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
Franco-German Cooperation on Nuclear Deterrence Is a Good Sign
On July 17, the leaders of France and Germany announced that Germany would be participating in a French nuclear exercise later this year. The exercise, titled Poker, is a recurring part of France’s nuclear operations and is a full-scale rehearsal of France’s airborne nuclear capabilities. The announcement at the Franco-German Defense and Security Council at… -
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
‘We’ll Be Your Canada’: Brutal Reality Check for NATO Free Riders
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. Once again, NATO is in crisis. It seems like this is happening every three or four years. It predates and… -
news
Trump and Rubio Float Exit From NATO: ‘Paper Tiger’
President Donald Trump is floating an exit from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, calling the transatlantic alliance a “paper tiger” as European powers refuse to enter the conflict with Iran. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also declaring a need to “reexamine” the U.S.-NATO relationship. Asked by The Telegraph in an interview published Wednesday if… -
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
Trump Demands More From NATO as Gulf States ‘Hit So Hard’
President Donald Trump on Tuesday continued his call for more NATO assistance in the Middle East. When asked by The Daily Signal’s White House Correspondent Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell if he wanted the Gulf States to be more involved in the ongoing operation against Iran, Trump said, “A little bit, but more—more NATO.” “I think our Gulf allies have been pretty good, to be honest with… -
news
Trump Has Strong Words for NATO Over Greenland
President Donald Trump on Wednesday ruled out using force to acquire Greenland, saying that Denmark should instead hand over the island to the United States. “We probably won’t get anything unless I decide to use excessive strength and force where we would be, frankly, unstoppable, but I won’t do that,” he said in a speech… -
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
How Russia Could Escalate Tensions With NATO
STOCKHOLM—NATO countries should anticipate “additional escalation” from Russia, according to national security expert Robert Greenway. Escalation would likely include “drones … Russian manned aircraft violating airspace, including energy platforms in the Baltic Sea. There could be maritime threats, and we’ve seen undersea cables cut by Chinese vessels and others in the Baltic Sea, cutting… -
news
NATO’s Newest Member Outspending Longtime Participants on Defense
STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Sweden is the newest NATO member, and it’s already outpacing more than half of its fellow member nations on defense spending. “And of course, we did not join NATO just to get security guarantees, but also to be a security provider,” Swedish Minister of Defense Pal Jonson told The Daily Signal. Sweden… -
opinion
Trump Is Right to Keep Ukraine Out of NATO
After he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and before he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House, President Donald Trump issued a pointed statement on Truth Social. “President Zelenskyy of Ukraine can end the war with Russia almost immediately, if he wants to, or he can continue to fight,”… -
opinion
$828 Billion Short, NATO’s Path Back Starts With 5 Percent—and a Long Memory
At its 2025 summit this week, NATO announced a new military spending target of 5%—something President Donald Trump referred to as a “monumental change” for America and its allies, praise that has been echoed by other foreign dignitaries. At the summit, alliance members pledged to allocate 3.5% of gross domestic product annually to defense and… -
news
Trump Takes Victory Lap on NATO Spending
President Donald Trump has secured a commitment to increase defense spending from European allies at this week’s NATO summit, held at The Hague in the Netherlands. “Allies commit to invest 5% of [gross domestic product] annually on core defense requirements as well as defense- and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective…