All in-depth research & reports

Issue Brief

Feb 4, 2026

A new Arctic strategy for Sweden

By David Auerswald

Sweden has the largest Nordic economy, a defense budget double what it was in 2022 and set to grow more, and cross-party consensus behind the foreign policy shifts that led Stockholm to join NATO in 2024. The government can and should shift its approach in the High North to a singular focus on deterring Russia.

Defense Policy
Europe & Eurasia

Issue Brief

Feb 4, 2026

Sweden’s role in countering hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea region

By Justina Budginaite-Froehly

The accession of Sweden to NATO brought the majority of the Baltic Sea under alliance control. Despite NATO’s conventional superiority in the region, Russia continues to probe the Alliance’s resolve with actions below the threshold of armed conflict. What advantages can NATO’s newest members offer the Alliance as it faces this aggression?

Defense Policy
Eastern Europe

Report

Jan 2, 2026

The evolution of Latvia’s defense and security policy in resilience building

By Armands Astukevičs and Elīna Vrobļevska

Latvia has embraced a broader concept of national resilience encompassing not only military strength but also the resilience of its society, the continuity of government and essential services during crises, the protection of critical infrastructure, and the cultivation of psychological defense among its populace.

Defense Policy
Europe & Eurasia

Issue Brief

Dec 23, 2025

Prioritizing Canada’s investment in Arctic infrastructure

By Jason C. Moyer

Canada’s new budget promises a “generational investment” in infrastructure, with a significant amount earmarked for Arctic dual-use infrastructure—improving Canada’s military presence in the north, accessing untapped critical mineral reserves, and offering new economic opportunities. But this is only the beginning of the region’s infrastructure needs.

Energy & Environment
Infrastructure Protection

Issue Brief

Dec 22, 2025

How to equip Canada’s defense industrial base to meet NATO’s Hague summit commitments

By Jason C. Moyer

In 2025 Canada met NATO’s target of spending 2 percent of GDP on defense for the first time and committed to the new target of 5 percent by 2035, but its defense industrial base will struggle to deliver in its current state.

Defense Industry
Defense Policy
NATO announced Baltic Sentry 2025, a multi-domain vigilance activity aimed at increasing maritime situational awareness in the Baltic Sea area, to deter and defend against attacks on Critical Undersea Infrastructures (CUI).

Issue Brief

Nov 26, 2025

How the Baltic Sea nations have tackled suspicious cable cuts

By Elisabeth Braw

Two places in the world’s oceans see a lot of suspicious maritime behavior: the Baltic Sea, and the waters around Taiwan. Elisabeth Braw reports from the NATO task force charged with protecting the undersea cables and pipelines essential to daily life in Europe, with lessons for Baltic states and Taiwan, too.

Europe & Eurasia
Maritime Security

Report

Oct 15, 2025

How the US and Europe can deter and respond to Russia’s chemical, biological, and nuclear threats

By Philippe Dickinson, Ryan Arick, Natasha Lander Finch

A willingness to use chemical weapons has long been a feature of Russian aggression, on the battlefield in Ukraine and on the streets of Europe. Will Russia escalate to the use of biological weapons? And what about the country’s nuclear saber-rattling? An in-depth study of how Russia uses these threats calls for a strong NATO response.

Conflict
Crisis Management

Issue Brief

Sep 30, 2025

As Europe’s neutral states shift closer to NATO, Ireland approaches a turning point for its security

By Maeve Drury and Jason C. Moyer

Ireland spends the least of any EU country on defense. Taoiseach Micheál Martin wants to change that. With military neutrality deeply rooted in the country’s history of violent civil conflict, what will re-armament take?

Europe & Eurasia
Maritime Security

Issue Brief

Sep 11, 2025

Private industry should step up to protect the global maritime order

By Elisabeth Braw

Who should protect the global maritime order? While a growing number of countries have begun to violate maritime rules, the maritime sector has the opportunity, and an obligation, to help prevent further deterioration of the rules that underpin safe commerce and safe passage on the seas.

Economy & Business
Europe & Eurasia

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
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