Defend NATO · United States

The alliance is only as strong as those willing to defend it.

We bring students, citizens, and professionals together to strengthen America's commitment to NATO and the transatlantic alliance.

Start a campus chapter Join the network

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Our mission

NATO is not an abstraction. It is the security architecture that connects American power to a free and stable Europe.

Defend NATO closes the distance between foreign policy and public life—from campus conversations to civic engagement and professional networks.

Choose your role

Three ways into one alliance.

Different communities, one shared purpose: a strong United States inside a strong transatlantic alliance.

01Students

Build the movement on your campus.

Launch a student-led chapter, host serious conversations, and connect your university to a national pro-NATO network.

Start a chapter

02Citizens

Bring the alliance beyond Washington.

Make transatlantic security understandable, local, and relevant to everyday Americans across the country.

Get involved

03Professionals

Strengthen the policy and ideas network.

Connect with practitioners, contribute analysis, support speakers, and help sharpen the public case for Atlanticism.

Join the network

Campus chapters

Bring NATO to your campus.

We are forming the first cohort of student leaders who will build durable, university-recognized chapters across the United States.

Explore the chapter program

Raise your hand

Tell us about your campus and your interest.

Build a founding team

Bring together a small, committed student group.

Earn recognition

Use the chapter kit to navigate university approval.

Activate your campus

Host discussions, speakers, and informed outreach.

Why NATO matters

American security is transatlantic.

Deter conflict

A credible alliance prevents wars by making the cost of aggression unmistakable.

Share responsibility

Collective defense distributes security commitments across capable allies.

Protect open societies

The alliance anchors democratic self-government, liberty, and the rule of law.

Prepare the next generation

Public understanding is the foundation of durable American leadership in NATO.

The Atlantic Brief

Ideas built to travel.

Analysis, campus dispatches, statements, and event recaps that make the case for a confident, united, and expanding alliance.

Visit insights Become a contributor

Founding network now forming

There is a place for you in the alliance.

Choose your path