The Future of NATO

This series—featuring scholars from the Futures Lab, the International Security Program, and across CSIS—explores emerging challenges and opportunities that NATO is likely to confront after its 75th anniversary

On the eve of NATO’s 75th anniversary, a network of scholars from the Futures Lab, the International Security Program, and across CSIS embarked on a mission to visualize and describe the major trends and security challenges likely to confront the alliance. These pieces range from geopolitical concerns along NATO’s flanks to the impact of demographic changes, gray zone tactics, and the potential for collective defense in space. The authors hail from across Europe and beyond, offering diverse, cross-disciplinary perspectives that transcend traditional military balance analyses. Consistent with CSIS’s mission, each piece prioritizes innovative and creative thought to define the future of national security in a non-partisan but policy-oriented framework. Our hope is that everyone—from concerned citizens to elected officials, policymakers, and national security professionals—reads these pieces. 

The banner for the series uses AI-generated art to combine the Greek goddess Theia with the NATO symbol. In Greek mythology, Theia was the goddess of sight and vision. Her likeness combined with the NATO symbol, which has endured for 75 years, illustrates the logic of this series. What challenges loom on the horizon for the alliance? How will new trends and long-standing dilemmas converge to create future security challenges? By looking to the future, we hope to strengthen the alliance and prepare it for the years ahead, which are almost certain to test NATO to its core. Foresight and preparation are prudent and represent a shared responsibility across NATO members if the alliance is to uphold peace in Europe and beyond.

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Featured Analysis


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Photo: metamorworks via Getty Images

Photo: metamorworks via Getty Images

The Future of Hybrid Warfare

In the future, NATO should embrace the concept of hybrid warfare and incorporate it into how it deters and defends. Starting with resiliency as the first step, NATO can use its strengths to put adversaries at a disadvantage and strengthen its approach to hybrid warfare.

Commentary by Frank Hoffman, Colonel Matt Neumeyer, and Benjamin Jensen — July 8, 2024

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Photo: JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: JOAQUIN SARMIENTO/AFP/Getty Images

The Neglected Domain

Commentary by Mark Montgomery and Benjamin Jensen