NATO: The Chicago Summit

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) holds its Heads of State and Government summit in Chicago in the United States on 20-21 May 2012. The Alliance adopted a new Strategic Concept at its previous summit in Lisbon in 2010.

The main themes of the summit are Afghanistan, capabilities and partnerships. The Alliance is expected to clarify the transition of security responsibility to Afghan National Security Forces by 2014; outline its role in Afghanistan post-2014; assess the impact of defence budget cuts on the capabilities the Alliance has at its disposal; identify Smart Defence projects; consider the lessons of Operation Unified Endeavour in Libya in 2011; declare an interim missile defence capability and endorse the Deterrence and Defence Posture Review. There will not be a separate NATO-Russia Council meeting as there was in 2010.