NATO

NATO: The Case for Collective Defense in the 21st Century

On January 5, the Atlantic Council hosted the United Kingdom’s Secretary of Defense Philip Hammond for his first public remarks in the United States.

UK Defense Secretary: Europe Failing to Meet Responsibilities

By James Joyner

In his first US address since become UK’s defense secretary, Philip Hammond blasted his fellow Europeans for “failing to meet their financial responsibilities to NATO, and so failing to maintain appropriate and proportionate capabilities.” Speaking at the Atlantic Council in advance of a meeting with his US counterpart, Leon Panetta, Hammond declared, “Without strong economies […]

Gates Renews Warning of Dim and Dismal Future for NATO

By Jorge Benitez

Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has revisited perhaps the most controversial speech in his career.

Strategy Session with Danish Foreign Minister Villy Søvndal

By Jason Harmala

On Wednesday, December 14, the Council hosted Minister Villy Søvndal in a working lunch and strategy session to discuss NATO involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Minister visited Washington following his trips to Helmand Province and Kabul for meetings with ISAF and Afghan leaders, and his leadership of Denmark’s representation to the Bonn conference last […]

Strategy Session with National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Bulgaria

By Jason Harmala

On December 9, the Atlantic Council’s International Security Program hosted an off-the-record strategy session with Svetlin Yovchev, national security advisor to Boyko Borisov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria. He was previously head of Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security and earlier he worked in the former National Security Service.

US-Pakistan Relations: A Crisis Foretold

By Maleeha Lodhi

The firestorm in Pakistan-US relations set off by the November 26 NATO assault on Pakistan’s border posts was a crisis waiting to happen.

Transforming Toward a Smarter Alliance: NATO Reform in the Age of Austerity

By Jason Harmala

On December 7, the Atlantic Council hosted a conference on NATO’s continued reforms and transformation in the age of austerity. This conference took stock of the progress to date on NATO’s reform efforts first established at the NATO Summit in Lisbon. The conference also provided recommendations and possible ways ahead for further reforms in order […]

NATO Reform: Key Principles

By Kurt Volker and Kevin P. Green

Ambassador Kurt Volker, senior advisor to the International Security Program and member of the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Advisors Group, and Vice Admiral Kevin P. Green, USN (Ret.), vice president for defense and intelligence for IBM Federal, outlined several key principles for NATO reform in a new issue brief. Download the PDF

Russia’s Red Alert

By James Joyner

Russian President Dimitry Medvedev announced today that he would “immediately put the missile attack early warning radar station in Kaliningrad on combat alert” and take other aggressive steps to counter NATO’s missile defense system. In an official statement reprinted on NATOSource, Medvedev claims this step was taken after NATO and the United States rebuffed repeated gestures from […]