NATO Archives

The NATO Summit

Issue Brief May 23, 2023

Providing long-term security for Ukraine: NATO membership and other security options

This issue brief evaluates membership and other security options for the alliance and its members to consider with regards to Ukraine, from formal actions by NATO as a whole to collective or individualized efforts by member nations.

Issue Brief Apr 11, 2023

Defining success for NATO’s Vilnius summit: A primer

By Charles Barry and Christopher Skaluba

A successful NATO summit in July requires significant progress on a host of NATO’s political and military priorities, especially those enumerated at Madrid.

Europe & Eurasia National Security

Issue Brief Apr 18, 2023

NATO deterrence and defense: Military priorities for the Vilnius Summit

By Franklin D. Kramer

Ahead of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, this issue brief sets forth six priority actions that NATO should undertake to enhance its deterrent and defense posture.

Defense Technologies Europe & Eurasia

Featured events

Public Event Fri, May 5, 2023 • 8:30 am ET

Ideas to implementation: Priorities for NATO’s Vilnius Summit

After more than a year of Russia’s brutal, illegal, and unprovoked war in Ukraine, the transatlantic community remains at a critical juncture. The upcoming Vilnius summit is an opportunity for the Alliance to turn ideas into action.

Defense Policy Eastern Europe Europe & Eurasia NATO

Online Event Wed, April 19, 2023 • 10:30 am ET

NATO’s Vilnius summit: Ukraine’s future and the completion of Europe

NATO leaders are gathering in Vilnius in July to discuss the future of the alliance. What should NATO leaders do to vouch for Ukraine’s long-term security and stability? What steps should NATO take to ensure its own defenses against Moscow’s revisionist objectives?

Defense Policy Eastern Europe International Organizations NATO

NATO Expansion

Strategy Memo Apr 13, 2023

Memo to NATO leaders

NATO’s upcoming Vilnius summit has to produce more than a rhetorical expression of support for Ukraine. Allied leaders must leverage the opportunity to drive forward a NATO defense and deterrence posture that underscores NATO’s resolve to support Ukraine and begins the process of fully integrating Ukraine within the transatlantic community, including as a NATO member.

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

Issue Brief Jan 6, 2023

How allied Sweden and Finland can secure Northern Europe

By Anna Wieslander, Eric Adamson, Jesper Lehto

NATO is approaching its ninth round of enlargement. The accession of Sweden and Finland—two solid democracies and defenders of the international-rules based order—into the Alliance will strengthen the core of the transatlantic community.

Defense Policy NATO

Issue Brief Aug 22, 2022

Sweden and Finland are on their way to NATO membership. Here’s what needs to happen next.

By John R. Deni

In response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden took the historic step of applying to join NATO. Both nations will bring modern capabilities that will help defend against malign actors. As Finland and Sweden’s membership is forthcoming, Alliance leaders, NATO watchers, and transatlantic security experts need to consider how to fully integrate the new allies, include them in operational plans, and best enhance defense of a longer border with Russia.

Europe & Eurasia National Security

New Atlanticist

Apr 13, 2023

NATO should offer Ukraine a membership plan now

By Franklin D. Kramer

Considering today’s geopolitics and NATO’s values, offering a membership action plan is the most effective and appropriate response to the challenge Russia presents.

Conflict NATO

New Atlanticist

Mar 18, 2023

Experts react: Turkey moves to approve Finland’s NATO membership. Where does that leave Sweden?

By Atlantic Council experts

After Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would approve of Finland’s membership in NATO, our experts break down what’s next.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

New Atlanticist

Jan 30, 2023

Sweden has a chance to transform European security—even before it officially joins NATO

By Franklin D. Kramer

Sweden can wield the agenda-setting powers of its presidency to push a EU security and defense budget directed toward three crucial aims: mobility, sustainment, and critical infrastructure protection.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Visualizing NATO’s priorities

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, US and NATO Eastern Flank force postures have been enhanced.

The United States and NATO allies have taken numerous steps to bolster allied force posture in Eastern Europe, enhancing deterrence against further Russian aggression and demonstrating the Alliance’s ability to defend its eastern flank.

Visualizing the NATO Strategic Concept: Five ways to look at the Alliance’s future

We asked our experts: With so much happening in the global arena, what critical but underappreciated topics will be featured in the Strategic Concept—and how should NATO think about addressing them?

Visualizing burden-sharing data

NATO allies contribute to a variety of missions. Here’s a look at how each country chips in.

The NATO alliance conducts a variety of missions on land, sea, and air. Here is a breakdown of how each country has been contributing to a selection of these missions.

Despite COVID-19 pandemic, NATO defense spending continues to rise

Even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, NATO allies have continued to increase their defense investments.

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NATO 20/2020

Modernize the kit and the message

by H.E. Dame Karen Pierce DCMG

NATO will only remain successful over the next seventy years if it modernizes its capabilities, takes command of emerging technology, and harmonizes its strategic messaging.

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Open a bank

by Max Bergmann and Siena Cicarelli

NATO can fund critical defense investments by bringing the necessary financial tools in house.

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Design a Digital Marshall Plan

by the Hon. Ruben Gallego and the Hon. Vicky Hartzler

NATO allies, led by the United States, must cooperate in securing national 5G communications systems in Europe and beyond against malign Chinese influence.

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Rethink and replace two percent

by Derek Chollet, Steven Keil, and Christopher Skaluba

NATO’s two percent metric is reductive and politically fraught but offers lessons for better ways to measure burden sharing.

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Build an Atlantic-Pacific Partnership

by James Hildebrand, Harry W.S. Lee, Fumika Mizuno, Miyeon Oh, and Monica Michiko Sato

NATO is the only institution capable of organizing transatlantic and transpacific stakeholders to address China’s political, military, and information threats.

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Disband the NATO Response Force

by John R. Deni

Replacing the NRF with a plug-and-play interoperability model increases the chance that NATO will employ its high-readiness forces.

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Build resilience for an era of shocks

by Jim Townsend and Anca Agachi

NATO needs a fourth core task to protect allied populations from nontraditional threats like COVID and climate change.

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‘Game out’ decision making

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

In an era where the distinction between peace and conflict is increasingly complex, NATO should retain its competitive advantage by using synthetic environments and virtual worlds to support rapid, efficient, and effective strategic decision making.

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Digitalize the enterprise

by Jeffrey Reynolds and Jeffrey Lightfoot

If NATO is to unlock new frontiers of innovation and harness emerging technology, digitalizing how it does business is the key.

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Listen to women

by Lisa A. Aronsson

Twenty years after its creation, NATO should affirm the strategic significance of the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda and define what it means for an era of great power competition.

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Ramp up on Russia

by Amb. Alexander Vershbow

NATO needs to increase the costs for Russian aggression while building back crucial dialogue if there is any prospect for improved relations with Moscow.

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Put NATO back in the narrative

by Bridget Corna and Livia Godaert

NATO can recapture the imagination of allied publics by telling its own story better and in new ways to new audiences.

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Seek membership for Mexico

by Christopher Skaluba and Gabriela R. A. Doyle

Mexico’s membership in NATO may be the key to keeping a rapidly changing America invested in European security.

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Supersize cyber

by Safa Shahwan Edwards, William Loomis, and Simon Handler

NATO should adopt a digital .2 percent policy whereby member states commit to spend .2 percent of their gross domestic product on cybersecurity and digital defense modernization.

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Christen a carrier strike group

by Michael John Williams

Using the HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales as its backbone, a NATO carrier strike group is an opportunity for high-end interoperability under European leadership.

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End the Russian veto on Georgian accession

by Luke Coffey and Alexis Mrachek

Admitting Georgia to NATO without extending an Article 5 guarantee to Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali Region can fulfil the promise of the Bucharest Summit.

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Threaten decisive nuclear retaliation

by David Gompert and Hans Binnendijk

NATO should thwart Russian use of nuclear weapons by threatening certain retaliation.

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Revitalize NATO’s grand strategy

by Amb. Timo Koster and Ivanka Barzashka

Collective strategic analysis is the pathway to a more inclusive, transparent, and systematic process for creating NATO’s next strategic concept.

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Set NATO’s sights on the High North

by Jim Danoy and Marisol Maddox

Security in the Arctic is waiting on no one. NATO needs a strategy for defense and deterrence in the High North before it is outflanked.

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Reimagine the Washington Treaty

by Damon Wilson and Will O’Brien

Reexamining NATO’s founding charter can be an exercise in creating an Alliance fit for a new geopolitical era.

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Content

In the News

Jul 13, 2023

Imai on CNBC

On July 12, Kyoko Imai was interviewed by CNBC Asia to discuss Japan’s participation in the NATO Summit and subsequent EU-Japan Summit. She argues that while some question Europe’s ability to juggle both the war in Ukraine and an Indo-Pacific strategy, all existing and potential conflicts have global ramifications.

Europe & Eurasia Indo-Pacific

In the News

Jul 12, 2023

Cynkin on Radio Free Asia

On July 12, IPSI Nonresident Senior Fellow Tom Cynkin was mentioned in Radio Free Asia discussing NATO’s eastward expansion into the Indo-Pacific. He highlights China’s concern about the growing interest by European countries to participate in Asian security issues.

Indo-Pacific NATO

Transcript

Jul 12, 2023

Ukraine’s Andriy Yermak and Lithuania’s Gabrielius Landsbergis on the path ahead for Ukraine to join NATO

By Atlantic Council

Yermak and Landsbergis dove into the first day of the NATO Summit and leaders' commitments to Ukraine.

Conflict NATO

In the News

Jul 12, 2023

Wieslander interviewed on Radio Sweden

Studio Ett The NATO summit in Vilnius is coming to an end. What promises will Ukrainian President Zelenskyy take home with him? Sveriges Radio speaks to Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe. “Stoltenberg said that there is a new chapter between NATO and Ukraine. Is it that new?” “‘No, you can understand the Ukrainian disappointment. […]

NATO Northern Europe

In the News

Jul 12, 2023

Hutchison in the Dallas Morning News

Former US ambassador to NATO and Atlantic Council board member Kay Bailey Hutchison penned an op-ed for the Dallas Morning News, “This week’s NATO summit may be the most important in decades.“

Europe & Eurasia NATO

In the News

Jul 12, 2023

Wieslander interviewed on SVT Aktuellt

On Tuesday, July 11, Anna Wieslander, director for Northern Europe, participated in SVT Aktuellt, to discuss Turkey’s statement about letting Sweden into NATO. “NATO membership requires a change in strategic culture for Sweden. On the military side, it is about going from planning everything nationally to entering a collective system. In addition, it is about […]

NATO Northern Europe

In the News

Jul 12, 2023

Wieslander interviewed in Aftonbladet

Sweden’s role in NATO’s new defense plan “‘Sweden is not part of the plans now. But when we become members, new demands will be placed on the Swedish Armed Forces. (…) Sweden should provide a brigade for NATO operations outside of Sweden, that is the stated expectation’, says Anna Wieslander, Director of Northern Europe.” “‘Another […]

NATO Northern Europe

In the News

Jul 12, 2023

Wieslander interviewed by BBC News from Vilnius

NATO Northern Europe

New Atlanticist

Jul 11, 2023

Europe needs a nuclear deterrent of its own

By Jacques Lanxade, Denis MacShane, Margarita Mathiopoulos, and Klaus Naumann

Only a trilateral British, French, and German nuclear umbrella, combined with a US umbrella, all under the command and control of NATO, will be a credible deterrent for Russia.

Defense Policy Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

Jul 11, 2023

NATO summit leaves Ukrainians frustrated

By Peter Dickinson

The 2023 NATO summit failed to deliver on hopes for a clear commitment on future Ukrainian membership, leaving many in Ukraine deeply frustrated by the apparent lack of urgency among the country's allies, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Corruption