NATO’s 360 Degrees Approach
On April 7, 2016, INCIPE held a Working Breakfast, titled NATO’s 360 Degrees Approach, to discuss NATO’s new role and strategies in the current security environment. The main speaker of the event was Mr. Richard Perks, Defence Policy and Capabilities Directorate in NATO’s Defence Policy and Planning Division.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, formed in 1949 as an entity to protect Western Europe from the Soviet Union. The inclusion of the United States in NATO meant permanent US entanglement in European affairs. Because of its political and military influence, NATO’s importance has increased due to today’s changed global security environment characterized by instability and insecurity. Hybrid warfare, which contains diverse military capabilities oftentimes used to further geopolitical objectives, has redefined modern warfare. Consequently, NATO has expanded its focus to regions outside of the original to encompass all those that compromise international security.
To the east, Russia undermines international order by combining a strong leader and a powerful military that uses unconventional hybrid methods. The country demonstrates its relevance in the international sphere with continued presence in the Syrian conflict. Meanwhile, complex threats from state and non-state actors threaten international security from the South; terrorists and non-state armed groups, such as the Islamic State (ISIL or ISIS), occupy multiple nations in the Middle East, North Africa, and Sahel regions.
With regard to the Russian threat, NATO has a relatively clear response, specifically of deterrence and dialogue. This contrasts with the situation in the South, where the absence of a concrete cause, solution, enemy, or ideology to combat complicates the establishment of an effective counterstrategy and then a consensus on said strategy. While NATO does not fight ISIL directly, every state that does forms a part of the organization; potential frameworks include a focus on the protection of stability, military adaptation, and deterrence of non-state actors.
In response to the renewal of its necessary role in international affairs and the nature of current issues, NATO now exercises a 360 degrees approach, geographically, and strategically, in order to address the multidimensionality that defines current global challenges. It combines military and political approaches in its DIMEFIL spectrum, which includes the most important domains of focus: diplomatic, information, military, economic, financial, intelligence, and law enforcement.
Despite the importance of all aspects of the DIMEFIL spectrum, military efforts are vital to NATO’s current strategies. Military planning factors, consisting of time, space, and force, drive these efforts. In this context, time refers to the order in which the organization will approach conflicts. For example, should they address all imminent threats first, as opposed to possible larger ones that may occur in the future? This approach can cause disaccord, as the importance and imminence of each threat can vary by the perceiving state. As for space and force, NATO aims to have military forces ready to fight any threat from any direction.
Additional aspects of NATO’s military efforts include an emphasis on maintaining a constant operational mindset. Specifically, the organization stresses rapid assessment and appropriate rapid responses through its Readiness Action Plan (RAP) which combats hybrid warfare through preparation, deterrence, and defence. The Very High Readiness Joint Task Force, a crucial division of the RAP, facilitates the execution of these methods.
The next step for NATO includes the installation of long-term plans that continue focusing on deterrence and defence, as well as address institutional and political factors. NATO’s efforts can only be effective if the organization re-establishes its credibility by not only declaring its agenda but actually acting accordingly and in the timely manner it insists on. NATO must make it clear in the global arena that its borders cannot be crossed.
Members of various fields attended the Working Breakfast, including international relations analysts, military personnel, and representatives of several embassies. The event ended with a questionnaire where attendees shared their perspectives on different topics, including the extent to which NATO should intervene militarily in present conflicts and which of these conflicts pose the greatest threats.
Maria Peurach
INCIPE
