Scowcroft Center Commentary, Analysis, & Reports

Explore the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s latest insights, commentary, articles, media hits, and in-depth reports

All commentary & analysis

In the News

Jun 14, 2025

Kroenig quoted in the Wall Street Journal on Trump’s potential framing of Israel’s strikes on Iran

On June 13, Matthew Kroenig, Atlantic Council vice president and Scowcroft Center senior director, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal on how President Trump may choose to present Israel’s strikes on Iranian military and nuclear installations, as well as its military leadership, in light of his “peacemaker” pledge.

Conflict Iran

In the News

Jun 13, 2025

Zier in Military Times analyzes US military deployment at southern border

On May 28, Caroline Zier, nonresident senior fellow in the GeoStrategy Initiative, was published in the Military Times examining the Trump administration’s policy of using miliary personnel at the US southern border. Zier argues that the military’s “unprecedented” role at the border diverts time and resources from national security operations that “only the military can perform” […]

Crisis Management National Security

New Atlanticist

Jun 12, 2025

Experts react: Israel just attacked Iran’s military and nuclear sites. What’s next?

By Atlantic Council experts

Our experts shed light on Israel’s major attack against Iran targeting its nuclear facilities and its implications for the region.

Conflict Defense Policy

New Atlanticist

Jun 12, 2025

Seven charts that will define Canada’s G7 Summit

By Atlantic Council

Our experts provide a look inside the numbers that will frame the high-stakes gathering of Group of Seven leaders in Alberta.

China Digital Policy

New Atlanticist

Jun 11, 2025

Carney’s ‘hinge moment’ is about more than just Canadian defense spending. What does that mean for Washington?

By Imran Bayoumi

The Canadian prime minister gave his first major defense and security speech on June 9, describing an unraveling international order and an increasingly unreliable United States.

NATO Politics & Diplomacy

New Atlanticist

Jun 9, 2025

China is carrying out ‘dress rehearsals’ to take Taiwan. Here’s how the US should respond.

By Adam Kozloski

With China escalating its operational tempo in the Taiwan Strait, the United States must enhance its forward defense posture in the Indo-Pacific.

China Conflict

In the News

Jun 9, 2025

Ullman in the Hill on importance of strategic innovation for US military superiority

On June 9, Atlantic Council Senior Advisor Harlan Ullman published an op-ed in the Hill on lessons the US can learn from Ukraine’s “Operation Spiderweb.” He argues that future success against adversaries will depend on the US military’s ability to use innovative tactics and remain agile.  

Russia Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jun 6, 2025

Ukraine’s drone strikes offer four big lessons for US nuclear strategists

By Mark J. Massa

Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb should spur the US government to address strategic vulnerabilities that nuclear strategists have focused on for years.

Defense Policy National Security

Issue Brief

Jun 5, 2025

Immediate steps that Europe can take to enhance its role in NATO defense

By Franklin D. Kramer, Kristen Taylor

As NATO members gather in the Hague amid uncertainty about US commitment to the continent and concerns about Russia’s military rebuilding, what can European nations do to deter and, if necessary, defeat threats from Moscow?

Europe & Eurasia NATO

New Atlanticist

Jun 5, 2025

How to improve Latin America’s agri-food security in a changing world

By Ginger Matchett, Peter Engelke

The uninterrupted flow of trade in food and agriculture is not guaranteed. Leaders in the Americas should strengthen the region’s agri-food architecture.

Economy & Business Latin America

New Atlanticist

Jun 5, 2025

What explains the transatlantic rift? It’s all about threat perception.

By Jason Davidson

NATO allies’ differing threat perceptions provide the backdrop for what could be a contentious summit in The Hague this month.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Issue Brief

Jun 5, 2025

The world needs a maritime ‘elite league’ to combat rogue shipping

By Elisabeth Braw

Geopolitical tensions are undermining the mostly apolitical system that has regulated shipping since the 1950s, but hazards remain on the high seas. Countries interested in curtailing the rise of shadow vessels and the associated risks of accidents and environmental damage should band together to keep their waters places where the highest standards apply.

Economy & Business International Organizations

In the News

Jun 5, 2025

Bayoumi in the Washington Post on strengthening US-Canada ties through defense cooperation

On June 5, Imran Bayoumi, associate director of the GeoStrategy Initiative, co-authored an op-ed in the Washington Post with Greg Pollock, former acting deputy assistant secretary of defense, highlighting the importance of strong US-Canada relations for both countries’ economic and defense interests. They argue that one way to strengthen ties between the two neighbors is […]

Politics & Diplomacy Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Jun 4, 2025

The Pentagon’s software approval process is broken. Here’s how to fix it.

By Hannah Hunt

To equip US military personnel with the tools they need, the Department of Defense must treat secure software delivery as a warfighting imperative.

Cybersecurity Defense Technologies

In the News

Jun 4, 2025

Stephen Rodriguez Joins AI+Expo Panel on Government Procurement Reform

On June 3, Stephen Rodriguez, Senior Advisor at Forward Defense and Director of the Commission on Software-Defined Warfare, joined a panel at the AI+Expo to discuss “Reindustrializing America via Government Procurement Reform.” He was joined by Eric Lofgren, Staff Member, U.S. House Armed Services Committee; Scott Friedman, Vice President of Government Affairs at Altana Technologies; […]

Artificial Intelligence Defense Industry

New Atlanticist

Jun 4, 2025

The UK Strategic Defence Review lays out an ambitious roadmap for reform. Will the government deliver?

By AM Sir Christopher Harper, KBE, RAF (Ret.)

The review is a positive step toward revitalizing the United Kingdom’s defense posture, but its success will depend on funding and follow-through.

Conflict Defense Industry

New Atlanticist

Jun 3, 2025

Experts react: What does South Korean President Lee Jae-myung mean for Indo-Pacific security?

By Atlantic Council experts

Democratic Party candidate Lee Jae-myung has been elected as South Korea’s next president. Atlantic Council experts delve into what his administration could mean for Indo-Pacific security and more.

Elections Indo-Pacific
British Army soldiers during Steadfast Dart 25, the Allied Reaction Force’s first large-scale exercise, in Romania on February 17, 2025. North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)/Flickr, https://www.flickr.com/photos/nato/54354207050/in/album-72177720324100561.

Issue Brief

Jun 2, 2025

For NATO in 2027, European leadership will be key to deterrence against Russia

By Scott Lee, Andrew Michta, Peter Jones, and Lisa Bembenick

NATO lacks the operational integration, logistics, and joint force capabilities needed to quickly counter Russian mass and tempo near its borders. With the United States increasingly focused elsewhere, how can the Alliance retain military superiority in 2027 without overreliance on US military might?

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

In the News

Jun 2, 2025

Murray in Sky News on UK’s Strategic Defence Review

By Atlantic Council

On June 2, Rob Murray, non-resident senior fellow at Forward Defense and the Transatlantic Security Initiative, appeared on Sky News to offer his insights on the UK’s Strategic Defence Review. Murray emphasized the importance of re-drawing financial architectures and increasing credit flow into supply chains to effectively finance the Review’s ambitious armament procurement goals.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Issue Brief

May 30, 2025

New presidents and new nuclear developments test the United States–Republic of Korea alliance

By Heather Kearney, Amanda Mortwedt Oh

In the coming years, the US-South Korea (Republic of Korea, or ROK) alliance is likely to be tested in at least three fundamental ways: by a concerning growth in North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile weapons program; by changes to ROK defense capabilities and structures, including the establishment of ROK Strategic Command (ROKSTRATCOM); and by potential strategy and policy changes under new US and ROK political administrations.

Arms Control Elections

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