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
Success in Ankara and a Stronger NATO
The 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, concluded successfully, with messages of unity, support for Ukraine, increased spending by European NATO allies, and big agreements on coproduction of military systems, especially precision-guided munitions. Ahead of the meeting, President Donald Trump was adamant that Europe needed to increase defense spending and take more responsibility for its… -
opinion
Trump’s Ukraine Strategy at NATO Is ‘America First’ in Action
President Donald Trump just showed NATO what “America First” foreign policy looks like in practice: America leads, Europe pays its fair share, and allies are expected to take the lead in defending their own continents. At this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Trump announced after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the United States… -
opinion
Victor Davis Hanson: Europe Is Failing, and America Should Pay Attention
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. Europe is upset. They’re very angry. They’re always angry, but the last two weeks they seem to be particularly angry. There are reports at… -
opinion
Why the NATO Summit in Ankara Matters to the US
President Donald Trump is in Turkey this week to meet with heads of state representing our allies from across the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In the wake of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth’s announcement of a six-month review of U.S. force allocations to the European theater titled “NATO 3.0,” leaders from across NATO are preparing… -
opinion
NATO 3.0 and Shifts in Force Posture and Funding
Thursday morning, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth spoke at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels, announcing a six-month review of American force posture and funding relating to NATO as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to build “NATO 3.0.” In 2026, the U.S. is forced by geopolitical necessity to prioritize deterring… -
news
Rubio to Meet With Vatican and Italy Representatives Amid Tensions
Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit the Vatican and Italy this week, the State Department confirmed Monday. The White House has publicly feuded with both states on foreign policy. In a statement, the State Department said Rubio will meet with “Holy See leadership to discuss the situation in the Middle East and mutual interests in… -
opinion
The Non-Debate on a Non-Crisis
Is the United States committing superpower suicide? That was the question recently posed to Susan Rice and John Bolton at the University of Colorado. Both officials previously served as America’s ambassador to the United Nations and as National Security Advisor—Rice for Democratic Presidents, Bolton for Republican. As such, one would think that Ambassador Rice would… -
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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,… -
opinion
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… -
opinion
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… -
news
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…