July 8, 2016, marks an important date for NATO. The heads of states and governments will meet in Warsaw in order to discuss the future of the Alliance and its operations. Prior to the summit, General (ret.) Hans-Lothar Domröse addressed a group of DGAP members and security policy experts about the cohesion of NATO and future challenges.
During the presentation and the subsequent debate, the participants stressed that the Alliance has to act in unison in order to face current threats and challenges and to guarantee the defense of its members. Particularly the conflict in Syria, the war in Ukraine, the financial crisis, as well as the refugee crisis were identified as factors which recently had a major impact on NATO and its strategy. These factors were deemed so fundamental that participants advised NATO to draft a new strategic concept.
At the same time, threat perceptions in the eastern member states of the Alliance differ from those of the southern member states. Yet, NATO only has a single set of forces, which has to accomplish crisis response, military cooperation and collective defense in both the East and the South. In effect NATO’s forces have to meet multiple obligations that would require different degrees of specialization.
Towards the end of the debate, the participants called for a closer relationship between NATO and the EU – which had just released its global strategy. Both institutions should work together in tackling common challenges. Additionally the need for a renewed dialogue with Russia was stressed as indispensable in order to achieve a stable security situation in and around Europe.
General (ret.) Hans-Lothar Domröse served as Commander of the Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, NATO, from 2012-2016. Prof. Dr. Eberhard Sandschneider, Otto-Wolff Director of the Research Institute, DGAP, chaired the event. Approximately 100 participants attended the event.
The event has been the 7th part of a DGAP event series on NATO before the Warsaw Summit which was jointly organized by the USA / Transatlantic Relations Program and the Future Forum Berlin.
We Thank the German Marshall Fund of the United States for its support.
