TRANSFORMATION AND ADAPTATION – A PERMANENT FEATURE OF NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION
TRANSFORMATION AND ADAPTATION – A PERMANENT FEATURE OF NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION

Summary/Abstract: This paper examines the main transformation and adaptation measures taken by NATO between its establishment in 1949 and with a view to the upcoming Warsaw Summit in 2016. NATO has been engaged in continuous transformation for many years to ensure that it has the policies, capabilities and structures required to deal with current and future challenges, including the collective defence of its members. With Allied forces militarily engaged across several continents, the Alliance needs to ensure that its armed forces remain modern, deployable, interoperable and sustainable. The changes in the security environment have forced the Alliance to adapt continuously. The effects of financial crisis, reset the relationship with Russia, NATO's nuclear status, creating anti-missile shield, NATO commitment in Afghanistan, new threats like cyber-attacks and hybrid warfare, the ambitions of international terrorist groups, the emergence of new players in the world are the main factors that gave rise to the need to transform the Alliance to ensure an adequate response.I do consider the subject of major relevance today as well as in the next future, and the paper could provide a ground for further analyses and improvements to be useful for those interested in understanding how and why the Alliance resisted over time and what still needs to be done to remain relevant as a political-military Alliance.

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