ANNA M. DOWD, STEPHANIE PEZARD, STEPHEN J. FLANAGAN, CLARA DE LATAILLADE
Sustaining the
Transatlantic Alliance
75 Years of RAND Insights on NATO
O
n July 9–11, 2024, at its summit meeting in Washington, D.C., the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlan-
tic Treaty, which committed the United States, Canada, and their ten Western European
allies to “unite their efforts for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and
security.”
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Today, the Alliance counts 32 countries among its members, a testament of its enduring
relevance and power of attraction. Member governments value the treaty’s consultative and collective
defense commitments as central to safeguarding their freedom and security.
The Washington Summit comes at a pivotal moment in NATO’s history as the Alliance contin-
ues its transformation politically and militarily for a very different strategic era. Russia’s invasion
of Ukraine shattered the post–Cold War vision of Europe as “whole, free and at peace” articulated
by Presidents George H. W. Bush and Clinton.
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Russia’s aggressive policies and military buildup
are again perceived as a potential threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of European
allies and wider transatlantic security. Amid the resurgence of great-power competition, the rapid
pace of technological change, and pervasive instability and recurrent shocks in the broader secu-
rity environment, NATO is facing formidable challenges.
3
NATO’s milestone anniversary provides an opportunity for stock-taking about the state of the
transatlantic Alliance; for looking back to its beginnings, transformation, and adaptations since;
and for reflecting about the path ahead.
Over the past seven decades, RAND has been at the forefront of analytical efforts to rethink
the issues, options, and trade-offs the Alliance has confronted.
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As NATO underwent far-reaching
changes in the decades that followed its creation, RAND researchers produced more than 500
reports and memorandums to inform policymakers and broader audiences on NATO’s evolution,
achievements, and challenges. Four key themes emerge from this significant body of research,
reflecting a series of strategic challenges the Alliance has grappled with throughout its history: the
need to provide effective deterrence and defense, the evolving transatlantic bargain between the
United States and Europe on sharing the burdens of defense, expansion of NATO membership, and
adaptation of NATO’s strategy and structures to meet changes in the security environment. All four
are underpinned by the fundamental challenge of maintaining political cohesion and internal soli-
darity across the Alliance. The extensive volume of RAND research on these matters illustrates the
Research Report
