NATO Summit Washington - Policy Brief

NATO WASHINGTON
SUMMIT
9-11 JULY 2024
Policy Brief
151 SPE 24 E | Original: English | August 2024
This Policy Brief is presented for information only and does not
represent the official view of the Assembly
Offentligt
NPA Alm.del - Bilag 14
NATO's Parlamentariske Forsamling 2023-24
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................... 1
II. NATO SUMMIT PROGRAMME ............................................................................... 2
III. KEY MESSAGES IN THE NATO PA PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS AND NATO PA
PARTICIPATION IN OTHER SUMMIT-RELATED EVENTS .................................... 2
IV. KEY OUTCOMES OF THE SUMMIT ....................................................................... 3
A. STRENGTHENING DETERRENCE AND DEFENCE, INCLUDING
DEFENCE SPENDING ................................................................................... 4
B. BOLSTERING LONG-TERM SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE ............................... 7
C. DEEPENING PARTNERSHIPS, PARTICULARLY WITH THE
INDO-PACIFIC PARTNERS ........................................................................... 9
D. OTHER KEY TOPICS....................................................................................10
1. Shared democratic values ....................................................................10
2. National and collective resilience ..........................................................10
3. Counterterrorism...................................................................................11
4. China’s Systemic Challenge .................................................................11
5. Southern Neighbourhoods....................................................................11
6. NATO’s Technological Edge.................................................................12
7. Climate Change and Energy.................................................................12
8. Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Human Security ....................12
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I. INTRODUCTION
1. The 2024 NATO Summit was hosted by the United States in Washington, D.C. at a
critical moment for Allied and international security. The Summit commemorated NATO’s
75th
anniversary. Decisions were taken to “ensure that NATO remains the bedrock of
our shared security”, as the Washington Summit Declaration notes. Sweden participated
for the first time as NATO’s 32d
member.
2. The Summit followed up on the transformative decisions taken at the
2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, where leaders adopted NATO’s new Strategic Concept, and
the 2023 Vilnius Summit, which laid out the path for implementing the new Concept.
3. Ahead of the Washington Summit, Allies had agreed to appoint outgoing Dutch
Prime Minister Mark Rutte as NATO’s next Secretary General, starting from
1 October 2024.
4. The Washington Summit focused on three key priorities:
• Strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence, including through increased
defence spending;
• Bolstering long-term support for Ukraine; and
• Deepening partnerships, particularly with the Indo-Pacific partners.
5. Some of the other themes and priorities tackled in Washington included:
• Shared democratic values;
• National and collective resilience, including against hybrid actions and
disinformation;
• Counterterrorism;
• China’s Systemic Challenge;
• Southern Neighbourhoods;
• NATO’s Technological Edge;
• Climate Change and Energy; and
• Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Human Security.
6. As per tradition, the NATO PA President, Gerald E. Connolly (United States),
addressed the first meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of Heads of State
and Government in an Allies-only format on 10 July (read the full speech). He stressed the
need for NATO to act upon the commitment, expressed in the 2022 Strategic Concept,
to rededicate this Alliance explicitly to its founding democratic values. He called upon
leaders to implement the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s top recommendation and
request: to create a Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO Headquarters.
7. The President was accompanied by a delegation from the Bureau, including
four Vice-Presidents – Theo Francken (Belgium), Marcos Perestrello (Portugal),
Nicu Falcoi (Romania) and Faik Oztrak (Türkiye).
8. On the eve of the NATO Summit, the US delegation to the NATO PA hosted a NATO
Parliamentary Summit bringing together leaders of the Alliance’s 32 parliaments plus
Ukraine, including 23 Speakers of Parliament. The meeting reaffirmed parliaments’ ironclad
commitment to NATO and to its democratic foundations.
9. Bureau members and Heads of NATO PA delegations were invited to participate in the
NATO Public Forum, a high-level conference running in parallel to the NATO Summit and
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featuring addresses by a range of Heads of State and Government, Ministers and NATO top
officials.
10. Ahead of the Washington Summit, the Assembly had detailed its priorities in
two declarations (adopted at the Spring Session in Sofia): Declaration 489 on Standing
with Ukraine until Victory and Declaration 490 on Shaping NATO for the next
generations at the Washington Summit, both presented by then-President
Michal Szczerba (Poland).
11. As this policy brief illustrates, the decisions taken at the Summit – which are outlined
in the Summit Declaration – and those agreed in the margins are generally in line with
Assembly recommendations.
II. NATO SUMMIT PROGRAMME
12. The Summit kicked off with a reception celebrating NATO’s 75th
anniversary at the
Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, where NATO’s founding treaty was signed on 4 April 1949.
13. During the next days’ programme, three meetings of the North Atlantic Council took
place at the level of Heads of State and Government. The first of these was held in an
Allies-only format. The second was held with the leaders of the four Indo-Pacific Partners and
the European Union (EU) and the third was held with Ukraine in the NATO-Ukraine
Council (NUC) format.
14. In addition to the NATO Public Forum, other NATO-endorsed side events included a
Women, Peace and Security (WPS) roundtable, featuring remarks by the NATO
Secretary General’s Special Representative and the US Ambassador-at-Large for Global
Women’s Issues, as well as a NATO Summit Defense Industry Forum, hosted by the
US Chamber of Commerce.
III. KEY MESSAGES IN THE NATO PA PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS AND NATO PA
PARTICIPATION IN OTHER SUMMIT-RELATED EVENTS
15. In his address to the Summit, the NATO PA President called on NATO’s Heads of State
and Government to recognise “that the fight for democracy in the 21st
century is an
existential one, and [that] NATO is the essential party to that conflict”.
16. He stressed that “democracy is the underlying raison d'être of who we are, and it must
permeate everything we do.” He added: “NATO is, it must be, the indispensable bulwark
for democracy itself.”
17. He therefore urged Allied leaders to meet the challenge and operationalise NATO’s
commitment to its founding democratic values by establishing a Centre for Democratic
Resilience at NATO Headquarters to propound, defend, advocate, and be a resource for
members, partners, and aspirants about democracy. The establishment of this centre at
NATO Headquarters has been a top Assembly recommendation for the past five years and
has been reiterated in countless resolutions and policy documents.
18. Contrasting NATO’s strong response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to
democracies’ failure to stand up to autocracy in the 1930s, President Connolly stressed that
“the difference between the 1930s and now […] is NATO. NATO is a line even Putin does
not cross.” He saluted: “NATO met the test of its time, and it met the test of endurance over
the years. We showed the world a shining example of what democracy, collective democracy,
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could do and would do”, before concluding: “we need to meet that test again today by
marrying the Alliance’s commitment to democracy, to the courage and bravery of the
Ukrainian people who are fighting and dying every day for their right to join our ranks
as members of the democratic family”.
19. In addition to his address to the NATO Summit, the NATO PA President was invited to
join Allied leaders for the 75th
anniversary reception at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on
9 July.
20. Moreover, all Bureau members as well as, for the first time, Heads of all NATO PA
delegations were invited to participate in the NATO Public Forum. President Connolly
recorded an interview focused on NATO’s role for the defence of democratic values
which was displayed at the Public Forum.
21. The President and Bureau delegation, joined by the Head of the Canadian delegation
Julie Dzerowicz, also held a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau on the margins of the Summit. They also had multiple informal exchanges
with other Allied leaders.
22. The parliamentary dimension of the Alliance was in the spotlight in Washington thanks
to the NATO Parliamentary Summit hosted by the US delegation at the US Congress.
Building on a first event hosted by the Lithuanian Seimas ahead of the 2023 Vilnius Summit,
the NATO Parliamentary Summit in Washington brought together leaders of the Alliance’s
32 parliaments plus Ukraine, including 23 Speakers of Parliament. Speaker of the US
House of Representatives Mike Johnson hosted Allied parliamentarians for a reception on
8 July, the day before the main parliamentary summit. The leaders of all parliamentary
delegations addressed the meeting to highlight the historic significance of NATO’s Washington
Summit and the importance of parliaments’ support to the Alliance at this critical moment.
23. President Connolly also presented the Assembly’s priorities at two events
focused on democratic values in the run-up to the Summit: a closed-door roundtable
hosted by the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) and National Endowment for
Democracy (NED) as well as an event hosted by the US Institute of Peace and
International IDEA (watch here). Ahead of the NATO Summit, President Connolly and the
Head of the US Delegation, Michael R. Turner, had also co-signed an article for the
NATO Review highlighting the importance for the Washington Summit to bolster NATO’s role
in defending democracy as well as NATO’s deterrence and defence capabilities.
IV. KEY OUTCOMES OF THE SUMMIT
24. The Summit capped NATO’s celebrations of the Alliance’s 75th
anniversary. The
Summit Declaration reaffirmed NATO’s unique and enduring value and mission:
• “NATO remains the unique, essential, and indispensable transatlantic forum
to consult, coordinate, and act on all matters related to our individual and collective
security. NATO is a defensive Alliance. Our commitment to defend one another
and every inch of Allied territory at all times, as enshrined in Article 5 of the
Washington Treaty, is iron-clad. We will continue to ensure our collective
defence against all threats and from all directions, based on a 360-degree
approach, to fulfil NATO’s three core tasks of deterrence and defence, crisis
prevention and management, and cooperative security. We are bound
together by shared values: individual liberty, human rights, democracy, and
the rule of law. We adhere to international law and to the purposes and principles
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of the Charter of the United Nations and are committed to upholding the rules-
based international order.”
25. The Summit’s key deliverables revolved around three issues:
• Strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence, including through increased
defence spending;
• Bolstering long-term support for Ukraine; and
• Deepening partnerships, particularly with the Indo-Pacific Partners.
26. Some of the other key topics in Washington included:
• Shared democratic values;
• National and collective resilience, including against hybrid actions and
disinformation;
• Counterterrorism;
• China’s Systemic Challenge;
• Southern Neighbourhoods;
• NATO’s Technological Edge;
• Climate Change and Energy; and
• Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Human Security.
A. STRENGTHENING DETERRENCE AND DEFENCE, INCLUDING DEFENCE
SPENDING
27. The Summit Declaration reiterates that Russia remains the most significant and direct
threat to Allies’ security but makes clear that NATO must be able to deter and defend against
all threats and challenges, in all domains and in multiple strategic directions.
Developing a new strategic approach to Russia for the long term
28. Allied leaders again stressed that “Russia seeks to fundamentally reconfigure the
Euro-Atlantic security architecture” and poses an all-domain threat for the long term.
In addition to its ongoing aggression against Ukraine, Allies denounce in particular Russia’s
rebuilding and expanding of its military capabilities, its airspace violations and provocative
activities, its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and coercive nuclear signalling, its growing reliance
on nuclear weapon systems and continued diversification of its nuclear forces, its violation,
selective implementation, and denunciation of arms control and disarmament commitments,
as well as its intensifying aggressive hybrid actions against Allies.
29. Considering this long-term threat, leaders tasked NATO with developing
recommendations on NATO’s strategic approach to Russia for the NATO Summit in
The Hague. The development of this new NATO Russia policy will be a central effort for NATO
in the coming months. In this regard, the Washington Declaration affirms Allies’ determination
“to constrain and contest Russia’s aggressive actions and to counter its ability to conduct
destabilising activities towards NATO and Allies.” The tasking for this new strategic
approach to Russia responds to the Assembly’s call “[t]o prepare a long-term strategy and
proactive measures of modern containment of Russia” (Declaration 490).
Continuing to modernise NATO for a new era of collective defence
30. Following Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine, NATO initiated the
greatest reinforcement of its deterrence and defence posture since the end of the Cold War.
This includes, among others, in-place combat-ready forces deployed on NATO’s
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Eastern Flank, new defence plans and a new force model, including expanded
high readiness forces.
31. The Washington Summit built on the decisions taken at the Madrid and
Vilnius Summits and accelerated the modernisation of NATO’s deterrence and defence.
In particular, Allied leaders:
1. agreed on further steps to implement NATO’s new defence plans, including:
• Providing the necessary forces, capabilities, resources, and infrastructure;
• Conducting more frequent and large-scale training and exercises;
• Taking urgent action to increase capabilities, including in the short-term, with a
particular focus on battle decisive munitions and air and missile defence;
• Strengthening NATO command and control;
• Strengthening Allied forces’ ability to move, reinforce, supply, and sustain
forces across the Alliance;
• Training, exercising and integrating NATO’s Forward Land Forces into the new
plans, including by continuing to strengthen forward defences on NATO’s
Eastern Flank;
• Fully integrating Finland and Sweden into plans, forces, and command
structures, including by developing a NATO presence in Finland;
• Accelerating the integration of space into planning, exercises, and
multi-domain operations, including by strengthening NATO’s Space Operations
Centre;
• Establishing the NATO Integrated Cyber Defence Centre to enhance network
protection, situational awareness, and the implementation of cyberspace as an
operational domain as well as developing a policy to bolster the security of NATO’s
networks;
• Strengthening the protection of Critical Undersea Infrastructure (CUI), including
by strengthening NATO’s Centre for Security of CUI;
• Investing in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear defence
capabilities; and
• Increasing and strengthening interoperability.
2. strengthened NATO’s Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD), including through:
• an updated NATO’s IAMD Policy;
• continued implementation of the IAMD Rotational Model, with an initial focus on
the Eastern Flank;
• reaching Enhanced Operational Capability of the NATO Ballistic Missile
Defence (BMD);
• delivery of the new Aegis Ashore site in Poland; and
• recommitting to the full development of NATO BMD.
3. reaffirmed the enduring and critical importance of NATO’s nuclear deterrent to
preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression as well as the commitment
to taking all necessary steps to ensure credibility, effectiveness, safety, and
security.
32. The additional substantial measures to accelerate the modernisation of NATO’s
deterrence and defence correspond very well with the NATO PA’s recommendations in
Declaration 490 “to promptly complete the full implementation of the new baseline for NATO’s
enhanced deterrence and defence posture”.
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Continuing to increase defence spending
33. A key priority for the Summit was to demonstrate Allies’ progress on meeting the
pledge to invest at least 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually on defence. The
Declaration notes that more than two thirds of Allies (i.e 23) are spending 2% or more on
the sector. In 2024, defence spending across Europe and Canada is up 18% – the biggest
increase in decades. Since 2014, Europe and Canada have added over USD 640 billion
extra in defence spending.
34. In the Declaration, Allied leaders reaffirmed their enduring commitment to fully
implement the Defence Investment Pledge, as agreed in Vilnius. They also reaffirmed that,
in many cases, expenditures beyond 2% of GDP will be needed to remedy existing
shortfalls and meet the requirements arising from a more contested security order.
35. The reaffirmation of the renewed Defence Investment Pledge and the recognition that,
in certain cases, spendings substantially higher than 2% of GDP will be necessary
corresponds very well with the Assembly’s calls in Declaration 490.
Defence spending in NATO Allies (as of June 2024)
Bolstering defence industry
36. The Declaration makes clear that, to increase capabilities and achieve NATO
requirements, Allies needed to strengthen defence industry and defence industrial
cooperation, including by continuing to reduce and eliminate, as appropriate, obstacles to
defence trade and investment among Allies.
37. Transatlantic defence industrial cooperation remains a critical part of NATO’s deterrence
and defence. Building on the Defence Production Action Plan agreed at the Vilnius Summit in
2023, in Washington, Allied leaders adopted a new NATO Industrial Capacity Expansion
Pledge.
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38. The pledge includes nine commitments:
• Strengthen defence industry across the Alliance;
• Take a more systemic approach to defence industrial development;
• Deliver critical capabilities urgently;
• Increase large scale, multinational procurement;
• Accelerate adoption of new technologies;
• Enhance cooperation with Ukraine;
• Enhance cooperation with other NATO partners;
• Reinforce Allies’ commitment to NATO standards and enhance interoperability
and interchangeability; and
• Protect defence-critical supply chains.
39. The Pledge aims to support an increase in production rates, making procurement
more agile and helping Allies standardize munitions and improve interoperability. The
Pledge also aims to signal to industry the long-term investments needed to meet demand
levels.
40. The set of measures to bolster defence industry across the Alliance lives up to
the Assembly’s recommendations on the matter, as laid out in Declaration 490.
B. BOLSTERING LONG-TERM SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE
41. The Washington Summit’s second main priority centred on bolstering long-term
support to Ukraine for it to prevail, as “[a] strong, independent, and democratic Ukraine
is vital for the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area.”
42. In the run-up and margin of the Summit, several Allies announced new military
capability packages for Ukraine, importantly including critical additional air defence
systems.
43. The Summit itself led to a number of important decisions to help Ukraine defend
itself:
1. The NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) will be
established to coordinate the provision of Allied and partner military equipment
and training. The main aims are to make security assistance enduring; ensure
enhanced, predictable, and coherent support; and transform the defence and
security forces to further integrate them within NATO. Allied leaders made clear that
NSATU does not make NATO a party to the conflict under international law and that
NSATU will operate from Allies nations. This effort will come under the NATO Command
Structure and draw on NATO Common Funding. A three-star General will lead a new
NATO command at an existing US facility in Wiesbaden, Germany, and logistical nodes
in the Alliance’s Eastern part. The Commander will report directly to NATO’s Supreme
Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). Almost 700 Allied and partner personnel are
expected to be part of this effort. The NATO PA had called, in Declaration 489, for
the establishment of a NATO mission for Ukraine to enhance NATO’s role in
coordinating Allied efforts. The establishment of NSATU lives up to this
recommendation, despite not being called a mission.
2. Leaders announced a Pledge of Long-Term Security Assistance for Ukraine to
provide military equipment, assistance and training to help Ukraine build a force
capable of defeating Russian aggression today and deterring such aggression in the
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future. Under the Pledge, Allies seek to reach a minimum baseline funding of
EUR 40 billion within the next year as well as to provide sustainable levels of
assistance, taking into account Ukraine's needs, Allied national budget procedures and
the relevant bilateral security agreements. In the spirit of burden sharing, Allies aim to
meet the pledge through proportional contributions, including by taking into account
respective GDP shares. Twice per year, Allies will report on the support delivered,
according to counting criteria outlined in the pledge. The NATO Secretary General will
report to Allies, and contributions will be reviewed at the 2025 and subsequent Summits.
The long-term pledge is very much in line with the NATO PA recommendations to
set assistance on a sustainable, long-term footing, including by dedicating the necessary
resources, and to continue to ensure fair sharing of the burden, as Declaration 489
called for.
3. Allies also adopted further measures to establish the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis,
Training, and Education Centre (JATEC), which Assembly Declaration 489 had called
for. JATEC will increase practical cooperation, identify and apply lessons learned by
Ukraine and increase interoperability.
4. The Secretary General decided to appoint a NATO Senior Representative in Ukraine.
Following the Summit, the Secretary General appointed Patrick Turner, former NATO
Assistant Secretary General for Defence Planning and Policy and for Operations. This
appointment is very much in the spirit of the Assembly’s call to support the ongoing
strengthening of the NATO Representation in Kyiv (Declaration 489).
44. Allies and Ukraine agreed on further lines of effort during the NUC meeting with
President Zelenskyy:
1. They agreed that NATO will support and advise on the design and implementation of an
integrated IAMD for Ukraine.
2. They agreed on initial NATO Interoperability Requirements to support Ukraine’s
security and defence sector reforms and enable interoperability with NATO.
3. They agreed to bring Ukraine’s defence procurement in line with Euro-Atlantic best
practices through the Strategic Defence Procurement Review.
4. They agreed on the first NATO-Ukraine Innovation Cooperation Roadmap to boost
cooperation in the field of innovation.
5. They agreed that NATO will continue to support Ukraine by providing urgently needed
non-lethal equipment and supplies through the Comprehensive Assistance
Package (CAP).
45. Concerning Ukraine’s path towards NATO membership, Allied leaders again made clear
that Ukraine must be free to choose its own security arrangements and decide its own future.
They also declared that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO.” They acknowledged progress on
interoperability and political integration as well as required democratic, economic and
security reforms. Ukraine is on an “irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration,
including NATO membership,” the Declaration notes. They reaffirmed that Allies will be in
a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when they agree, and
conditions are met. In new language, they argued that the decisions in Washington,
combined with ongoing work by Allies, “constitute a bridge to Ukraine’s membership
in NATO.”
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46. The NATO PA had called for Allies to redouble their efforts to help Ukraine achieve
full membership as soon as possible. The Washington Summit decisions generally live
up to this call. The Assembly’s call to acknowledge Ukraine’s progress and to call its
NATO membership path irreversible are found in the Washington Declaration. While some
delegations may have hoped for more, the Washington Summit thus took a concrete step
towards Ukraine’s NATO membership, as the Assembly had urged leaders to do.
47. Allied leaders condemned countries who facilitate and thus prolong Russia’s war
against Ukraine, which the NATO PA has been consistently denouncing. They urged all
countries not to provide any kind of assistance to Russia’s aggression and singled out a few
nations:
• Belarus, which makes available its territory and infrastructure for Russia’s war
and whose deepening political and military integration with Russia has negative
implications for regional stability and collective defence;
• The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which provides direct military
support, such as exports of artillery shells and ballistic missiles, and whose ties
with Russia are deepening as well; and
• Iran, which provides direct military support to Russia, such as munitions and
uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).
48. In the strongest language yet, Allies also called the People's Republic of China (PRC)
“a decisive enabler of Russia’s war against Ukraine through its so-called ‘no limits’
partnership and its large-scale support for Russia’s defence industrial base.” They
called upon China to cease all material and political support to Russia’s war effort. They further
stressed that “the PRC cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without
this negatively impacting its interests and reputation.”
C. DEEPENING PARTNERSHIPS, PARTICULARLY WITH THE INDO-PACIFIC
PARTNERS
49. The Summit reaffirmed the importance of NATO partnerships. They remain key to
enhancing stability, positively influencing the global security environment and
upholding international law, and they play a significant role in supporting NATO’s core tasks
and 360-degree security approach.
50. The Summit also marked 30 years of the Partnership for Peace (PfP) and the
Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) as well as 20 years of the Istanbul Cooperation
Initiative (ICI).
51. Partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region took the spotlight in Washington, as Allies
welcomed leaders from Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea, meeting
with them and the European Union in a North Atlantic Council (NAC) format. The Summit set
the Alliance on a path of strengthened dialogue on cross-regional challenges and
enhanced cooperation. Allies launched flagship projects with the Indo-Pacific partners on
support for Ukraine, cyber defence, countering disinformation as well as technology.
52. Allies recommitted to further strengthening the unique and essential partnership
with the EU, which has already reached unprecedented levels. They also underlined the
importance of joint efforts to make the Euro-Atlantic area safer. To this end, the Declaration
notes that it is key to develop coherent, complementary and interoperable defence
capabilities, avoiding unnecessary duplication and ensuring the fullest involvement of
non-EU Allies in EU defence efforts.
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53. Allied leaders recommitted to support other partners, especially the Republic of
Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and other partners in the Western Balkans and the
Black Sea regions. This support includes political dialogue as well as practical cooperation,
on reforms for instance, efforts to promote regional peace and security and capacity building
on security as well as defence and counter-hybrid measures.
54. Allies also noted that they remained open to strengthening engagements with potential
new interlocutors beyond the Euro-Atlantic area.
55. The Washington Summit Declaration and the measures taken on partnerships are
in line with the Assembly’s recommendations on partnerships.
D. OTHER KEY TOPICS
1. Shared democratic values
56. Allied leaders reaffirmed that they “are bound together by shared values: individual
liberty, human rights, democracy, and the rule of law” and “committed to upholding the
rules-based international order.”
57. Beyond this, shared democratic values took little space in the
Summit Declaration. However, several statements and commitments, in conjunction
with the 2022 Strategic Concept, provide a sound basis for the Assembly to continue
to advocate that NATO operationalises the commitment to shared democratic values,
including through the establishment of a Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO HQ.
58. First, Allies denounced “[t]he deepening strategic partnership between Russia and
the PRC and their mutually reinforcing attempts to undercut and reshape the rules-based
international order,” which they called “a cause for profound concern.”
59. Importantly, Allies recommitted to “boost [their] resilience by increasing the
Alliance’s collective awareness, preparedness and capacity across all hazards and in
all domains, to address growing strategic threats, including against our democratic
systems, critical infrastructure, and supply chains.”
60. The importance of shared democratic values also shined through in the language
concerning Ukraine: Allies reaffirmed their “unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine
in the heroic defence of their nation, their land, and our shared values.” They also noted that
democratic reforms, alongside economic and security reforms, were required for Ukraine to
make progress on its membership path.
61. Similarly, they also noted, when addressing the strategic Western Balkans and
Black Sea regions, that “[d]emocratic values, the rule of law, domestic reforms, and good
neighbourly relations are vital for regional cooperation and Euro-Atlantic integration.”
2. National and collective resilience
62. The Summit Declaration reaffirmed that resilience is an essential basis for credible
deterrence and defence and living up to the Alliance’s core tasks. Allies therefore
committed to:
• integrating civilian planning into national and collective defence planning;
• increasing collective awareness, preparedness and capacity;
• addressing growing strategic threats, including against our democratic systems,
critical infrastructure, and supply chains; and
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• deepening our cooperation with partners, in particular the EU.
63. Allies will step up their preparedness, deterrence and defence, and countermeasures
concerning hybrid threats and challenges. They emphasised Russia’s intensified
aggressive hybrid actions against Allies, including sabotage, acts of violence, provocations
at Allied borders, instrumentalisation of irregular migration, malicious cyber activities,
electronic interference, disinformation campaigns and malign political influence, as well as
economic coercion. In light of these actions, Allies adopted further measures to counter
Russian hybrid threats and actions individually and collectively, and they committed to
continuing to coordinate closely. They made clear that such actions will not deter Allied
resolve and support to Ukraine.
64. Allies also noted that they are bolstering individual and collective capacity to
analyse and counter hostile disinformation and misinformation operations, including by
coordinating among themselves and with partners, increased alert and sharing mechanisms
as well as strengthened joint responses.
65. The Assembly has also expressed its deep concern about Russia’ recent hybrid
activities on Allied soil. The measures launched on resilience and on countering hybrid
actions are therefore very much in line with the Assembly’s recommendations in
Declaration 490.
3. Counterterrorism
66. Allies endorsed Updated Policy Guidelines on Counter-Terrorism and an Updated
Action Plan on Enhancing NATO’s Role in the International Community’s Fight Against
Terrorism. They noted that countering terrorism remains essential to collective defence and
is integral to the Alliance’s 360-degree approach to deterrence and defence.
67. Declaration 490 had called for a reaffirmation of NATO’s role in counterterrorism and for
additional taskings. The updated Guidelines and Action Plan tally with this
recommendation.
4. China’s Systemic Challenge
68. The Washington Summit Declaration uses particularly clear and strong language on
China’s systemic challenge, which builds upon NATO’s previous statements including in the
Strategic Concept. Allied leaders repeated that China continues to pose systemic
challenges to Euro-Atlantic security. They cite sustained malicious cyber and hybrid
activities, including disinformation, concerning developments in China’s space capabilities and
activities, its rapid expansion and diversification of its nuclear arsenal. While remaining open
to constructive engagement, the Allies continue to boost their shared awareness,
enhance resilience and preparedness, and protect against the PRC’s coercive tactics
and efforts to divide the Alliance.
69. The language on China’s challenge corresponds well with recent NATO PA
language and recommendations in reports and resolutions.
5. Southern Neighbourhoods
70. Following the reflection process on threats, challenges, and opportunities in the South,
which was launched at the Vilnius Summit, and informed by the report of the Group of Experts
Allies adopted an action plan for a stronger, more strategic and result-oriented
approach toward our Southern Neighbourhood. The Plan will be updated regularly.
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71. Allies also invited the Secretary General to appoint a Special Representative for the
Southern Neighbourhood. A few weeks after the Summit, the Secretary General designated
Javier Colomina, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy,
for this position. Mr Colomina will serve as NATO’s focal point for the region and will coordinate
NATO’s efforts.
72. Allies will also reinforce dialogue, outreach, visibility and existing instruments for
cooperation. NATO will open a Liaison Office in Amman, after an agreement with Jordan.
73. Allies have also broadened the scope of the support provided by the NATO Mission
Iraq (NMI), which now includes support to the Iraqi Security Institutions.
74. The measures taken with respect to the Southern Neighbourhoods are in line with
recent NATO PA language and recommendations in reports and resolutions.
6. NATO’s Technological Edge
75. NATO continues to accelerate its technological transformation. Allies will
implement the revised Artificial Intelligence Strategy and new Quantum and
Biotechnology Strategies as well as further promote principles of responsible use. They
will further invest in Allies’ innovation ecosystems by building on the success of the
Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) and the
NATO Innovation Fund (NIF). NATO is also monitoring technological advancements on the
Ukrainian battlefield and is launching new innovation initiatives with Ukraine.
76. The Summit Declaration’s language on maintaining NATO’s technological edge is
in line with recent NATO PA language and recommendations in reports and resolutions.
7. Climate Change and Energy
77. Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to:
• continue integrating climate change considerations into all core tasks;
• enhancing energy security efforts;
• making NATO the leading international organisation for understanding and
adapting to the security impacts of climate change and extreme weather; and
• ensuring secure, resilient and sustainable energy supplies, including fuel, to
military forces, while safeguarding military capability, effectiveness, and
interoperability.
78. The Summit Declaration’s renewed commitments on climate and energy security
are in line with recent NATO PA language and recommendations in reports and
resolutions.
8. Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and Human Security
79. Allies adopted an updated WPS Policy to “enhance the integration of gender
perspectives across all of NATO’s activities and structures, and advance gender equality”.
Leaders also committed to strengthening NATO’s human security approach related to the
protection of civilians and cultural property.
80. The Summit Declaration’s measures and renewed commitments on the WPS and
human security agendas are in line with recent NATO PA language and
recommendations in reports and resolutions.
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81. The next NATO Summit will take place in The Hague, Netherlands, from 24 to
26 June 2025. The following Summit will be hosted by Türkiye.
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