Security Threats, American Pressure, and the Role of Key Personnel: How NATO's Defence Planning Process is Alleviating the Burden-Sharing Dilemma

How can NATO and it's most important member, the United States, better ensure more equitable transatlantic burden sharing? One of the key tools the alliance uses to distribute capability and capacity burdens fairly is the NATO Defence Planning Process (NDPP). The NDPP consists of five distinct steps that unfold over a period of four years. The purpose of the NDPP is to harmonize defense planning among the allies by identifying the types and quantity of forces necessary to undertake the alliances full spectrum of missions: collective defense, crisis management, and cooperative security.