This year,  NATO members will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the alliance at the Washington Summit in July.

Anniversaries are traditionally a time of celebration of past accomplishments, or a reflection on pivotal moments. After over seven decades, the alliance faces a pivotal moment yet again, with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine at its doorstep. 

Since its founding on April 4, 1949, the alliance has grown from 12 founding members to 32 member countries, most recently welcoming Sweden just a few months ago. Many countries, including Ukraine, are still eager to join. 

Inevitably, anniversaries are also milestones that serve not only as a reminder of the past, but also of what lies ahead.  

In this series we are going on a deep dive into why NATO, 75 years in, remains an integral security guarantor for the US, for Europe, and for those still waiting for membership. 

Throughout this series we’ll be hearing from people who have dedicated their careers to serving, understanding, and educating about NATO’s mission, its work, and its role in preserving transatlantic security. And we will ask the same question Eisenhower asked in 1951: “Can we achieve by individual or collective cooperation adequate defense of our way of life?”

This is a project of the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Podcast Host - Walter “Rick” Landgraf, Senior Fellow, FPRI

Production and Development - Natalia Kopytnik, Director of Communications, FPRI