief

Security Force Assistance: It’s Not Just for Weak States

Panetta, Germany differ on troop numbers in Afghanistan

Experts

David Auerswald

James Batchik

Andrew Bernard

Hans Binnendijk

Sara Bjerg Moller

Elisabeth Braw

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