Skip to page content

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

Featured

As a military alliance with roots in the Cold War, NATO's strategy and purpose have had to shift since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. RAND has assisted U.S. and European defense establishments by recommending expansion strategies; analyzing activities in the Balkans and Afghanistan, areas outside NATO's traditional focus; and advising decisionmakers on issues critical to NATO's mission and the interests of its member nations.

Report
Avoiding a Long War in Ukraine
The United States has a strong interest in avoiding a long war in Ukraine. Although Washington cannot alone determine the war's duration, it can take steps to make an eventual negotiated peace more likely.
Jan 25, 2023
Commentary
A New Era? NATO's Prioritisation of Human Security in an Insecure World
Human security and NATO's role and responsibility to protect civilians during conflict saw new prioritization in the alliance's 2022 Strategic Concept. While much progress has been made, more could be done to ensure the alliance can deliver on these commitments.
Aug 10, 2022

Explore North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Report
Proposal for a Revised Regional Order in Post-Soviet Europe and Eurasia
Disputes over the regional order in post-Soviet Europe and Eurasia are at the core of the breakdown in relations between Russia and the West and have created major challenges for the states caught in between. A new approach to the order could boost security and prosperity in the region.
Oct 8, 2019
Commentary
Russia's Strategy in the Black Sea: How NATO Can Up Its Game
The Black Sea region is a central locus of the competition between Russia and the West for the future of Europe. In March 2019, RAND brought together a group of experts to discuss Moscow's strategy there—and what Western countries can do to counter it.
Sep 24, 2019
Report
Russia, NATO, and Black Sea Security Strategy: Regional Perspectives from a 2019 Workshop
The authors report workshop discussions of four topics related to the strategic context in the Black Sea: Russia's strategy in the region; Russian military and soft-power instruments; Western goals and interests; and elements of Western strategy.
Sep 24, 2019
Multimedia
Extending Russia
What policies could the United States adopt to stress Russia’s military, its economy, or the regime’s political standing at home and abroad? In this congressional briefing summary, former Ambassador James Dobbins, Raphael Cohen, and Howard Shatz discuss Russia’s economic, political, and military vulnerabilities and anxieties; nonviolent, cost-imposing options that the United States and its allies could pursue to stress Russia; and the costs, benefits, and implications of those options.
Sep 5, 2019
Blog
Synthetic Opioids, Mass Shootings, Prison Education: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap looks at fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, how to address mass shootings, higher education in prison, and more.
Aug 30, 2019
Report
How Willing Are NATO Members to Defend Their Baltic Allies?
What factors would make NATO allies more or less likely to respond to a Russian attack? And what can be done to reduce their vulnerability to Russian influence and to increase alliance cohesion?
Aug 29, 2019
Report
NATO's Amphibious Forces: Command and Control of a Multibrigade Alliance Task Force
At the request of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, RAND researchers facilitated three wargaming events exploring how to leverage and enhance the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)'s existing amphibious capacity by organizing extant national forces into a coherent multibrigade command and control (C2) structure.
Jun 27, 2019
Blog
Iran, School Discipline, North Korea: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the costs of U.S.–Iran confrontation, discipline reform in America's schools, why the North Korea problem is bigger than nukes, and more.
Jun 21, 2019
Report
Cyberspace as a Military Domain: Lessons for NATO
In 2016, NATO identified cyberspace as a new operational domain. What steps has the alliance taken since then to bolster its cyber capabilities? And what are the greatest challenges that still lie ahead?
Jun 20, 2019
News Release
U.S. Military Gaps in Funding and Personnel Need Addressing to Deter Global Aggression
A significant gap exists between the stated strategic and defense policies of the United States and the resources and capabilities required to implement those policies successfully.
May 7, 2019
Report
Gaps Exist Between U.S. Strategy and Military Capacity
There will not be enough resources to close the technological, doctrinal, and budgetary gaps between stated U.S. aims and the military capabilities needed to achieve them. What changes to U.S. strategy and investments could help close these gaps, and which missions should be prioritized?
May 7, 2019
News Release
Nonviolent Ways the United States Could Exploit Russian Vulnerabilities
Russia's use of information warfare and its conventional military arsenal make it a formidable opponent, but the state also has significant weaknesses that could be exploited. A range of nonviolent measures could stress Russia's military, its economy, and the regime's political standing at home and abroad.
Apr 24, 2019
Research Brief
Nonviolent Ways the United States Could Exploit Russian Vulnerabilities
Despite its vulnerabilities and anxieties, Russia remains a formidable opponent in a few key domains. What non-violent, cost-imposing measures could the United States pursue to stress Russia's economy, its military, and the regime's political standing at home and abroad?
Apr 24, 2019
Report
Extending Russia: Competing for Advantageous Ground
The United States is locked in a great-power competition with Russia. What are Russia's greatest anxieties and vulnerabilities? How might the United States exploit these vulnerabilities? And what are the potential costs and risks of doing so?
Apr 24, 2019
Blog
School Reform, Sanctions, Russian Aggression: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on what educators think about school reform, the devastating impacts of economic sanctions, deterring Russian aggression in the Baltics, and more.
Apr 19, 2019
News Release
Unconventional Approaches Could Help Deter Russian Intimidation and Aggression Against the Baltic States
Amid concerns that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are vulnerable to Russian intimidation and hybrid warfare, a new RAND Corporation report concludes that unconventional defense plans could help deter and counteract Russian aggression.
Apr 15, 2019
Report
Deterring Russian Aggression in the Baltic States
Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are vulnerable to low-level, hybrid, and full-scale attacks by Russian forces. Which unconventional strategies could they use to deter aggression and buy time for conventional military responses? And how can NATO allies help develop and fund these efforts?
Apr 15, 2019
Blog
NATO's 70th Anniversary, Food Deserts, Teachers: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on effective teachers, NATO's 70th anniversary, food deserts, and more.
Apr 5, 2019
Multimedia
The United States and Europe Since World War II: A Mutually Beneficial Partnership
An overview of testimony by Christine Wormuth presented before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment on March 26, 2019.
Mar 26, 2019
Testimony
The U.S.-European Partnership Since World War II
The relationship between the United States and Europe has advanced U.S. and global security since the end of World War II. The partnership has benefited the United States several times, including during the post-Cold War period, the years after the September 11 attacks, and the current era of strategic competition with Russia and China.
Mar 26, 2019

Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next

RAND Topic:
North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Topic Synonyms:
NATO;
North Atlantic Alliance;
OTAN

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Monika Cooper

Senior Technical Analyst

Monika Cooper (she/her) is a senior technical advisor at RAND Corporation in Arlington, VA, and previously served on the International Staff as a Communications, Command, Control, and Surveillance (C3S) life cycle expert for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, Belgium from…
James Dobbins

Senior Fellow

Ambassador James Dobbins is a senior fellow and distinguished chair in Diplomacy and Security at the RAND Corporation. He has held State Department and White House posts including assistant secretary of State for Europe, special assistant to the president for the Western Hemisphere, special…

Explore Our People »