NATO
CRITICAL TO AMERICAN, EUROPEAN, AND GLOBAL SECURITY
A STATEMENT BY THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF NATIONAL SECURITY LEADERS
On April 4, 2024, we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). This alliance has been the cornerstone of international stability since the end of World War II. Between 1949 and through today, an additional 20 nations have joined the alliance, including the most recent membership of Sweden. With the expansion of threats around the world, NATO is more critical to US security interests today than ever before in the history of the alliance and will continue to provide a foundation for the future military and economic success, security, sovereignty, and self-determination of its 32 member nations.
Europe was devastated after World War II, physically, militarily, and economically. As Russia expanded its influence and control into eastern Europe, after the war’s end, concern about further Soviet expansion prompted three nations, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, to form a defensive treaty to counter the rise in Soviet influence. These nations invited the US and Canada to join, followed by seven other European countries. The primary objective was to form a defensive alliance to prevent the spread of communism and set the stage for rebuilding the war-torn continent. Though the beginning of the 21st century saw the collapse of the Soviet Union, the recurrence of Russian aggression reinforced the necessity of a strong NATO alliance.
NATO was the first commitment in peacetime by the US to join a multinational defensive alliance. By far, the most significant and powerful principle of the NATO Charter, enshrined in Article 5 is the commitment that an attack on one is an attack on all. This provision of the treaty has been invoked just once, when NATO joined the US in responding to the attack on our nation on 9/11. The first NATO military operation under Article 5, included nearly all member nations under NATO’s leadership of the International Assistance Security Force (ISAF), in support of the U.S.-led coalition engaged in Operation Enduring Freedom to defeat the terrorist organization al-Qaida in Afghanistan. NATO’s collective commitment to engage in military operations outside of Europe emphatically demonstrated the relevance of this alliance in an age of changing threats, threats that can originate from any part of the globe.
The NATO treaty established both a military and diplomatic structure. Military forces committed to NATO are under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe at the Supreme Allied Headquarters Europe (SHAPE), who has historically been a US general. The diplomatic element was established in Brussels at NATO Headquarters, led by a civilian Secretary General. SHAPE focuses on military preparedness and warfighting, while NATO Headquarters provides support through bureaucratic, diplomatic, and administrative functions.
Expenses for NATO headquarters and SHAPE are funded by proportional contributions by the member nations. NATO relies on the provision of forces by each of its member nations at their own expense. Recognizing the fact that NATO relies on the provision of forces by its member nations, in 2014, NATO established an aspirational policy that each country strive to commit 2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for its military. This is not a “price of admission” but a target to ensure that sufficient forces are available when needed by the alliance. As of this year, eighteen of 32 NATO members are expected to meet the objective of spending at least 2% of their GDP on defense. This is a record.
NATO’s primary mission is collective defense and deterrence against potential aggression against any of its members. The ability of member nations to operate together is a fundamental element of successful military operations involving different nations. SHAPE sets the standards for interoperability across all nations for everything from training to munitions and even intelligence requirements. This ensures a unity of effort in any military action. Diplomatically, NATO headquarters provides a forum for all member nations to work together to focus on common problems and ways to strengthen the alliance against external security threats to its members. This is achieved through enhanced military capabilities, joint training, standardization, and encouraging increased defense spending at the national level. NATO’s success depends on this continuing collaboration and dialogue at the military and diplomatic levels. And, as proven for the past 75 years, US leadership is absolutely critical.
NATO’s success and viability depend on the consensus of its members. NATO’s support to Ukraine in providing Ukraine the means of defeating the Russian invaders again demonstrates NATO’s relevance and effectiveness, and providing a blueprint for future action to defeat and deter aggression. Though, Ukraine is not a NATO member, Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine two years ago presented an existential threat to members of the alliance. While Article 5, the provision that an attack on one is an attack on all, does not apply, warfare waged by nuclear-armed Russia on NATO’s doorstep prompted member nations to support Ukraine through the provisions of military and economic support, to include weapons and training. If Russia cannot be deterred and defeated in its invasion of a sovereign, European state, it brings the alliance and its members one step closer to direct military conflict with a Russia that seeks to expand its empire of tyranny, with Poland and the Baltic states likely in its crosshairs.
In an increasingly economically and strategically interdependent world, as security threats have evolved, so too has NATO’s perspective and, when appropriate, leadership role in combatting them and serving as a guarantor of international stability. Its first military operations in Kosovo set the stage for stabilizing an historically unstable area and supporting mechanisms to encourage communications dialogue between adversarial parties. NATO support to the African Union through strategic airlift and training for partner forces to combat terrorism is another example.
NATO Air Policing is a peacetime mission to safeguard the security of Alliance airspace with fighter aircraft and crews as a ready-response capability. The NATO Strategic Airlift Capability has contributed humanitarian support such as earthquake relief for Turkey in 2023, an effort that included non-NATO partners, such as Japan. Such efforts promote enhanced international cooperation and interoperability within the Alliance and other nations around the world.
Maritime security actions, carried out under NATO auspices, in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas have contributed to the efforts by various nations to disrupt illegal trafficking routes and develop more effective maritime capabilities and security. Noncombat NATO advisory and capability missions in Iraq have helped to stabilize the country, combat terrorism, and prevent the resurgence of ISIS as a transnational threat.
Instability in Europe and elsewhere threatens American interests by interrupting trade and economic growth. Today’s global economy requires stable and predictable relations among trading partners and a rules-based system of international law, ideally, focused on democratic principles. NATO is a proven, invaluable contributor to this stability. While military action should always be the last resort of any nation or alliance, collaborative efforts focused on collective defense against common threats work to the benefit of all nations. A strong NATO alliance also sends a clear signal of deterrence to other nations such as China and Russia that seek to expand their influence militarily. Ensuring a strong collective defense and security through NATO has proven its worth for the past 75 years and, with continued U.S. participation and leadership, will do so for the next 75.
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The American College of National Security Leaders is a non-partisan organization composed of retired U.S. Generals, Admirals, Ambassadors, and Senior Government Executives devoted to ensuring a strong and effective national security and foreign policy.
