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News | Dec. 14, 2022

Findings from a Minerva Research Initiative funded project on Near Crisis Escalation helped NATO leaders approve a new Strategic Concept that updated the alliance’s core tasks

By Toni DeVille

Dr. Scott Silverstone (USMA West Point) and Dr. Steven Lobell (PI, University of Utah) presented to NATO officials the findings from the Minerva Research Initiative and Office of Naval Research funded project on Near Crisis Escalation
 
In June 2022, NATO leaders approved a new Strategic Concept that updated the alliance’s core tasks for the first time in ten years. One key revision was to change “crisis management” to “crisis prevention and management.” This team’s Minerva-supported work on Near Crises  – presented during a NATO workshop held at West Point in February 2022 - helped influence this shift in language and emphasis during the drafting stage of the new Strategic Concept.
 
To help the NATO staff think about implementation of its crisis prevention core task, Lobell and Silverstone met with NATO staffers on 1-2 December 2022. Lobell and Silverstone presented the project and findings to the Director of the Geographic Operations Group, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), in Mons, Belgium, and to the Head of Policy Planning, NATO HQ in Brussels.


Dr. Scott Silverstone, West Point Military Academy (left), Colonel Bryan Frizzelle, Director, Geographic Operations Group (center), Dr. Steven Lobell, University of Utah (rt) 

Associated Minerva-funded Project:
Power Projection, Deterrence Strategies, and Escalation Dynamics in an Era of Challenging Near Peers, Rogue States, and Terrorist and Insurgent Organizations