In this first portion of it palis reflect on natos history and purpose and on data benefits the average american. They previewed the upcoming nato summit that will take place in washington, d. C. Over the summer. Good morning, everyone. On behalf of the Atlantic Council, its my pleasure to welcome you to todays event, nato at 75, an alliance for a better world. 75 years ago today, 12 countries came together to sign the washington treaty. Marking the very beginning of what would become the worlds most powerful and successful military alliance. In 1949, nato was founded to provide collective security and defense and prevent the outbreak of yet another world war. In the 75 years that have followed, nato has welcomed 20 additional allies, all committed to safeguarding Democratic Values and to promoting peace and stability in the euro Atlantic Region and beyond. This anniversary is unquestionably a moment to take stock and celebrate the accomplishments of the most successful alliance in history. These celebrations are taking place against a backdrop of tremendous uncertainty. War is raging in europe and the Global Security environment is increasingly volatile. Now more than ever, its imperative for nato allies to stand together to reaffirm their collective support for a secure, peaceful, and democratic global community. Today is not just a chance to reflect on the past, so its also a moment to consider the next 75 years. Conversion challenges from Climate Change to emerging technologies will fundamentally alter the battlefield of tomorrow. The alliance must always be focused on the future and adaptive to the threats that lie over the horizon. , for that reason convening such as this one are integral to the center for strategy and security which speaks six to develop sustainable, nonpartisan strategies to address the most important security challenges facing the United States and the world. The Center Honors general brent scroll crafts legacy of service and embodies the itos of commit metoo security support for u. S. Leadership in cooperation with allies and partners and dedication to the mentorship of the next generation of leaders. As part of this mission, the centers Transatlantic Security Initiative shapes and influences the debate on the Great Security challenges facing the alliance and its key partners. Todays event is part of the Atlantic Councils programming, organized in advance of the 2024 nato summit here in washington, so be on the lookout for much more to come from the council in the coming months. In this spirit, we have organized and convened two panels. The first brings together a group of Atlantic Council experts to highlight the alliances historic underpinnings and to celebrate the alliances enduring legacy. The second panel will look to future the voices of nextGeneration Experts and leaders to discuss how nato can secure its future for the next 75 years. This first panel will be moderated by my colleague, dr. Met craig, Vice President and senior director of the Atlantic Councils center for strategy and security. Thank you also much for being here with us today and with that, matt, i will pass it and with that, matt, i i will ps it you. Thank you very much for the introduction, jenna. Welcome everyone and indeed the industries provides a valuable opportunity both to look back at nate is accomplished with over the past 75 years but also look into the future to make sure the Alliance Remains fit for purpose for the challenges ahead. So to discuss these issues are very fortunate to be joined by distinguished panel, directly to my left we have ambassador paula dobriansky. She is vice chair of the Atlantic CouncilScowcroft Center for strategy and security pictures also a senior fellow with the Developer Center at Harvard University and a former undersecretary of state for global affairs. To her that we have ian brzezinski, a senior fellow and the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic CouncilScowcroft Center. Its also an Atlantic CouncilEurope Center and a former Deputy Assistant secretary of defense for europe and nato policy. To his left we have elisabeth braw, senior fellow in the transit and execute mission at Atlantic Council and then to her left dr. John deni professor of the u. S. Army war college and a senior fellow in the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Scowcroft Center. So welcome to you all. Thanks for joining us. Before we begin just a few housekeeping notes for our audience. The discussion is of course on the record. We will leave time at the end of the discussion for audience questions so we encourage both are in person audience and our virtual participants to join the conversation theres a standing microphone in the room for those of you in person, and for virtual participants you can log your questions on x pc. Org. We also invite you to interact with us on x formally known as twitter by following at Atlantic Council and use our hashtag stronger with allies. With that lets begin the discussion. Welcome again. Ian, they go start with you. We think a lot about nato but maybe everybody doesnt think about nato everyday. Suggest what is nato . What does it do . Rymatt, jenna, thank you for hosting this panel. Its an important anniversary, 75 years is a long time that will testify to the success of the Alliance Going from 12 original signatories assigned the document in washington and now 32. What need does it serves as institutional core of the Trans Atlantic Community democracies. It was established to multiplies and orchestrate the combined political, economic and military power of these democracies. It is has done that with gret effect. What natos first known first and foremost for is its role as a military Institution Come something conversation can go down range effectively to deter our adversaries and the necessary defeat them. In this regard the alliance has been history so successful alliance and enabled nato the transgenic community to win the cold war without firing a shot. It brought peace to balkans. I seen firsthand allied forces operate sometimes under the nato flag in afghanistan or in iraq. Interoperability, effectiveness courage rooted in the, roddy and selected this that is fostered through nato. The Light Alliance is bacy 55 trillion in gdp. Thats almost half if not te than half of global gdp. Thats a lot of, ten times that of russia. More than twice that of china. And also like whether political legitimacy that comes from acne democracy i but thats a real force multiplier. A mesh to adversaries, a motivator for our troops. These military, economic and ideological advantages are exactly nato brings to the table and they are important in an age as jenna pointed out of increasing complexity, increasing danger and lethality in the battle space that areet armed forces have to operate in. Wonderful thanks, trim with the commitments of the compass was looking back when the cold war without firing a shot. Thats where it is likely to get continue look back at history and so ambassador dobriansky maybe well come to you next and looking over the 75 years what you see is some of the major challenges that the alliance has overcome and what use is some of the major accomplishments . On this occasion let me also give my thanks to the Atlantic Council, to jenna for opening come to you from operating, and for a council just commemorating the anniversary. And as a go forward to the summit, this summer hosted by the United States. So what are some of the challenges and accomplish its . I look back, lets not take it for granted. Ian just mention first was 12 when it signed in as as a noh atlantic treaty, and now 32. One of the challenges at the time was question about expansion and enlargement and there were many debates and discussions about it. And by the way if you asked me at this time in my lifetime what ive ever expected finland or sweden to become members . You know, i really wasnt sure that that would happen in my own lifetime, and here we are. Its that just only expansion of those core members but also if you look at in terms of the number of the nato nonmembers across the globe, which is also a very significant attachment and investment to the very purpose of the alliance as younc laid out. So when was the question of enlargement itself, which has a think really moved rather thoughtfully and strategically and successfully. And then theres the issue of burden sharing. I think wed will dive a little bit more into that but let me at least say that, thats been the question of what Member States put into it. I will justt come fastforward. I think even the kinds of discussions and debates thatdi have taken place, i look at where we are now. Over half of the numbers are investing over 2 is a minimum and even over. I will single out we had recently the foreign minister of poland who was here speaking of the council. He mention the fact that poland is putting 4 of its gdp and challenging other countries as natoha members. This has been an issue but i think it has moved substantially and significantly in the right direction where it is a shared, and it is burden sharing. Let me mention just another, and that is i remember the big debates about out of area. Nato was focused on just the region for all the reasons ian stated. In the question was should it have a role in other places . Afghanistan was one ofla the ons that loomed large years back. So here we are at this time very struck by the fact that jens stoltenberg, nato secretary general has been speaking to dish about the threat from indopacific. Here hes referring to china in particular and what role nato should have in that regard. To me thats also a real mark of success. The fact that it has been so unified and successful in terms of the region but it is looking at what role it can play beyond. So that was a challenge before and now its one that actually it really presentnt engagement. Its a question before nato and for the future and i think we will dive into that also in our discussion, what form that will take him what does it actually mean for nato. I will conclude on this. Its just on the occasion of this anniversary i was very struck by the fact that stoltenberg and releasing the annual report of nato mentioned all the kinds of challenges that are confronting the globalnt community at this time. And he said but you know what . I am proud of the fact were a strong alliance. And actually because of these very challenges we have become a stronger alliance. Even from what we were at the beginning. Hewonderful. Thanks, ambassador dobriansky. Sticking with the history and elizabeth made will come to you next and her ceo fred kempe has a new piece out today about the 75th anniversary and he argues one of5t the advantages that the founders of nato had is that the memories of world war ii were still fresh and so that was a motivator. He quotes president truman when he signed the nato treaty on april 4, 1949 and he said quote, twice in recent years nations have felt the the second book of unprovoked aggression. Are people still arere comments are responsible demand that these things shall of happen again. We are determined that they shall not happen again. So how important was that recent many of world war ii and the founding of nato and have current nato leaders may be forgotten those lessons, big acting with less urgency that truman and the other founder . Your youre right, we done any leaders today who remember world war ii. And indeed ask you some of them remember the cold war. Thats a young they say but i remember my very first experience, domenico sevene yeas ago David Atchison postevent and he was ten years link to those early days of nato. Yes, how do you manage and gie purpose to an alliance when you dont know what it is you are trying to prevent, because you have never experienced it . You can conceptualize it, that is a good problem to have. It is to the credit of nato to prevent the things those early leaders had experienced. I think what we have within nato is it completely underestimated underestimated people who have seen the bad things and have helped limit all the soldiers from serving. These are men and women are young who do the hard work on a daily basis. Serving in other cos well, including some countries experiencing armed conflict. This is something we can draw on. Im not saying they should be elevated to secretarygeneral. But it is hundreds of thousands of people within our countries, across america, and a number of other nato states who have experienced other nato Member States on the ground have experienced, other countries as well on the ground, have the incredible expertise and experience serving as part of nato. And are as a result phenomenal ambassadors for this alliance. I was talking to somebody there today, i cant remember where it was, but anyway he had brought with him the dog that had served with him in that country. And he referred to it as a nato dog. This is how proud we are of having served within this alliance. I hope we will hear from them more now that nato turns 75. And we have this Incredible Group of people who are not policymakers but represent data in the best nato in the best sort of way on the basis of what they have done. Matt the Atlantic Council was founded in 1961 to support the transatlantic relationship and support nato. Im glad you mentioned to dean atchison because he was the founder of nato, but also the founder of the Atlantic Council. We still have his cabin chair on the 10th floor. But we dont yet have a nato dog. Maybe we should get a dog here at the council. John, lets go to you next. There has always been strong bipartisan support for nato in the United States, but in recent years, it has become more politicized. Has nato benefited the average american . Does it benefit the average american today . I think it does. There are four big reasons how it does. Before i explained that, let me first mentioned that im a u. S. Government employee. Lets start with the bedrock values that we all share. These are democracies for the most part. Admittedly, some countries have had a mixed relationship with that. Portugal, one of the founding members could it really be called a democracy until the early 70s. Some countries have moved farther away from the ideal but generally this Community Shares our values. And thats important for us. For the second reason. At the strategic level, that is competing with our adversaries, and engaging with them and defending our interests. When we talk about strategic competition with the chinese were the russians, the allies that we have our our comparative advantage. Russians, the chinese dont have the same allies that we do across the globe. Center, anchored really in europe and the transatlantic space. That brings me to the third reason why nato is a good value for americans today. At the material level, this is a dive into the operational weeds, but we couldnt do what we do in the World Without having allies by our side. Im thinking about the bird and that they share, for example, in the search in afghanistan. They provided a third of the troops involved in that surge. Although the alliance per se was not involved in iraq in an operational way, allies in europe contributed about a third to the surge in iraq. More recently outside the military realm, we couldnt have pulled iran to the negotiating table over its Nuclear Arsenal without europeans engaging in the same sanctions regime. What we see unfolding in ukraine is a burden sharing good news story. They are, the european allies are outpacing the americans in terms of commitments in military, financial and humanitarian terms. Let me turn to the fourth and from my perspective the most important reason why nato and european allies matter to americans. That is economics. It is ironic of me to suggest this because economics is barely mentioned in natos founding treaty which we are celebrating this week. However, if we look back at the history of why nato was founded, it was founded as a way of consolidating the security and stability in europe, and allowing europe to rise from the ashes of world war ii. That economic relationship was vital to the u. S. Economy. It is even vital today, as vital as back then arguably. Today, the trade and investment relationship between our country and europe is around 1. 5 trillion. That is twice the trade and investment relationship we have with china. If you look at jobs, 5 million american jobs are directly tied to European Companies operating in our country. In contrast, chinese firms support about 160,000 american jobs. Stability in europe is vital. To their economy and ours. Economics is the most important reason why this relationship and the Alliance Matters out on main street. Matt thanks, john. You provoked some responses. A couple of the other panelists want to jump in on this. Paula . Elizabeth had her hand. I was inspired by your response. I was thinking light opening only addressed certain points, but there were other points to be addressed. One of which is, as you were speaking and emphasize the importance of the camaraderie, the alliance,