NATO’s Financing Gap Getty/Kay Nietfeld The German army leads NATO exercises in Rukla, Lithuania, as part of a deterrence operation directed against Russia, February 2017. Sam Hananel Introduction and summary Since its inception more than 70 years ago, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has been the foundation of the trans-Atlantic relationship. Formed after World War II, NATO became the most formidable military alliance in history. The formation enshrined America’s commitment to European security and created an umbrella of security under which European democracy could flourish. Ov...