Please join the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative, in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, for a hybrid public event evaluating priorities for the milestone NATO Summit taking place in Washington, DC, this summer. Held in partnership with the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Lithuania, this event will take place on Monday, April 29, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET at the  Atlantic Council’s headquarters (1030 15th St NW, 12th Floor, Washington, DC 20005) and virtually.

As NATO accelerates preparations for its 75th Anniversary Summit taking place in Washington this July, the transatlantic alliance will have much to celebrate. The accession of Finland and Sweden has added two highly-capable militaries to NATO’s roster. Allies bolstered NATO’s regional force posture and readiness with the adoption of a new suite of defense plans. And after decades of underinvestment, NATO’s European allies have ramped up defense spending in support of Ukraine and in recognition of the mounting Russian threat.

These causes for celebration are, however, juxtaposed with a deteriorating security environment and a collection of unfinished business from last year’s Vilnius Summit. Securing the future of the world’s most successful military alliance will require this year’s Summit to be one of implementation. NATO will be expected to take action to improve the under-equipped state of its defense industrial base, to reinforce its vulnerable eastern flank, and to demonstrate executability of its defense plans while also preparing for a new slate of challenges cutting across domains and beyond the military alliance’s traditional area of responsibility.

What else will feature on the transatlantic alliance’s agenda come July? The Atlantic Council will convene the third iteration of its high-level NATO Summit curtain raiser discussion to preview priorities ahead of what is expected to be a pivotal and politically-charged Summit.

This event is part of the Transatlantic Security Initiative’s 2024 NATO Washington Summit campaign. For more information and updates on future events and publications, follow @ACScowcroft.

This conversation will take place in-person and will be broadcast on YouTube, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn. To receive the event information, please register above.

Agenda

10:00 a.m. – 10:05 a.m.

Dr. Matthew Kroenig, Vice President and Senior Director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council

10:05 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

H.E. Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Lithuania

10:15 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.

H.E. Julianne Smith, United States Permanent Representative to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

10:35 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Speakers to be announced soon

11:30 a.m. – 12:55 p.m.

Speakers to be announced soon

12:55 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Related resource

Celebrating NATO’s legacy on the road to the Washington Summit

Explore the Atlantic Council’s events and expert commentary on all things NATO as we celebrate seventy-five years of the world’s strongest military alliance.

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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.

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