NATO Deterrence Review Gets Under Way

NATO has agreed on the process for its deterrence and defense posture review, launched at the alliance's summit in Lisbon last November.

The North Atlantic Council (NAC), NATO's political decisionmaking body, on Sept. 14 approved specific posture-review taskings to guide drafting of the final report, which is to be adopted at the summit next May 20-21 in Chicago.

Although there is now agreement on the process, several diplomats and officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed differing expectations about the focus and outcome of the review, particularly its nuclear elements.

In Lisbon, the leaders of the 28 NATO members had agreed that essential …