NATO exercise “Cold Response 26” in Norway brought together an array of international partners, including German mountain troopers, in exercises aimed at deterring aggression in the Arctic. The Arctic is currently seeing a steep uptick in Chinese as well as Russian presence. Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa (Photo by Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images)
dpa/picture alliance via Getty Images
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is facing criticism in recent times. Established in 1949 in the aftermath of World War II, the NATO alliance was the second effort to establish a framework to deter aggressive armed conquest on the European continent. It was preceded by the Western Union Defense Organization, which was more limited in scope. NATO attracted greater international participation and proved more successful in the long run, succeeding WUDO and gaining strength over its thus-far lifespan of 78 years.
Due to its long history, NATO is perceived in some circles as a Cold War relic unfit for the demands of modern conflict and as an unwieldy burden relevant only to Europeans. In fact, from its earliest days, NATO was never a European-only endeavor. The alliance projected the strength of the United States as a global superpower into Europe. NATO was intended as a front of united strength between the United States and Europe against aggression from the Soviet Union.
While the Soviet Union no longer exists, its legacy continues not only in Europe but worldwide. Communist nations formed strategic partnerships against the United States and its Western European allies during the Cold War. The legacy of these partnerships still exist. They continue to present challenges to the United States and its allies as the world has become more globalized.
Unmanned systems technology, hybrid “gray zone” warfare below the threshold of armed conflict, and malign cyber-activities present new areas of strategic military competition. Debates continue in historical circles as to whether the Cold War ever truly ended or whether it has merely transformed.
In a world where methods of warfare have multiplied and strategic competition grows fiercer, should the United States end or reduce its participation in NATO?
Rather than viewing NATO as a burden, a United States defense policy focused on building American strategic dominance would be better served by recognizing NATO as a valuable asset and an opportunity to solidify strength.
Here are eight reasons why investing in NATO should be a U.S. defense priority.
1. NATO is of global strategic significance.
As the world has become globalized, NATO’s importance has increased rather than decreased. Strategic challenges to the United States from specific nations are no longer limited to set geographical spheres. NATO is therefore an alliance with a reach beyond the borders of Europe that is poised to assist the United States in detecting and repelling threats that are globally dispersed.
2. NATO gives the U.S. ability to project world leadership.
If the United States significantly cuts back contributions to or withdraws from NATO, this would amount to more than just a renunciation of bureaucratic disputes and budget demands. It would amount to rejecting a hard-earned mantle of world leadership – leaving a power vacuum with global ramifications.
Although U.S. political vision may have changed, the United States stands to lose global relevance by abdicating its position of leadership within NATO altogether. It would cede influence to other nations not necessarily located in Europe. While Russia would be the obvious benefactor of an absence of U.S. leadership in Europe, it is conceivable that China, with its vast command of economic and technological resources, could move to fill the gap as well.
3. NATO is necessary for the United States to deter China’s military influence.
While the Indo-Pacific theater has become a U.S. defense priority, strategic challenges to the United States from that region expand well beyond it. China has gathered military strength in the form of monopolies on resources, for example in the exporting and refinement of critical minerals.
China has also expanded its presence in the Arctic, which would have been regarded as unprecedented during the height of the Cold War. By transiting through the Arctic at will, Chinese vessels have made their presence known at the back door of the United States. These intrusions provoked swift responses from the U.S. Coast Guard last year. NATO allies are poised to help the United States maintain its dominance in the Arctic and prevent incursions.
4. Budget disputes can be overcome.
Budget disputes and dissent within NATO are as old as the alliance itself. Nations participating in NATO have always come to the table with unique national interests at heart.
What has made NATO successful in the past has been a willingness among the allies to sacrifice some of their national interests – like caps on spending, for example – to achieve greater cohesion and unity of purpose.
As long as there remains a willingness among the allies to cooperate towards larger goals, solutions to disputes that inevitably arise can be successfully negotiated.
5. NATO presents the U.S. with untapped economic opportunities.
The U.S. military has entered a new era of fiscal and technological initiatives. It has opened the door to new ways of doing business. Demands for military technology globally have increased.
NATO has indicated willingness to collaborate with the United States in developing defense technology on a new scale. Moreover, by forming new partnerships with industries across NATO nations, the U.S. stands to gain in a military and financial sense. NATO members face demands for critical minerals for military use and drone technology.
By increasing mutual economic investment with NATO, the United States can increase its global wealth and reduce European economic dependence on Russia and China.
6. NATO consists of America’s closest allies – and firm alliances are hard to build.
NATO was forged in a crucible of conflict. The United States and its allies succeeded in building an unprecedented military fellowship in a world devastated by global war. In the aftermath of World War II, NATO has been an instrument of healing bringing nations together into a strong force to preserve peace.
What NATO has accomplished owes not merely to American dollars but most especially to goodwill and trust that America has built up.
It is always the case throughout history that international allies disagree and squabble in times of war and in peace. This has often occurred within NATO also. However, the ties of history and shared values that have bound the allies together have always remained strong.
While alliances are difficult to build, they are easy to destroy. Political visions may change, but America has no closer allies in the world than those in NATO. Those relationships are worth preserving. Cutting military ties with America’s NATO allies will only serve to benefit America’s adversaries.
7. It is possible to reform NATO’s posture without abandoning it.
Like all military organizations, NATO has adapted its posture over the years and must continue to do so if it is to remain viable and effective in any armed conflict. The United States has collaborated with NATO partners to refine and improve military tactics in large-scale exercises.
These exercises have adapted over time to meet the allies’ changing needs and new demands of war. The same approach of rigorous adaptation can be applied to economic challenges within the alliance.
It is important to note that the United States became a global powerhouse during the Cold War as a result of working closely with international allies. During World War II, the United States made strategic gains by adapting from its previous posture of isolationism and stepping up to occupy a larger seat at the global table.
That said, it is completely achievable for the United States to work with NATO partners to strengthen the posture and capabilities of the alliance without ceding its leadership position. The United States stands to gain more by staying actively involved in shaping the posture of the alliance rather than stepping back.
8. Without NATO, further armed conflict is inevitable.
Over its lifespan, NATO has deterred armed aggression and continues to do so. Its influence, however, hangs in the balance and depends upon the involvement of the United States.
The risk of full-scale war in Europe has increased exponentially since Russian forces crossed the border of Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, NATO nations have been subjected to disruptions at airports and critical infrastructure.
Russia has expanded its cooperation with China. The United States Special Operations Command recently noted that U.S. elite forces are more in demand than ever as adversaries work together with unprecedented cohesion to challenge the U.S. and its allies across a variety of domains.
Abandonment of NATO would strike not only a moral blow at the goodwill and leadership that the United States has built up over decades, but signal to adversaries of the U.S. and European countries that America is both unable and unwilling to take the lead in defending its allies and global interests from wanton acts of aggression and conquest. Open conflict in Europe and elsewhere would become a foregone conclusion.
The NATO alliance presents the United States with an opportunity to maintain and project strategic dominance not only in Europe but globally. It consists of America’s oldest and strongest allies. The alliance is not perfect and faces many challenges, as has always been the case. Yet NATO remains a strategic asset to the United States that is worth strengthening and investing in as U.S. adversaries present challenges across a wide spectrum of domains worldwide.