Episodes

  • NATO Review: Future-proofing NATO’s industrial capacity: how decisions at the NATO Summit in The Hague will strengthen the Allied defence industry

    NATO Review: Future-proofing NATO’s industrial capacity: how decisions at the NATO Summit in The Hague will strengthen the Allied defence industry
    Jun 26 2025
    At the NATO Summit in The Hague, NATO leaders recognised that in order to deter any future military conflict, Allies will have to pledge to spending 5% of their GDP to defence (of which up to 1.5% may be spent on defence-related investments). This has created the conditions for Allies to channel robust funding into governmental contracts with the defence industry in order to meet the new Capability Targets that are assigned for each Ally to generate collective effect. To meet these targets and acquire capabilities at pace, NATO now has to greatly increase and optimise the capacity of its defence industrial base. The updated Defence Production Action Plan, publicly released at the Summit in The Hague presents a concrete programme to optimise and strengthen the Allied defence industry, maximise its outcomes and increase Allies’ return on investment.
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    15 mins
  • NATO Review: NATO’s path to peace and security in an unstable world

    NATO Review: NATO’s path to peace and security in an unstable world
    Jun 12 2025
    As the NATO Summit approaches, we stand at a pivotal moment for our Alliance and our shared mission to safeguard peace. The Madrid, Vilnius and Washington Summits already set a clear path for NATO following Russia’s unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine and a shifting global security landscape. In The Hague, we will evaluate our progress and go even further, cementing our new capability targets and establishing new spending commitments to strengthen our collective defence.
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    14 mins
  • NATO Review: Fortifying the Baltic Sea - NATO’s defence and deterrence strategy for hybrid threats

    NATO Review: Fortifying the Baltic Sea - NATO’s defence and deterrence strategy for hybrid threats
    May 5 2025
    Recent events have solidified the Baltic Sea as an area of critical strategic importance. It serves as a vital maritime trading route, hosts considerable networks of Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI), and holds significant potential for the development of new sources of energy. As a result, it is also an area which is highly vulnerable to the increasingly prevalent threat of hybrid attacks – that is, attacks just below the threshold of kinetic warfare, which blur the lines between peace and conflict, such as the sabotage of critical infrastructure.
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    16 mins
  • NATO Review: Sharing the burden: How Poland and Germany are shifting the dial on European defence expenditure

    NATO Review: Sharing the burden: How Poland and Germany are shifting the dial on European defence expenditure
    Apr 10 2025
    The defence posture of NATO member countries, which had already dramatically shifted after 2014, was accelerated irreversibly in 2022 with Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The trend of boosting defence spending has been witnessed across the Alliance, however, it has been especially strong in the countries closer to NATO’s eastern flank, as Europe has recognised its obligation to share more fairly the financial burden of defending itself. Within this new paradigm, Poland and Germany represent two examples of European countries who are stepping up to this challenge by securing significant defence funding in different yet equally effective ways.
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    13 mins
  • NATO Review: The voices of a nation: How stories have shaped Ukraine’s fight for freedom

    NATO Review: The voices of a nation: How stories have shaped Ukraine’s fight for freedom
    Feb 21 2025
    Three years on from the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the values of liberty and volia—a unique Ukrainian word that signifies an unyielding drive for freedom and overcoming obstacles — have remained central to Ukraine’s identity. They say that the true value of something is only fully understood when it is either lost or when one gives everything to defend it. As we endure this war, we Ukrainians fully understand what it means to be free.
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    14 mins
  • NATO Review: Algorithmic invasions: How information warfare threatens NATO's Eastern Flank

    NATO Review: Algorithmic invasions: How information warfare threatens NATO's Eastern Flank
    Feb 7 2025
    On 6 December 2024, in an unprecedented move, Romania’s Constitutional Court annulled the results of the first round of its 24 November presidential election, citing evidence provided by intelligence agencies that the electoral process had been “compromised throughout its duration and across all stages”. This dramatic decision, unparalleled in Romania’s history since the 1989 revolution against the communist regime, underscores the evolving nature of hybrid warfare, one aspect of which includes algorithmic manipulation and cyber-enabled disinformation campaigns that target and destabilise democracies. The prospect of a NATO Ally on the Alliance’s south-eastern flank being undermined—not through military invasion but through algorithm-driven social media manipulation—serves as a stark reminder of national security vulnerabilities in the digital age. The implications extend far beyond Romania, highlighting the urgent need to integrate robust information security measures into NATO’s strategic framework.
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    18 mins
  • NATO Review: Colombia at NATO: how a South American nation became a NATO partner, By Oscar Palma

    NATO Review: Colombia at NATO: how a South American nation became a NATO partner, By Oscar Palma
    Jan 20 2025
    Many Colombians were surprised when the government announced in 2017 that their country was becoming a NATO “global partner”. In a polarised political atmosphere, where citizens are accustomed to news and debates about combatting armed rebels and criminal groups, this development was confusing. Was the country becoming a member of the Alliance? Were Colombian soldiers to be deployed in remote war theatres? Could NATO members support Colombia if the country went to war?
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    18 mins
  • NATO Review: Intelligence disclosure as a strategic messaging tool

    NATO Review: Intelligence disclosure as a strategic messaging tool
    Dec 16 2024
    On December 3, 2021, the Washington Post published an article referring to unclassified US intelligence reports on massive Russian troop movements, suggesting that “the Kremlin is planning a multi-front offensive as soon as early next year involving up to 175,000 troops”. The article marked the beginning of a British and American campaign to disclose classified information on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans.
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    15 mins