Strengthening NATO's European Pillar

Please join the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program on Monday, May 13, 2024, at 10am EST for a conversation on European defense and security between Max Bergmann, Director of the CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program and Stuart Center, Sophia Besch, Fellow in the Europe Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and CSIS Visiting Fellows, Mathieu Droin and Sean Monaghan.  

In just eight weeks' time NATO leaders will convene in Washington for the alliance's 75th anniversary summit. Strengthening NATO's deterrence and defense will be at the top of their agenda, alongside continuing to support Ukraine. Much of this focus will be on European defense, given 30 of NATO's 32 allies are in Europe. The strength of the European pillar of NATO has been in question since NATO was founded. Before the last Washington summit, 25 years ago, then U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright warned the emerging European security and defense identity should avoid the “Three Ds” of decoupling from, duplicating, and discriminating against NATO allies. Despite record increases in defense spending since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in 2014, Europe remains under pressure to do much more for its own defense - and US policy has barely shifted. This event will discuss the relevance of the European pillar of NATO and the challenges to making it stronger.

This event is the first in a series in the lead up of the NATO Summit in Washington, happening in July of 2024. This event is online-only. 

This event is made possible through generous support to CSIS.