Sustaining the Transatlantic Alliance: 75 Years of RAND Insights on NATO

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dowd, Anna M.

Contributor:

De Lataillade, Clara

Flanagan, Stephen J.

Pezard, Stephanie

Language:

English

Other Title:

Sustaining the Transatlantic Alliance

Place of Publication:

RAND Corporation 2024

Summary:

In 2024, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) celebrates the 75th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty. Over the past seven decades, RAND has been at the forefront of analytical efforts to rethink the issues, options, and trade-offs that the Alliance has confronted. In this report, the authors examine several strands of RAND's most seminal analysis on the Alliance's core strategic challenges, as identified in a broader review of hundreds of reports and memorandums. Four key themes emerge from this significant body of research: the need to provide effective deterrence and defense, the evolving transatlantic bargain between the United States and Europe on sharing the burdens of defense, expansion of NATO membership, and adaptation of NATO's strategy and structures to meet changes in the security environment. Research shows that success in all four requires maintaining political cohesion and unity of purpose. The authors highlight RAND's contributions to addressing some of the most critical questions that NATO has faced over the course of its existence, as well as specific research findings, insights, and recommendations that either remain relevant today or have become relevant again. They identify options for maintaining allied policy coordination and enhancing deterrence and defense in the face of threats posed by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and confrontational policies toward the West, strategic competition with China, emerging and disruptive technologies, and the persistence of global terrorism. The overall analysis underscores the Alliance's effectiveness in advancing the collective political and security interests of all its member states.