NATO News
Reports on NATO’s role in global defense, Europe, and U.S. foreign policy. Conservative opinion and commentary from The Daily Signal accompany the news.
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- Opinion
Iran Crumbles, Critics Scramble: Trump’s Long Game Leaves the Media Exposed
Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of today’s video from Daily Signal Senior Contributor Victor Davis Hanson. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to see more of his videos. Hello, this is Victor Davis Hanson for The Daily Signal. I think we should take another look at the Iranian war, and I would call it a…Victor Davis Hanson -
The Fragile Lifeline That Could Cut NATO in Half
NATO once centered planning around the defense of the Fulda Gap—the critical chokepoint through which Soviet tanks could push into West Germany. Today’s analog is the Suwalki Gap, a narrow corridor whose loss would amputate three member states from the rest of NATO. The military planning challenge is to prevent a Russian movement that would…Ryan Moreman -
New Bill Would Pull US From NATO
The U.S. was one of the original founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1949, but one member of Congress says it is time for the U.S. to exit the “Cold War relic.” “We should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our own country, not socialist countries,” according to Rep. Thomas…Virginia Allen -
Senate Overwhelmingly Votes for Sweden, Finland to Join NATO
The Senate has approved a treaty allowing Sweden and Finland to join NATO. The treaty, gaining bipartisan support, passed Wednesday by a vote of 95-1 in favor of expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, The New York Times reported. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-K.Y., voiced support for ratifying the treaty…Carl DeMarco -
Estonia: America’s Unique, Valued NATO Ally That Stands for Freedom and Sovereignty
The small Baltic nation of Estonia—a once-communist republic—now stands as one of the freest economies in the world, a shining example and defender of freedom, and a tremendous ally of the West. As a former republic of the old Soviet Union, it has some advice for dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent aggressions. Estonia’s…Anthony B. Kim -
NATO Allies Now Spend $50 Billion More on Defense Than in 2016
President Donald Trump has placed a significant emphasis on the need for increased defense spending among NATO allies, and the newest data suggests his efforts are paying off. In 2016, non-U.S. NATO members spent $262 billion on defense; in 2020, they will spend $313 billion. Regardless of whether this increase resulted from changing threat perceptions…Daniel Kochis -
North Macedonia’s Accession to NATO an Important Milestone
North Macedonia is set to officially become the 30th member of NATO this week with the deposit of its “instrument of accession” at the U.S. Department of State. On March 17, the Spanish Senate ratified North Macedonia’s accession protocol, becoming the 29th and final NATO member state to do so. The U.S. Senate by a…Daniel Kochis -
Scholar Disinvited as Speaker for NATO Celebration Shouldn’t Have Planned to Criticize President
I recently came across Stanley Sloan’s Dec. 7 Facebook post, in which he let his friends and followers know that his planned address for the Dec. 10 celebration of NATO’s 70th anniversary was abruptly canceled by the Danish Atlantic Council. The cancellation was due to the decision by the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen not to support…Yvonne Davis -
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How a Former Warsaw Pact Nation Became an Example for NATO Allies
WARSAW, Poland—Tomasz Szatkowski is an anomaly on two fronts. He’s the youngest ambassador to NATO and represents one of just seven members of the 28-nation alliance that pay their full share to support it. NATO policy requires member nations to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on defense. Poland does that now,…Fred Lucas -
Turkey’s Arms Deal With Russia Is an Affront to NATO
The Turkish government Tuesday reaffirmed its intention to complete the controversial purchase of a Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile defense system, a move appropriately drawing the ire of both parties in Washington. Both Congress and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo have warned of punitive action should Turkey follow through on the purchase, which Turkey says could…Michael Johns Jr. -
After Clearing a Hellenic Hurdle, Macedonia’s Bid to Join NATO Heads to Senate
President Donald Trump on April 29 officially sent to the Senate for ratification the protocol for the Republic of North Macedonia to accede to NATO. Macedonia’s accession to NATO will strengthen the alliance, contribute to regional stability in the western Balkans, and send a strong message to pernicious actors—such as Russia—that they do not have…Daniel Kochis -
Hungary Is Key to Shoring Up NATO Alliance
Closer ties with the countries of Central Europe are a national security policy priority for the Trump administration—and a long-overdue return to the policies of President George W. Bush after years of neglect by the Obama administration. Within NATO, these countries are reliable allies, and within the European Union, they form a bloc friendly to…Helle Dale -
NATO Chief Credits Trump for Allies’ Boosting Defense Spending, Rules Out Naming HQ for McCain
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says allies are stepping up in their commitments to defense spending, and gives some of the credit to President Donald Trump. Stoltenberg also told an audience at The Heritage Foundation in Washington on Friday that the international defense alliance likely would not name its headquarters after Sen. John McCain, the veteran…Fred Lucas -
Trump Is Right. NATO Countries Need to Up Their Defense Spending.
President Donald Trump may have offended some of our allies last week when he delivered a stern message reminding them of their unmet defense spending promises, but it was not a message they haven’t heard before. “If we’ve got collective defense,” then-President Barack Obama said at a 2014 NATO press conference in Brussels, “it means…Sen. Mike Lee -
On Russian Gas and NATO Military Spending, Trump and Ukraine See Eye to Eye
KYIV, Ukraine—This week in Brussels, U.S. President Donald Trump pushed for NATO members to both boost their military spending and reduce their spending on Russian gas. Trump’s blunt message may have fallen flat among the leadership of some NATO allies, as well as the Western press corps. Yet, it was likely to resonate in Ukraine,…Nolan Peterson -
Before Judging Trump, NATO Allies Should Do Some Soul-Searching
President Donald Trump has no doubt caused a stir in Europe this week. Among other things, he has said Germany is a “captive” to Russia due to its recent oil and gas deals, and that he expects NATO countries to “immediately” increase defense spending to relieve some of the unfair burden on the U.S. I…Kim Holmes -
Watch US-Led NATO Forces Prepare to Defend Eastern Europe From Russia
This summer, the U.S. military led two NATO exercises in the Baltics—Trojan Footprint and Saber Strike. Altogether, the two exercises marked a new era of conventional military threats, which the U.S. military and its NATO allies are preparing to combat after a generation focused on counterinsurgency operations. Above all, Russia’s 2014 invasion of Ukraine hangs like a sword of…Nolan Peterson -
Podcast: Trump’s Approach to the NATO Summit
President Donald Trump is at the NATO summit, asking European countries to spend more on defense and berating Germany’s decision to rely more on Russia for energy. The Heritage Foundation’s Luke Coffey analyzes the effect of Trump’s comments. Plus: Liberals’ bizarre complaints about Brett Kavanaugh.Katrina Trinko -
With the Russian Threat in Mind, NATO Prepares for a Different Kind of War
SKRUNDA-1, Latvia—On June 13, the sounds of gunfire and controlled detonations thundered within the abandoned apartment blocks at this former Soviet radar station about 90 miles to the northeast of Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. On this day, as part of an annual military exercise in the Baltics called Saber Strike, a joint NATO assault force simulated…Nolan Peterson