NATO's Nuclear Comeback

Abstract: Vladimir Putin's repeated nuclear warnings have brought nuclear deterrence back to the centre of European security debates, thereby prompting the NATO Alliance to reinvigorate its nuclear policy and posture. At the 2023 Vilnius Summit NATO heads of state and government tasked the updating of nuclear planning, reaffirmed the imperative to ensure the broadest possible participation of allies in the nuclear deterrence mission, and emphasized the need to ensure greater integration and coherence across domains. To what extent are these debates advancing in the run-up to Washington Summit in July 2024? Taken together, these deliberations indicate that there exists a growing need for adapting NATO's nuclear deterrence posture beyond the modernization effort that is already underway.

Bio: Dr Alexander Mattelaer is a senior research fellow at Egmont – the Royal Institute for International Relations - and an Associate Professor at the VUB Brussels School of Governance. He is also affiliated to the Belgian Royal Higher Institute for Defence as Chairman of the Scientific Committee. As Fulbright Schuman fellow he completed research stays at Harvard University and at the National Defense University in Washington DC. His research interests include the politics of European integration; NATO & transatlantic relations; deterrence, defence and military strategy; and the perpetual redefinition of international relations and statecraft. His teaching portfolio includes courses on the European Union, international security and strategic studies, and modern diplomacy. He obtained his PhD in Political Science from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and Master's degrees from the University of Bath and the University of Leuven.