NATO has long been the cornerstone of collective defense for its member countries, but today’s security environment is vastly different from that of the Cold War. Traditional military threats remain, yet NATO now also faces hybrid threats—a blend of military and non-military tactics like cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns, and economic coercion—as well as the persistent danger of international terrorism. To address these complex challenges, NATO is adapting its strategies and embracing new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

In doing so, the Alliance is reinforcing its role as a bulwark of stability, countering hostile actions in both the physical world and the information realm, and preparing for future threats in an AI-driven era. This proactive and pro-NATO approach underlines the Alliance’s commitment to protecting its nearly one billion citizens against hybrid warfare tactics, terrorist networks, and emerging high-tech dangers.

Confronting hybrid threats in a changing security landscape

Hybrid threats refer to coordinated campaigns by state or non-state actors that blend conventional military force with other malicious activities—including cyber incursions, propaganda and misinformation, economic pressure, and subversion. These activities are designed to exploit vulnerabilities in societies and undermine security without triggering a full traditional military response. In recent years, NATO countries have been targets of such tactics. For example, hostile powers have attempted to manipulate information flows on social media and news outlets to sow discord within NATO member states.

They have spread disinformation—misleading or false information—aiming to weaken public trust in governments and in NATO itself. Adversaries have also tried to divide and destabilize communities by fueling polarization, hoping to influence elections or policymaking in ways that benefit authoritarian agendas. Unlike an open military attack, these hybrid methods can be deniable and covert, operating in the “gray zone” between war and peace. This makes them especially difficult to counter, as they often unfold below the threshold of formal armed conflict. NATO recognizes that such information threats and hybrid tactics are a serious and growing challenge. Both hostile governments and extremist groups have become increasingly adept at using the internet and global media to conduct influence operations.

A barrage of fake news stories or a coordinated cyber-sabotage campaign can potentially harm a nation as much as a missile strike by eroding public trust, causing chaos in financial systems, or shutting down critical infrastructure. As these hybrid tactics grow more frequent and sophisticated, NATO’s resolve to confront them has grown stronger. The Alliance has affirmed that an attack in cyberspace or a sustained campaign of political interference could trigger Article 5—the mutual defense clause—just as a traditional armed attack would. This underscores that NATO views cyber and information warfare as threats to collective security, requiring a unified response.

NATO’s strategy against hybrid and information threats

To strengthen its defenses against hybrid warfare, NATO allies have developed a common approach to information threats. On October 18, 2024, NATO defense ministers approved a new strategy focused on identifying, preventing, and responding to malicious information activities that target the alliance. This strategy establishes a coordinated framework for all member states to address propaganda, disinformation, and other hybrid tactics in a unified way. Rather than each country fending off such threats alone, NATO’s collective approach ensures that allies share information, intelligence, and best practices in real-time.

By standing together, NATO members make it harder for an adversary to exploit any single nation’s weakness or ignorance of a creeping threat. A core element of NATO’s strategy is improving the Alliance’s ability to understand and detect information threats early. This means investing in intelligence and analytical tools to identify disinformation campaigns or cyber intrusions as they emerge. NATO is enhancing training for experts who monitor online propaganda and hacking attempts so that they can quickly recognize patterns and attribute hostile actions to their perpetrators. The next step is prevention—developing proactive measures to stop or deter hybrid attacks before they can have much effect.

For instance, if NATO detects that foreign agents are spreading false narratives aimed at undermining an upcoming election in a member country, allies can coordinate to expose the falsehoods, warn the public, and take down malicious accounts or websites. NATO also works with social media companies and other platforms to help harden defenses against bots and fake accounts that amplify harmful content. Of course, not every attack can be prevented. Therefore, NATO’s approach emphasizes containment and mitigation—limiting the impact of any hostile action that slips through. This could involve swiftly countering false information with factual narratives, shoring up a targeted country’s infrastructure after a cyber attack, or isolating parts of a network to stop malware from spreading further.

Finally, NATO highlights the importance of recovery: if an information attack or cyber incident does manage to cause damage, nations must be ready to recover and restore affected systems or public confidence rapidly. This could mean anything from repairing power grids knocked offline by hackers to conducting public awareness campaigns that debunk lies and reassure citizens in the wake of a disinformation barrage. NATO’s new strategy thus covers the full spectrum—from early warning to resilience and repair—ensuring that the Alliance can bounce back quickly from any hybrid strike. Throughout all these efforts, NATO is careful to uphold the democratic values that it protects. The strategy against information threats is pursued with respect for fundamental rights, especially freedom of expression.

NATO’s aim is not to censor free speech or journalism; rather, it is to prevent outside actors from covertly manipulating open societies to spark instability or fear. By being transparent about disinformation and addressing it with facts, NATO seeks to defend the truth without compromising the liberties of its people. This balanced approach strengthens trust in NATO’s mission. The adoption of a common approach to information threats is a milestone for NATO. It not only bolsters the security of individual allied nations but also helps safeguard societal stability across the whole Euro-Atlantic.

A united front against hybrid threats means that tactics like cyber attacks or propaganda campaigns will meet coordinated pushback from all 32 NATO members. This unity significantly raises the costs and lowers the chances of success for any adversary considering hybrid aggression. In essence, NATO’s new strategy reinforces the Alliance’s role as a defender not just of territory, but of the political cohesion and resilience of its member societies. It is a clear signal that even in the shadowy battles of the information age, NATO stands ready to respond collectively and effectively.

The evolving threat of terrorism and NATO’s role

Alongside hybrid warfare, international terrorism remains one of the most pressing security threats today. NATO’s engagement in counter-terrorism dramatically intensified after the September 11, 2001 attacks, when the Alliance invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in its history, in solidarity with the United States. NATO went on to lead a multinational mission in Afghanistan for nearly two decades, helping to suppress Al-Qaeda and prevent that country from harboring terrorist planners. In more recent years, the focus of global counter-terrorism efforts has shifted to the threat posed by the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) and its affiliates.

NATO, as an alliance, has supported the fight against ISIS, mainly through training local forces and providing surveillance capabilities. At the same time, individual NATO members have been active in the US-led Global Coalition that formed in 2014 to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria. By 2024, that anti-ISIS campaign marked its tenth anniversary. Senior officials from the United States and other NATO allies gathered in Brussels to discuss the future of the mission against ISIS, acknowledging successes and planning for new challenges ahead. Thanks to sustained military pressure, ISIS lost control of the vast territories it once held in Iraq and Syria. The group’s so-called “caliphate” was dismantled, and its ability to launch large-scale conventional offensives was eliminated.

However, ISIS has proven to be a resilient and evolving threat, not confined to the Middle East. Even after its territorial defeat, ISIS shifted its tactics to insurgency and terrorism, dispersing into cells and franchises in various regions. It continues to inspire or direct deadly attacks around the world. Recent years have seen ISIS carry out or claim responsibility for devastating attacks far from its original base. For example, in March 2024, a bomb detonated at a crowded concert hall in Russia, killing over a hundred people—an attack attributed to ISIS operatives. In January 2024, a series of explosions rocked the city of Kerman in Iran, with ISIS-linked militants believed to be behind the carnage.

These incidents underscore that the group, while weakened, remains capable of orchestrating violence on a large scale. NATO leaders warn that the terrorist threat is morphing rather than disappearing. The nature of attacks is changing: many recent terrorist incidents have been “lone-wolf” attacks, carried out by self-radicalized individuals acting alone or in small groups, which are harder to detect and prevent. At the same time, the geographic focal point of jihadist terrorism has been shifting. Africa’s Sahel region—a vast area south of the Sahara including countries like Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—has emerged as a new epicenter of ISIS and Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups. NATO’s Secretary General (at the time, Mark Rutte) highlighted this trend, noting that terrorism’s center of gravity is moving to the Sahel, where groups linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda are terrorizing local populations.

These extremist factions in the Sahel have caused immense suffering, killing thousands of civilians and displacing millions. Entire communities have been forced to flee violence, creating waves of refugees and internally displaced people. The instability in the Sahel matters to NATO and its partners for several reasons. First, ungoverned spaces and conflict zones far from Europe can become breeding grounds for global terrorism that eventually targets Western countries. ISIS and similar groups use such regions to recruit fighters, train, and plot attacks, some of which could be directed at NATO populations or interests. Second, the humanitarian crises and conflicts in places like the Sahel can spill over into Europe.

The violence and lawlessness fuel increased migration as desperate people seek safety, often embarking on dangerous journeys toward Europe. These migration flows, in turn, have had political and social ripple effects in European nations—including contributing to the rise of far-right sentiment and prompting governments to tighten border controls. NATO allies are concerned that continued chaos in the Sahel could further destabilize North Africa and send shockwaves into Europe’s own stability. In response to this evolving threat, NATO and its member states are recalibrating their counter-terrorism efforts.

The United States, along with European allies, has been developing strategies to address the spreading terror threat in Africa before it grows even more dangerous. As U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin observed during the NATO discussions, ISIS remains a threat that demands continued international attention. Coalition and NATO efforts are increasingly focusing on how to support countries in West Africa that are at risk of ISIS influence. Strategies are being formulated to help nations like Ghana, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) shore up their security so that the metastasis of terror groups from the Sahel further southwards can be prevented. This could involve counter-terrorism training, intelligence sharing, and assisting those governments in strengthening their military capabilities to combat insurgents.

Even as NATO looks at new frontiers of terrorism, it is also adjusting its role in the Middle East after years of intensive engagement. In Iraq, the fight against ISIS has largely transitioned from open combat to a stabilization and training phase. The U.S.-led coalition’s combat mission in Iraq is slated to conclude by the end of 2025, in line with agreements with the Iraqi government. NATO, for its part, has a non-combat training mission in Iraq that is helping Iraqi security forces develop the skills to keep ISIS suppressed and ensure the terrorist group cannot resurge. In Syria, the situation remains complex, and NATO as an alliance is not directly deployed there, but individual NATO members continue to conduct operations against ISIS remnants. Going forward, NATO’s emphasis will be on preventing a resurgence of terrorist organizations through support and training, rather than large-scale deployments.

The Alliance’s counter-terrorism policy focuses on three main pillars: awareness (improving intelligence and understanding of terrorist threats), capabilities (developing the means to confront those threats, from special forces to drones), and engagement (working with partner countries and international organizations to tackle terrorism collectively). By boosting local capacities and fostering international cooperation, NATO helps ensure that groups like ISIS cannot easily find new footholds. It’s important to note that NATO’s approach to counter-terrorism is inherently multifaceted and collaborative. NATO provides a unique platform for allies to coordinate their intelligence efforts and share information on terrorist networks.

It has also streamlined command structures for quicker decision-making if a collective response is needed. While NATO may not always be the front-line actor in every counter-terror operation, the Alliance amplifies and coordinates the contributions of its member states. A tangible example was NATO’s deployment of AWACS surveillance aircraft to support the anti-ISIS Coalition’s air operations starting in 2016—effectively offering “eyes in the sky” to improve situational awareness in the fight. Such support roles, along with capacity-building missions like the one in Iraq, underscore NATO’s valuable part in the global fight against terrorism. The pro-NATO stance in these efforts is clear: by standing together and helping vulnerable partners, NATO nations make themselves safer from terror attacks.

Harnessing AI and emerging technologies for security

One of the reasons hybrid threats and terrorist tactics have become more challenging is the rapid advancement of technology. In particular, artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the security landscape. Malicious actors can use AI to amplify the impact of their operations—but it also offers NATO new tools to counter those very threats. NATO’s leaders are keenly aware that the Alliance must adapt to the AI era to remain effective. As NATO’s information-threat strategy noted, AI and other emerging technologies have dramatically increased the scale and complexity of hostile activities. Automated bots can produce and spread disinformation far faster than humans, while deepfake technology (which uses AI to create realistic fake videos or audio) can be employed to sow confusion or impersonate leaders.

On the cyber front, AI algorithms might enable more potent cyber attacks by finding system vulnerabilities at lightning speed. Even on the battlefield, autonomous drones or robotic systems powered by AI pose new challenges to traditional defenses. Yet the future role of AI in security strategies is not only about countering new threats—it’s also about NATO gaining its advantages. NATO has been investing in cutting-edge technologies to enhance its capabilities. Allied governments and NATO’s agencies are exploring how AI can improve everything from intelligence analysis to logistics. For instance, AI-driven systems can sift through vast amounts of data (such as satellite images, social media posts, or signals intelligence) much faster than human analysts, identifying patterns or warning signs of an impending crisis that would otherwise go unnoticed.

This improved situational awareness helps NATO respond to hybrid threats or terrorist plots more swiftly and accurately. In cyber defense, machine learning algorithms can detect anomalies in network traffic that might indicate a cyber intrusion, enabling defenders to react to hacks in real time. AI can also be integrated into command and control systems to help military planners simulate scenarios and make informed decisions during fast-moving situations, like a coordinated hybrid attack that unfolds across multiple countries at once. NATO is actively incorporating AI into its future strategic plans. In recent high-level meetings and summits, allied leaders have emphasized innovation.

NATO launched initiatives such as the NATO Innovation Fund and the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) to support the development and adoption of dual-use technologies like AI, autonomous systems, quantum computing, and biotechnology. Additionally, NATO adopted its first official Artificial Intelligence Strategy in 2021, outlining how the Alliance will foster the use of AI in areas such as data analysis, imagery recognition, and cyber operations. Importantly, NATO’s approach to AI comes with a strong commitment to ethics and responsible use.

The Alliance has agreed on a set of principles for the use of AI in defense, ensuring that any AI applications align with international law and NATO’s values. This means NATO will strive to use AI in a way that is transparent, accountable, and avoids unintended harm, setting itself apart from authoritarian adversaries who might deploy AI without such safeguards.

Looking ahead, AI is expected to become an integral part of NATO’s toolkit for both deterrence and defense. For example, to combat online radicalization and terrorist propaganda, AI algorithms could help detect extremist content and networks across social media, allowing governments to intervene early with counter-narratives or law enforcement actions. In the realm of hybrid threats, NATO could use AI to quickly verify information and debunk fake news before it spreads widely, thus protecting public discourse from manipulation. On the conventional military side, AI-enhanced surveillance and reconnaissance will improve NATO’s ability to monitor potential adversaries’ movements and intentions, hopefully deterring aggression by making it harder for anyone to achieve surprise.

At the same time, NATO nations are researching AI-driven defensive systems, such as better missile defenses or drone swarm countermeasures, to ensure they maintain a technological edge over any foe. The future will undoubtedly present new challenges, but with its adaptability, collective resolve, and embrace of innovation, NATO is well-equipped to keep its people safe and uphold peace and stability in the years to come.