TRACKING NATO SPENDING

Trackers and Data Visualizations

Jun 20, 2025

NATO Defense Spending Tracker

By Kristen Taylor

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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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.

Content

Inflection Points

Jul 11, 2025

Turning on Putin would fit Trump’s trend of second-term wins

By Frederick Kempe

Taking a tougher stance on the Russian president, who has not yet taken peace-making efforts seriously, would build on Trump’s recent successes.

Iran NATO

New Atlanticist

Jul 10, 2025

Populist gains are threatening Europe’s strategic coherence. Here’s how the EU can fight back.

By Sona Muzikarova

Far-right populist gains across Europe risk hindering the military buildup necessary to deter mounting security threats to the continent.

Central Europe Civil Society

New Atlanticist

Jul 9, 2025

Dispatch from Svalbard: Tensions are simmering in the High North

By Tressa Guenov, Ian Brzezinski

A recent visit to the Norwegian archipelago revealed just how active Russia and China are in the High North.

Maritime Security NATO

New Atlanticist

Jul 3, 2025

Finnish President Alexander Stubb on why The Hague summit marks ‘the birth of new NATO’

By Katherine Golden

There is significant “burden shifting” underway in NATO, which is “a good thing for Europe and for the Alliance right now,” Stubb said at an Atlantic Council Front Page event.

Conflict Defense Industry

In the News

Jun 30, 2025

Murray featured in CNBC on fundamental changes to UK and NATO defense spending.

By Atlantic Council

On June 2, Rob Murray, non-resident senior fellow at Forward Defense and the Transatlantic Security Initiative, appeared on CNBC to advise on a radical rethink of deterrence from a European perspective. Murray states that the architecture behind defense financing has been uniquely designed for peacetime, so the European financial community will have to rework their financial alliance to maximize […]

Europe & Eurasia National Security

New Atlanticist

Jun 30, 2025

NATO has a Mediterranean blind spot—and it puts the Alliance’s security at risk

By Gabriele Natalizia, Alissa Pavia

The decision not to invite any of the Mediterranean Dialogue countries to the NATO Summit at The Hague was a missed opportunity.

Europe & Eurasia Maritime Security

In the News

Jun 30, 2025

Michta published in 19FortyFive, RealClearDefense and RealClearWorld on NATO’s defense commitments

On June 30, Andrew Michta, senior fellow in the GeoStrategy Initiative, was published in 19FortyFive on the outcomes of the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague. He argues that the summit underscored the United States’ role as the cornerstone of European security and notes that the pursuit of European defense autonomy remains impractical given current […]

Europe & Eurasia NATO

In the News

Jun 28, 2025

Kroenig on Fox News on President Trump’s foreign policy at the NATO summit and in Iran

On June 28, Matthew Kroenig, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director, appeared on Fox News to discuss the NATO summit in The Hague, where allies agreed to a defense spending target of five percent of their GDP, and the US attack on Iran’s nuclear weapons program.

Europe & Eurasia Iran

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

New Atlanticist

Jun 27, 2025

Trump’s approach to Russia and its war on Ukraine is evolving, not in one big leap, but in several smaller steps

By John E. Herbst

Both Trump’s strikes on Iran and his statements at the NATO Summit signaled an evolution toward a tougher line on Moscow.

Conflict Defense Industry

Experts