This article is part of a series featuring Atlantic Council experts’ analysis and recommendations on the key challenges facing allies at the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, and beyond.
WASHINGTON and VILNIUS—“Resilience is everyone’s responsibility,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently observed. The 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague translated that principle into policy by committing allies to dedicate 1.5 percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to resilience and security-related investments, in addition to 3.5 percent of GDP for defense spending, by 2035. The political decision was important. The strategic challenge begins now.
NATO has long known how to define, measure, and generate military capability. It has yet to develop equally clear standards for resilience. That gap is becoming increasingly consequential. Modern warfare targets not only armed forces but also the civilian infrastructure that enables them to fight. If NATO expects allies to invest 1.5 percent of their GDP in resilience, it must now define what resilience actually means, how it should be measured, and which investments genuinely strengthen collective defense.
The upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara should therefore focus not only on spending more, but also on spending better. Three priorities stand out: First, NATO should establish clearer criteria for resilience spending and align them more closely with the European Union (EU). Second, the Alliance should integrate Nordic, Baltic, and Ukrainian experience more systematically into defense planning. Third, NATO should recognize that resilience extends beyond infrastructure to include public preparedness, trusted institutions, and societal readiness.
