Ideas
It’s Time for NATO to Look North
The alliance’s six-year old maritime strategy quickly needs updating for the new (and more Russian) age.
Ideas
At BALTOPS, It’s Back to Prepping for High-End Warfare
The annual NATO exercise in tight Baltic waters, grown a bit sleepy after the Cold War, has snapped back into serious intensity.
Threats
A Giant Russian Exercise Will Soon Put 100,000 Troops on NATO’s Border. Then What?
As Russia and Belarus prep for their quadrennial fight-the-West wargame, NATO’s Baltic states are watching more than a bit nervously.
Science & Tech
Poland Is Preparing for 15 Years of Rising Tension with Russia
The future battles of Eastern Europe will be fought with lasers, cheap missile-drones, and surgical strike units.
Ideas
The Longest War Fades Even at NATO
Cameras focused on Trump, but war commanders in Afghanistan wanted more troops from NATO, not promises.
Policy
NATO, Meet Donald Trump
A 28-member, 68-year-old alliance faces the conundrum of how to deal with the new American president.
Ideas
Hey, NATO, Let's Move Those 50 US Thermonuclear Weapons Out of Turkey
Why risk it? Even if NATO wants the nukes in Europe, Erdogan’s unstable regime is 68 miles from Syria, the hottest conflict zone on earth.
Ideas
The Trump Effect: One Path To A New NATO
The alliance must overcome three hurdles to revitalize trust and the transatlantic relationship, former senior NATO officials write.
Threats
NATO Laying Groundwork to Send More Troops To Iraq, Afghanistan
The bump could come with more alliance responsibility for fighting ISIS in Iraq.
Ideas
America’s Allies Are in Decline. Here’s How the US Should Adjust
As global power shifts, Washington needs a new strategy, and a new way of managing its alliances.
Ideas
In Lithuania, NATO Troops Set Up Near A Potentially Hostile Border
Just two years ago, it would have been nearly unthinkable for the Western alliance to set up a battalion here, some two hours' drive from Russia.
Policy
It’s Too Early to See a ‘Trump Effect’ on NATO Spending
The U.S. president's rhetoric may have allies talking about their growing defense spending, but it won’t affect most budget proposals for months.
Ideas
The Hidden Potential of NATO’s Gator Navies
Improving U.S.-European amphibious interoperability would bolster the alliance’s defense posture in a non-provocative manner that complements recent moves in land forces.
Policy
3 Urgent Tasks for Trump’s National-Security Team
The administration needs a single line on various policies — but even more urgently, it must fill about 100 top federal jobs, says James Stavridis.
Ideas
Europe Contemplates Life without NATO
Germany is leading a sweeping, on-the-fly rethink of how the European Union might best fend for itself.
Policy
Trump’s Empty Ultimatum to NATO
Defense Secretary Mattis just called for Europe to increase defense spending or else...what exactly?
Policy
'Even a Shining City on a Hill Needs Walls': Senator Tom Cotton
A Republican hawk acclimates to the Trump presidency—and threatens to reconsider the One China policy.
Threats
A Key NATO Ally Looks Nervously at Putin—and Trump
Norway is upping its readiness to ward off Russia, but what it really wants is for Washington to set a transatlantic security policy and stick to it.
Ideas