As the campaign between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump approaches the finish line, transatlanticists are growing more anxious about what the next four years could bring for US engagement in the world’s strongest military alliance. Either would-be president will face a litany of global challenges outside the Euro-Atlantic security environment. While a large majority of Americans still view NATO as essential to US security, it is incumbent upon leaders and policymakers to articulate the Alliance’s continued relevance in an era of emerging great-power competition. This requires the Alliance to effectively engage with local communities and communicate NATO’s successes where most Americans live—outside of the US capital.

To this end, the Atlantic Council, in partnership with NATO Allied Command Transformation, hosted a series of conferences across the United States to hear from voices outside the DC bubble. So far, we have engaged with students, local officials, industry partners, interested community members, and other relevant stakeholders in Austin, Texas, and Seattle, Washington, with additional cities to follow. While these conversations were certainly not representative of all perspectives across the United States, the discussions provided useful insights into how the Alliance’s supporters can more effectively communicate the enduring value that NATO provides to Americans.

Anti-NATO sentiments are overhyped—don’t play into them

The people my colleagues and I spoke with in Texas and Washington instinctively recognized the importance of strong alliances and partnerships, understanding that having friend in the fight is better than going it alone. Participants spoke passionately about the importance of US-European ties—citing the United States’ historical role in transatlantic defense instilled in the American consciousness during both world wars.

During these conversations, some participants offered nuanced perspectives on important issues, such as how NATO should redistribute the defense burden in an era of strategic competition. However, in these sessions, the participants always offered criticism in good faith, with the aim of strengthening the Alliance. The nature of these responses indicates that anti-NATO sentiments are more a feature of partisanship in Washington, DC, than a prevailing belief among the American populace. Although political rhetoric criticizing the Alliance presents genuine challenges for NATO, the notion that Americans are indifferent to supporting European allies is not borne out by the data or these discussions with citizens in Texas and Washington.

Transatlantic security ranks lower among citizens’ priorities—articulate a better strategy

As concerns over global and domestic challenges mount, participants in our sessions often ranked transatlantic security as lower on a growing list of priorities. As the conversations inevitably turned to Ukraine, participants recognized that Russia’s violations of the rules-based international order disrupt global security and jeopardize US interests.

In Austin, where the southern border is not far off, and in Seattle, with a port facing the Pacific, transatlantic security was not necessarily top of mind. Participants expressed concerns, following decades of wars in the Middle East and a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, that US grand strategy is aimless and reactive.

Americans are increasingly looking for a sober assessment of the international security environment and a strategy with coherent priorities and clear-eyed plans for how to achieve them. NATO must articulate the vital role it plays as part of the broader US global strategy—or else risk ceding ground to other US priorities on the global stage.

NATO is more of a concept in these communities—make it hit closer to home

The role that local communities play in transatlantic security strongly resonated with the participants of these discussions. Texas is a leader in defense industrial production. Washington state is on the cutting edge of defense innovation and home to a major US Navy presence.

These ties are tangible. And they highlight how a seemingly far-away institution plays a direct role in the lives of individuals in these communities. More importantly, they reveal how Americans contribute to their own security and that of their allies. To reinforce its relevance, NATO should promote these direct ties wherever possible to ensure that people across the country are aware of how their communities interact with the world’s strongest military alliance.  

Burden-sharing looms large—confront it head-on

There is a prevailing belief that the United States disproportionately bears the responsibility for European security. This should not come as a surprise to any ally. However, as a bloc, European allies do meet their 2 percent of gross domestic product defense spending commitment to NATO, though individual allies may fall short.

To counter this belief, European officials should engage with Americans across the United States on the issue of burden-sharing. Having these conversations directly with citizens outside of Washington, DC, is a powerful way to better contextualize European contributions to NATO.

The next generation of transatlanticists are coming into their own—capitalize on it

In both Austin and Seattle, our team met with extraordinarily engaged and forward-thinking students and professionals eager to make their mark on international security. From protesting conflict in the Middle East to starting their own university think tanks, these next-generation voices not only challenge the status quo, they also encourage new ways of thinking about emerging issues such as climate, cyber, space, and technological innovation.

As the next generation enters the ranks of officials across the Alliance, it will bring a transformative shift in how NATO prioritizes climate considerations and other emerging challenges. Transatlantic policymakers would be wise to integrate the voices of the next generation into current policy discussions to future-proof the Alliance.

Climate change takes center stage for students—don’t relegate it to second fiddle

While students recognize the growing geopolitical instabilities amid the Russian war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East, climate change was top of mind for many, as students in both cities ranked it as the single biggest challenge to international security. Compounding climate risks will drastically impact the Alliance, and as a threat multiplier, it will spur other security concerns, such as mass displacement. Students and younger participants in these discussions are well aware of this.

In recent years, NATO has made promising strides on climate change, and it must effectively communicate its ongoing initiatives to make NATO more climate resilient. But more than that, the Alliance should listen to the growing concerns from the next generation on climate change and its impacts on international security more broadly.

Too often, debates on international policy and transatlantic relations are relegated to conference rooms in Washington, DC, without a clear understanding of the diverse and innovative views across the United States. As the American public weathers a moment of intense political division, it is vital for NATO and its supporters to establish a touchpoint with communities across the United States to understand how citizens view the world around them and their perspectives on the Alliance tasked with protecting them.

Kristen Taylor is a program assistant with the Transatlantic Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.

Further reading

Image: Participants of the NATO-Ukraine Council during the 75th NATO Summit in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC, on July 11, 2024. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto)