On April 3 and 4, 2009, the heads of state and government of the 26 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will meet in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany for a summit marking the 60th anniversary of the alliance. The summit will be one of three stops on President Obama's first official visit to Europe as President. Alliance leaders are expected to use the anniversary summit to pay tribute to NATO's past achievements and to reaffirm their commitment to the alliance as the preeminent transatlantic security framework. They will also complete a new round of NATO enlargement, seek common positions on the range of challenges currently facing the alliance, and begin to set the parameters for NATO's future direction.
The key issue facing the alliance is the ongoing mission in Afghanistan, where allied governments are struggling to reach a strategic consensus on how to stabilize the country. The deteriorating security situation in the country has caused many to question the ability of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to achieve its objectives and has exposed rifts within the alliance as to ISAF's mission and the appropriate means to accomplish it. NATO's strained relations with Russia are a second key issue. The allies have announced that they will resume formal ties with Russia after having suspended relations in the NATO-Russia Council following Russia's August 2008 invasion of Georgia. However, alliance members continue to disagree on how to manage relations with Russia and their other eastern neighbors in the future.
NATO enlargement will be a third issue on the summit agenda. Albania and Croatia are expected to officially join the alliance at the summit and discussions on the stalled membership prospects of Macedonia, Georgia, and Ukraine could continue. In what some observers believe could be a symbol of renewed European commitment to NATO, France is expected to announce its full reintegration into NATO's integrated military command structure. Additional issues facing the alliance include: the future of a proposed U.S. missile defense system to be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic; the direction of NATO-EU relations; an on-going debate over capabilities, the size of defense budgets, and burdensharing among the allies; and NATO's role in addressing a range of emerging challenges including arms control and weapons proliferation, energy security, and international terrorism. To this end, the allies are expected to discuss a timeframe for the drafting of a new Strategic Concept as a means to clarify NATO's purpose and future direction.
The 111th Congress could play a decisive role in shaping NATO's response to the aforementioned challenges. Congressional action could include hearings and/or legislation on: NATO's 60th anniversary and the future of the alliance; NATO's mission in Afghanistan and the refinement of military-led reconstruction efforts; the qualifications of candidate states for allied membership; establishing an improved NATO-EU relationship; and the military capabilities of NATO member states. In addition, the Senate could vote on a revision to the North Atlantic Treaty covering expanded geographic space should the allies agree to invite Macedonia to join the alliance.
This report provides an overview and analysis of the key issues to be discussed at NATO's April summit. It will be updated after the summit to reflect summit outcomes and implications for U.S. policy.