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A New NATO Deal for America
Here is how Europe can meet the Trump administration’s expectations on defense.
By Hans Binnendijk, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council, and Alexander Vershbow, a distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council and senior advisor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House.
U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at a press conference at the annual NATO Summit on July 12, 2018 in Brussels.U.S. President Donald Trump arrives at a press conference at the annual NATO Summit on July 12, 2018 in Brussels. SEAN GALLUP/GETTY IMAGES
JANUARY 17, 2025, 12:08 PM View Comments
As U.S. President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office again, European nations are scrambling to address his threats to withdraw support for the NATO alliance unless Europe spends significantly more on defense. To that end, more than 60 senior trans-Atlantic defense leaders—including the authors of this article—have outlined a new NATO deal for the United States. The proposed Atlantic Charter 2025 prepared under the auspices of the Alphen Group aligns with Trump’s contention that European defense contributions are wholly inadequate to meet the continent’s current and future needs.
The charter, which was formally presented to senior NATO officials in Brussels last week and is now being circulated informally to European governments and the incoming Trump team, offers a detailed prescription for how European nations might meet the incoming administration’s likely expectations on defense. It proposes ways to significantly accelerate Europe’s ability to execute defense plans already developed for the alliance recently by the supreme allied commander Europe. This would go a long way toward reducing NATO’s current excessive dependence on the U.S. military.
The deal inherent in the proposed charter is that in exchange for a significant European defense buildup, the United States would continue to deploy troops in Europe at about the current level. But with this European buildup, U.S. reserve forces that were once earmarked for a conflict in Europe would be able, if necessary, to shift their attention more to Asia. If both sides of the Atlantic agree, it could represent an early win for the Trump administration while sustaining U.S. commitments to NATO.
The proposed charter addresses three converging challenges. The first is the belligerent behavior that Russia displays not only in Ukraine but increasingly toward members of the alliance. The second is the growing challenge from China, most evident in its military expansion, aggressive behavior toward its neighbors, and “no limits” partnership with Russia. The third challenge is the United States’ growing global defense responsibilities and justified desire to redistribute defense burdens more evenly.