USS Donald Cook (DDG 75) and the guided-missile frigate USS Taylor (FFG 50) participate in a bilateral underway engagement with Romanian ships, the frigate ROS Regina Maria (F 222) and the frigate ROS Marasesti (F 111) in the Black Sea in April 2014. US Navy Photo
The transatlantic alliance successfully navigated some rough seas in 2014. A year that began without any allied consensus on NATO’s proper direction in the world looks set to conclude with unanimity in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s foray into Ukraine. Last month’s NATO summit in Wales especially seemed to prove that Europe still can give a good account of itself when necessary. Yet the hard work of follow-through on all the political commitments made there remains to be done, and the fundamental question raised by Russia’s belligerence—whether NATO will endure as a viable military entity—warrants close scrutiny in 2015. In no case more so than NATO’s maritime domain, where the Ukraine crisis prompted only slight adjustments at the same time it highlighted the need for a major course change. Read More
