NATO’s Madrid Summit in June brought about the Alliance’s long-awaited new Strategic Concept which delivered an assessment of a much more adversarial international environment and set out a vision for at least the next decade. While the document makes it clear the 30 countries-strong alliance is attuned to the challenges from outside its core geographical and functional areas, it will be looking much closer to home for at least some time to come given the Russian Federation’s aggression in Ukraine and threats to NATO’s eastern flank. Yet, the fact the Indo-Pacific region received a mention for the very first time in NATO’s strategic communication, and Australia implicitly got called upon as a partner that will be crucial in enacting the Alliance’s strategic ambitions, should not be underestimated.

To discuss the details of NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept and its implications for Australia, the United States Studies Centre hosted a panel discussion with:

• Dr Benedetta Berti - Head of the Policy Planning Unit in the Office of the Secretary General, NATO
• Ms Ciara Spencer - First Assistant Secretary, International Security Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
• Professor Stephan Frühling - Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University
• Dr Gorana Grgic - Senior Lecturer in US Foreign Policy, United States Studies Centre

This project is sponsored by NATO.