NATO’s Strategic Concept defines the security challenges facing the Alliance and outlines the political and military tasks that NATO will carry out to address them.
NATO’s
STRATEGIC CONCEPT
The 2022 Strategic Concept was adopted at the Madrid Summit, 29-30 June 2022. Learn more about NATO’s enduring purpose and its fundamental security tasks.
DOWNLOAD THE 2022 STRATEGIC CONCEPT
The Strategic Concept’s
KEY ASPECTS
° The Alliance’s key purpose and greatest responsibility is to ensure the collective defence of Allies. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty remains the bedrock of Allied collective defence.
° NATO’s three core tasks are deterrence and defence; crisis prevention and management; and cooperative security.
° The Euro-Atlantic area is not at peace. Euro-Atlantic security is undermined by strategic competition and pervasive instability. The Russian Federation poses the most significant and direct threat to Allies’ security. Terrorism is an asymmetric threat to the security of our citizens and to international peace and prosperity. The People’s Republic of China’s stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values. We also face global and interconnected threats and challenges like climate change, emerging and disruptive technologies, and the erosion of the arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation architecture.
° NATO will continue to adapt and develop, politically and militarily, to meet the challenges of a more unpredictable and competitive world.
° The Alliance is based on the enduring transatlantic bond between Europe and North America. NATO remains the unique, essential and indispensable transatlantic forum to consult, coordinate and act on all matters related to Allies’ security.
” NATO’s new Strategic Concept is the blueprint for the Alliance in a more dangerous and competitive world. “
JENS STOLTENBERG, NATO SECRETARY GENERAL
What is
NATO’S STRATEGIC CONCEPT?
The Strategic Concept is a key document for the Alliance. It reaffirms NATO’s values and purpose, and provides a collective assessment of the security environment. It also drives NATO’s strategic adaptation and guides its future political and military development.
The Strategic Concept is reviewed and updated regularly. Since the end of the Cold War, it has been updated approximately every 10 years to take account of changes to the global security environment and to make sure the Alliance is prepared for the future.
The previous Strategic Concept was adopted at the NATO Lisbon Summit in 2010. The new Strategic Concept describes the new security reality facing the Alliance, reaffirms NATO’s values, and spells out NATO’s key purpose of ensuring Allies’ collective defence.
NATO Expert, Benedetta Berti, explains more
LEARN MORE ABOUT NATO’S STRATEGIC CONCEPTS
How was the
2022 STRATEGIC CONCEPT CREATED?
At the 2021 Brussels Summit, NATO Leaders asked Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to lead the process of developing the next Strategic Concept. The Secretary General initiated a phase of internal consultations and external engagements.
Internal consultations were conducted with Allies on NATO’s evolving strategic environment, approach and priorities. Four seminars were organised in Allied capitals to bring together NATO leadership, officials and expert communities.
NATO also engaged with NATO partner countries , other international organisations, and with expert communities, youth organisations, civil society and the private sector.
After this consultation phase, Allies negotiated and agreed the next Strategic Concept, which Leaders endorsed at the 2022 Madrid Summit.
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