Throughout the Cold War, NATO proved itself to be among the most successful alliances in history, deterring the Soviet Union and preventing an attack on its member states. Most NATO members then fielded larger and more capable militaries than they do now – militaries that were built up through decades of sustained investment by individual member states. After the end of the Cold War, too many NATO member states thought that it was “the end of history,” and defense spending took a 30-year hiatus, only really resuming in earnest following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Now, some member states have stood up in a big way, hitting their spending goals and contributing substantially to the collective defense of the alliance. Other member states continue to lag behind, preferring to rely on American defense guarantees than provide for their own defense. This has to stop. America’s European allies must take primary responsibility for security on the European continent through sustained increases in defense spending.

Learn more as experts Elbridge Colby, Wilson Beaver, Nile Gardiner, and Robert Greenway discuss how we can reverse decades of decline and restore NATO.

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