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
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… -
news
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,… -
opinion
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… -
news
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… -
opinion
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. -
news
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… -
news
A Lesson for NATO From Ukraine: In a War With Russia, Smartphones Might Be the Safest Way to Communicate
KYIV, Ukraine—After four years of constant combat against Russia and its separatist proxies in eastern Ukraine, Ukrainian troops have learned the value of creativity in warfare. The battlefield innovations in technology and tactics that Ukrainian troops have made on the fly in eastern Ukraine reflect the sort of forward thinking, flexible mindset needed by NATO… -
opinion
Major NATO Exercise With Sweden Highlights Ability to Deter Russian Aggression
Sweden, a country with a close defense relationship with the U.S. and NATO, hosted its largest military exercise in 23 years this September as a demonstration of deterrence against Russian aggression. U.S. forces played an important role and in doing so helped to strengthen the U.S. military position in Europe. Exercises are a key means… -
news
Watch as Russian Fighter Jet Intercepts US Bombers Over Baltic Sea During NATO Exercise
KRZESINY AIR BASE, Poland—A Russian fighter jet last week intercepted a formation of 11 NATO aircraft, including U.S. bombers, as they flew within international airspace over the Baltic Sea as part of a military exercise. This correspondent for The Daily Signal was onboard a U.S. Air Force KC-135 aerial refueling tanker, part of the formation… -
opinion
For Bigger Defense Commitments, Bring NATO Finance Ministers to the Table
NATO heads of state will gather Thursday in Brussels for a so-called mini-summit (officially a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the heads-of-state level). But if the alliance wants to attain real progress on increasing European defense spending, then NATO finance ministers should also make the trip to Belgium. The mini-summit will be the… -
opinion
What a Middle Eastern NATO Could Accomplish for Trump
With the Middle East experiencing renewed levels of tumult, it begs consideration: Does the region need its own version of NATO? This idea appeared in The Washington Post just this week. Josh Rogin reported that during the president’s stop in Saudi Arabia, he might lay out a proposal for a regional security alliance of Arab… -
news
Trump, NATO Leader to Talk About Allies’ Paying Fair Share
Less than a week after President Donald Trump rallied the world behind ending the violence in Syria, he will meet with the top civilian leader of NATO, an organization he criticized during the campaign as “obsolete.” “For the sake of NATO’s future, it will have to focus on terrorism,” @ARVershbow says. The top issues will… -
opinion
What Trump’s Meeting With Angela Merkel Means for NATO
In his first in-person meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last week, President Donald Trump conveyed America’s commitment to the transatlantic alliance, stating, “I reiterated to Chancellor Merkel my strong support for NATO.” The president also repeated his call for European members of NATO to increase spending on defense. As I stated last week, Trump… -
news
Are NATO Members Carrying Their Weight? Only 5 of 28 Countries Pay ‘Fair Share’
President Donald Trump alarmed European allies during the campaign when he suggested he might not defend NATO nations if they don’t fulfill their financial obligations, but he is not the first U.S. leader to express concerns that member countries don’t spend enough on their militaries. Currently, only five of NATO’s 28 members—the U.S., Greece, Britain,… -
opinion
Germany to Commit More Troops to NATO in Lithuania
Germany is upping its contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the Baltic state of Lithuania. This is a welcome development. The initial news came in October when Germany announced its commitment of Bundeswehr forces to Lithuania in 2017 as part of a NATO deterrence mission. Materially, the German deployment will be substantial. Of… -
opinion
Why the United States Must Continue to Embrace NATO to Answer Aggressive Russia
Sixty-seven years ago yesterday, the U.S. Senate ratified the North Atlantic Treaty, creating NATO. Ravaged by two world wars, and faced with the very real existential threat of the Soviet Union, European democracies allied with the U.S. and Canada created a security pact with collective defense at its core. The United States lost over half… -
news
While NATO Discussed Russian Aggression, Fighting Spiked in Eastern Ukraine
KYIV, Ukraine—Over the weekend, as NATO leaders in Warsaw, Poland, were discussing ways to counter Russian aggression, the conflict in eastern Ukraine concurrently spiked to its worst level in months. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence,” Stephen Blank, senior fellow for Russia at the American Foreign Policy Council, told The Daily Signal. “It makes sense… -
news
US Needs NATO Now as Much as Ever, Student of the Alliance Says
Policy leaders are reflecting on the legacy and future of NATO this week, the anniversary of the alliance’s creation 67 years ago. One of them is Luke Coffey, director of the Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. “[U.S.] involvement in NATO means that Europe stays relatively secure and calm. And we’re… -
opinion
You’d Better Believe NATO Still Matters Today
Recently there have been some who have questioned NATO’s importance in the 21st century. Europe is currently experiencing a belligerent and aggressive Russia with old-school 18th-century imperial ambitions. The answer is—very important. Europe is currently experiencing a belligerent and aggressive Russia with old-school 18th-century imperial ambitions. While Russia’s actions in Ukraine may seem unimportant to… -
opinion
Why Montenegro Was Just Invited to Join the NATO Alliance
On Wednesday, foreign ministers extended an invitation of NATO membership to Montenegro, a small nation in the Balkans. The decision to offer Montenegro membership will strengthen the NATO alliance, improve regional security in the Balkans, and most importantly send a clear signal that NATO remains committed to its open door policy. It also shows other countries…