Backgrounder: NATO’s Pivot toward Asia

Antonio Graceffo

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Throughout the Cold War, NATO focused on containing the threat of Soviet expansion from the USSR. After the Cold War ended, NATO’s relevance was widely questioned in the absence of this primary adversary. In recent years, China has emerged as a significant threat to the US-led international order. Consequently, starting with the Trump administration, the United States has pivoted its defense priorities toward Asia. This shift was reflected in the 2017 National Security Strategy, the 2018 National Defense Strategy, and the 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy, all of which prioritized countering China. The trend has continued under President Biden, with China identified as the principal threat in the 2022 National Defense Strategy.

Europe has consistently sought to avoid being drawn into this unfolding US-China rivalry, aiming to maintain trade relations with both sides. This has left the United States bearing the bulk of the defense costs for countering China, while also providing roughly 70% of NATO’s defense funding. At one point, the Trump administration was even considering withdrawing Washington from its defense commitments to Europe in order to focus on the more pressing threat of China in the Pacific.