NATO considers its future in Strategic Concept document
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shared his thoughts on the upcoming Strategic Concept document. (Photo: NATO)
Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, outlined NATO’s next Strategic Concept document at the Riga Public Diplomacy Conference on 30 November.
NATO’s strategic concept document will set out how NATO will deal with a more unpredictable and competitive world. NATO leaders will endorse the document at the Madrid Summit in June 2022.
Gen Stoltenberg highlighted five elements that should be at the heart of the next Strategic Concept: protecting our values; reinforcing our military power; strengthening our societies; taking a global outlook; and building NATO as the institutional link between Europe and North America.
NATO’s values are defined by Stoltenberg as the organisation’s purpose; to defend democracy, freedom and the rule of law. The 6 January Capitol Riots are given as an example of these values in decline.
The second element, military power, is framed in comparison to the 2010 Strategic Concept which stated that ‘the Euro-Atlantic area is at peace’, Russian aggression has since changed the strategic landscape.
The third element is framed in comparison to military power, as while the threat from Russia and China is increasing, modern states are interdependent and relations must be maintained.
Taking a global outlook references the importance of international allies, not just NATO states.
Finally, building NATO as the link between Europe and North America has been topical recently, as factors such as increased European military links may reduce NATO’s prominent position.
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