Security Policy Round Table at PRINZ-CARL-PALAIS: NATO at 75 – Are we ready to defend?

Almost two years after Putin started his brutal war against Ukraine, there is not much hope that Russian aggression will end anytime soon. The Kremlin seems willing to waste ever more lives, destroying the livelihoods of civilians and ruining any prospects for a mutually respected order of peace and stability in Europe. NATO, having maintained peace and security for its members for 75 years, is challenged in ways that contain elements of the Cold War past as well as elements of the unknown, driven by a strategic landscape that is far more complex and disrupted by technological innovation. At its landmark 2023 summit in Vilnius, NATO’s leaders have adopted a far-reaching consensus to step up joint efforts to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the alliance and its members.

• So where are we, with NATO at 75 and after the Vilnius summit? What do the Vilnius agreements mean for the deterrence of Russia?
• How do experts assess the protection of NATO’s most vulnerable members along the eastern flank?
• What is the impact of the northern enlargement of NATO?
• How do tactical and technical innovations change the requirements for our Armed forces?
• How are societies in large coping with the “new normal” and are they supportive of what needs to be invested to deter even more aggression? In short: Are we, is NATO ready to defend?