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NATO

It's time to update the alliance and shift burdens to European allies

75 years after its founding and more than three decades since the Soviet Union collapsed, the NATO alliance now includes 32 members and shares a 1,600-mile strategic border with Russia. As the war in Ukraine grinds on, critical questions persist about the U.S. role in the alliance, shifting burdens, and the importance of European strategic autonomy.

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NATO EXPERTS

Benjamin
Friedman

Policy Director

Defense Priorities

Jennifer
Kavanagh

Senior Fellow & Director of Military Analysis

Defense Priorities

Barry
Posen

Ford International Professor of Political Science, Security Studies Program

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Brian
Blankenship

Non-Resident Fellow

Defense Priorities

Christopher
McCallion

Fellow

Defense Priorities

Daniel
DePetris

Fellow

Defense Priorities

Daniel
Davis

Senior Fellow & Military Expert

Defense Priorities

Moritz
Graefrath

Non-Resident Fellow

Defense Priorities

Mike
Sweeney

Non-Resident Fellow

Defense Priorities

Op-edUkraine‑Russia, Europe and Eurasia, NATO, Russia, Ukraine

Russia does not want a war with Europe

By Jennifer Kavanagh

August 28, 2026

When John Ratcliffe, director of the CIA, visited Moscow earlier this week, he reportedly warned Russian officials against attacks targeting European neighbours. […]

Op-edNATO, Europe and Eurasia

Leave Europe to the Europeans

By Jennifer Kavanagh

August 28, 2026

In the mediaNATO, Europe and Eurasia

Don’t Freak Out Over the Pentagon’s Europe Plans

Featuring Jennifer Kavanagh

August 27, 2026

Symposia: Antique alliance: Rethinking NATO at 75

Ahead of the Washington, DC, NATO summit, which will mark 75 years since its founding, Defense Priorities (DEFP) organized this symposium to stimulate critical thinking about the military alliance. Top experts shared their insights in an effort to inform and improve U.S. policy. Each contributor provided an answer to the same question: “What is the biggest U.S. policy mistake with regard to NATO?”