US National Security Strategy and NATO

Abstract

Many analysts believe 2014 will be a “pivotal year” for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The end of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan, the US “pivot” to Asia, and the lingering effects of the global economic crisis and sequestration point to such a turning point. Moreover, shifts in the global security environment indicate that the post-9/11 era may now be yielding to an unclearly defined “post-post-9/11” era. For the United States, some conclude that cyber security and nuclear proliferation will equal terrorism as focal points in security and defense strategy.¹ The 2012 US Strategic Defense Guidance states it is “shaping a Joint Force for the future … [that] will have global presence emphasizing the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East while still ensuring our ability to maintain our defense commitments to Europe, and strengthening alliances and partnerships across all regions.”² That statement contributed to growing anxiety among NATO members about the future US commitment to the transatlantic alliance. The president and secretary of defense were announcing a significant shift in US grand strategy.