A defense alliance is an arrangement in which a stronger country guarantees the security of a weaker one in exchange for economic benefits or military protection. This arrangement, enshrined in NATO’s founding treaty, Article 5 on collective defence, remains an important part of a rules-based global security system that protects the freedom and security of all nations.
The Alliance faces a changing and increasingly complex security environment. At the 2023 Vilnius and 2024 Washington Summits, Allies agreed on significant new measures to strengthen deterrence and defence in all domains. They also agreed on a defence investment pledge and a strategy for defence innovation, including the establishment of the NATO Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic Region.
At the same time, Russia’s actions and violations of international law continue to pose a direct threat to Alliance security. This includes its ongoing airspace violations, armed aggression against Ukraine and other parts of Europe, instrumentalisation of irregular migration, malicious cyber activity, electronic interference, disinformation campaigns and coercive nuclear signalling.
These threats highlight the need for Allies to build a strong and resilient Alliance that is capable of adapting to a contested security landscape. That is why Allies have boosted their readiness to defend themselves against an array of challenges, such as terrorism; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incidents; natural disasters; and growing strategic threats like cyber attacks against democratic systems and supply chains. They are enhancing their ability to respond quickly, collectively and in a timely manner by strengthening regional coordination and deploying more multinational battlegroups along the Alliance’s eastern flank, from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.