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

FEATURED READING

FEATURED EVENTS

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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

New Atlanticist

Aug 15, 2011

NATO and the Afghan Surge

By William B. Caldwell IV

Five months ago, Senators Carl Levin and Jack Reed wrote in the Washington Post, “the best way to bring our troops home sooner while succeeding in Afghanistan is to build a stronger Afghan military and government.” Since we stood up the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan over 21 months ago, we can say that developing the Afghan […]

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

Aug 12, 2011

Under NATO’s Flag: an Interim Assessment of the Mission in Libya (Part Three)

By Vladimir Socor

As in Iraq and Afghanistan, a Western coalition intervened in Libya with only a weak grasp of the local society.

Libya NATO

New Atlanticist

Aug 10, 2011

Under NATO’s Flag: An Interim Assessment of the Mission In Libya (Part Two)

By Vladimir Socor

NATO embarked almost haphazardly in March on the Libya mission. The Alliance became the third entrant to this mission in a rapid sequence, after the United States and the Franco-British tandem.

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Aug 9, 2011

What Next in Libya?

By Derek Reveron

It’s been over four months since NATO launched its air campaign in Libya. Dubbed Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR, NATO pilots have logged at least 17,924 sorties, 6,788 of which were strike missions “to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas under attack or threat of attack.”

Libya NATO

New Atlanticist

Aug 9, 2011

Under NATO’s Flag: An Interim Assessment of the Mission In Libya (Part One)

By Vladimir Socor

NATO is only nominally in charge of the stalemated war in Libya. The Alliance’s leader, the United States, was quick to move to a back seat in this operation after having sparked it. Europe’s residual military powers, France and Britain, are mainly in charge of this war, operating as a tandem but basically in their […]

Libya NATO

New Atlanticist

Aug 2, 2011

Afghanistan and Libya Point NATO to Five Lessons

By Kurt Volker

Both the wars in Afghanistan and Libya reveal serious flaws in the Alliance. If they can’t be fixed, perhaps it’s time for a ‘back to basics’ NATO and a return to coalitions of the willing. Whether it is a matter of weeks or months, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi will probably fall from power, and opposition forces will likely gain […]

Afghanistan Libya

New Atlanticist

Jul 26, 2011

New Challenges – New Nato

By Gábor Iklódy

In early August, a new division started its work in NATO’s International Staff. In itself, this may not appear particularly noteworthy. Large bureaucracies re‑shuffling their outfit from time to time is not exactly headline-grabbing stuff. But this time, things are different.

NATO Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jul 22, 2011

Heart of Transition in Herat

By William B. Caldwell IV

Yesterday, it was my honor to represent NATO and ISAF at the transition ceremony in the western Afghan city of Herat. Herat is Afghanistan’s third largest city and one of its oldest; founded 2,700 years ago, Herat still serves as an important link among the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. Alongside landmarks of […]

Afghanistan NATO

New Atlanticist

Jul 20, 2011

Is NATO Ready to Win Libya?

By James Joyner

If NATO has a plan for achieving victory in Libya, it has been well disguised. Regardless, the world’s most powerful military alliance will surely somehow, some day prevail over a besieged dictator with little support. But is NATO prepared for what happens when they win? Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen took to Twitter last week […]

Libya NATO

NATOSource

Jul 15, 2011

NATO and Strategic Cyber Capabilities

By Jason Healey, the New Atlanticist

From Jason Healey, the New Atlanticist:  NATO must transform itself in order to deal with cyber threats and opportunities.

Cybersecurity NATO

Experts