NATO Relevance: Military Implications and Translation of the 2010 Strategic Concept

NATO has published seven Strategic Concepts in its sixty-year history the most recent one was delivered at the November 2010 Lisbon summit, as NATOs 2010 Strategic Concept 2010 SC. This thesis analyzes the two-part argument that a concise, relevant and actionable 2010 SC, which is effectively translated and aligned into military policy and guidance, will enhance NATOs continued relevance through the next century. The initial focus delivers a historical summary of NATO and analyzes its first six strategic documentation efforts within their respective strategic environments, assessing their content, construct, and the degree to which they aligned with and contributed to the efficacy of the Alliances efforts. The second focus of the thesis analyzes the 2010 Strategic Concept through three lenses the background and method of its creation, the content and construct of the document itself, and the perspectives of several pundits. These three lenses provide an assessment of the documents concision and relevance. Finally, in order to enhance the degree to which the 2010 Strategic Concept is actionable, the author offers draft content for consideration in NATOs subsequent military translation of the Strategic Concept, leveraging an alignment with U.S. strategy. The thesis concludes that the 2010 Strategic Concept positively contributed to NATOs future efficacy and relevance, however, it left gaps in several areas. It avoided requisite prioritization, was overly complex, and left large gaps in the force structure resourcing expectations. The draft content offered would mitigate those gaps in the ongoing military translation.