“NATO in the Huis”: MSC and Clingendael Create Dialogue Hub at NATO Summit 2025

7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. |  How the Defense Industry is Gearing up to Meet NATO Demands
POLITICO Playbook Breakfast, in partnership with McKinsey

On-the-record

As the 2025 NATO Summit kicks off, POLITICO convenes key industry officials and lawmakers to discuss what is at stake for defense and security in the current international arena. The day begins with an industry breakfast discussion, presented by McKinsey, and POLITICO’s top analysis of the driving themes for this summit.

9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. | POLITICO Lounge

5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | POLITICO Cocktail Hour with Special Guest

On-the-record

Person of contact: Cristina Gonzalez

Host Organization: Eastern Circles

Format: Roundtable

Person of contact: Anastasiya Shapochkina

At the time of geopolitical uncertainty, the strengthening of the European defense capacity of NATO has become paramount. The role of the EU as a defense actor has evolved significantly in the last three years, with member states creating defense funds under the EU umbrella, reviewing financial spending priorities on the national and supranational level to reinforce defense, and intensifying strategic cooperation with Ukraine. This panel discussion focuses on how NATO and EU cooperation can be reimagined with the case studies on the deepening of the Baltic Sea defense and of a closer cooperation with Ukraine, to the point of integrating Ukraine into the NATO-EU defense system.

Host Organization: Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI)

Format: Roundtable

Person of contact: Emma Trift

Chatham House Rule

Russia keeps raising the stakes in and around the Baltic Sea and the wider Northern Europe. Military posturing and close calls surrounding the Russian Shadow Fleet and increasing attacks on under-water infrastructure are testing NATO’s resolve. These are just some expressions of a wider pattern of hybrid warfare, initiated directly or indirectly by Russia and with the support of China. With the NATO mission ‘Baltic Sentry’, aimed at increasing infrastructure security, issues around how to decisively react, how to attribute and how to build a muscular capacity to deter, while managing escalation, are high on the political agendas.

Host Organization: Room for Discussion

Format: Conversation with Q&A

Person of contact: Sean Cotter-Lem

On-the-record

As shifting geopolitical realities redefine the security priorities of NATO and its member states, this interview will explore how the Alliance is adapting to a new era of global threats. With former Dutch Minister of Defence Kajsa Ollongren, we will examine NATO’s evolving role in Europe’s defense architecture, the implications of US leadership uncertainty, and what strategic autonomy might mean for Europe.  

Host Organization: Atlantic Council

Format: Roundtable lunch

By special invitation only

Chatham House Rule

As NATO confronts mounting threats to its energy infrastructure and operational resilience, this off-the-record gathering will convene senior allied leaders to discuss how the Alliance can better integrate energy security into its collective defense posture—from supply chain coordination to critical infrastructure protection. The discussion will help inform ongoing efforts to strengthen NATO’s resilience agenda and reinforce energy’s role as a critical enabler of deterrence and sustained operations.

Host Organization: Ukranian Prism Europe

Format: Expert panel discussion with presentation

Person of contact: Olga Chyzhova

Chatham House Rule

Nearly 40% of Ukrainian experts expect a prolonged war of attrition with reduced intensity to define Ukraine’s security landscape over the next two years. In contrast, many international analysts foresee alternate trajectories. What explains these divergent outlooks? And what are the implications for NATO and its partners? This roundtable invites strategic dialogue on the key variables that will shape the mid-term trajectory of the Russian war in Ukraine.  The discussion will draw on a survey conducted by GLOBSEC in partnership with the Ukrainian Prism think tank in May 2025, featuring input from over 50 Ukrainian foreign policy, military, and security experts. The event will explore plausible battlefield scenarios, their driving factors, and potential responses from Ukraine’s partners. The event will also present a comparative analysis of Ukrainian and foreign expert assessments, offering insights into how different strategic communities perceive the evolving conflict.

The objective is twofold: to enhance collective foresight on the war’s trajectory and to examine the policy tools available for advancing toward a just and sustainable peace.

Host Organization: Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA)

Format: Panel discussion

Person of contact: Kukka-Maria Kovsky

On-the-record

Since the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO allies have largely shared a picture of Russia as an acute and long-standing threat to the alliance. But how enduring is this state of affairs? With ambivalence over the US bilateral relationship with Moscow and the direction of Russia-Ukraine talks over a ceasefire, allies are finding it increasingly difficult to coordinate their approach toward Russia. This event discusses Russia as an enduring threat to the alliance and the shifting approaches among allies to counter it. 

Host Organization: Geopolitics and Security Studies Center (GSSC)

Format: Roundtable

Person of contact: Donata Ketleryte

NATO’s Eastern Flank is transitioning from a posture of symbolic deterrence to one of credible readiness and forward defense. This discussion will examine how NATO members on the Eastern Flank  are adapting their military capabilities, force posture, and coordination to meet the demands of a shifting security environment. The panel will reflect on whether NATO’s current trajectory is sufficient to shape the strategic calculus of its adversaries. Or will the next conflict reveal that the Alliance was preparing for yesterday’s war — not tomorrow’s?

Host Organization: French Institute of International Relations (Ifri)

Format: Panel discussion

Person of contact: Siméo Pont

The new strategic outlook advanced by the US administration, and the deteriorating environment on Europe’s eastern flank, demands that European strategic thinking be grounded in facts, not assumptions. This conference introduces the primary findings of Ifri’s Balance of Power Review, a joint strategic net assessment conducted with ten leading European think tanks, examining the power dynamics between Europe and Russia. The aim is to offer a rigorous, in-depth assessment of the resilience of both Europe and Russia across a full spectrum of critical domains.

Host Organization: Munich Security Conference

By special invitation only

Host Organization: Turkish Atlantic Council

Format: Panel discussion

Person of contact: Att. Emir Abbas Gürbüz

On-the-record

The session will gather policymakers, defense industry experts, early-career researchers, and representatives from NATO members and partner countries. Participants will include individuals working on transatlantic defense cooperation, military innovation, and technological readiness within the Alliance. The event aims to foster dialogue between institutional stakeholders and emerging voices in the defense sector, encouraging cross-sector collaboration and strategic foresight in addressing the evolving requirements of modern battlespace.

Host Organization: GLOBSEC

Format: Lunch

Person of contact: Daniel Hošták

As Russia’s war against Ukraine grinds on and instability rises across the broader neighbourhood, Europe’s defense posture is undergoing a transformation. NATO remains the cornerstone of transatlantic security, but European allies are stepping up — increasing defense spending, modernising armed forces, and boosting defense industrial capacity through EU initiatives such as ReArmEurope – Readiness 2030. As discussions intensify about NATO’s future and US leadership within the Alliance, a renewed focus is needed on how Europe’s defense build-up can meaningfully contribute to NATO’s collective readiness, cohesion, and deterrence. 
The war in Ukraine has accelerated doctrinal and technological shifts within NATO. Lessons from the battlefield are reshaping operational planning, capability requirements, and warfighting concepts across all domains — land, air, sea, cyber, and space, yet significant challenges persist. As Europe increases its defense investment, the real measure of success will be not only how much is spent, but how well this translates into credible deterrence. 

The format aims to focus on the question of operationalizing European defense ambition in a way that strengthens the Alliance. GLOBSEC will also present findings from its recent report on the implementation of ReArm Europe and the White Paper on Defence, assessing what is working, what is missing, and what needs to be accelerated. 

Host Organization: Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)

Format: Panel discussion

Person of contact: Jason Israel

Chatham House Rule

As Russia – supported by China/DPRK/Iran – ramps up defense production, Nordic-Baltic security must be bolstered quickly with innovative defense technology which is a critical element of the solution. This panel will provide public & private perspectives on threats to the Nordic-Baltic region and how the trajectory of defense technology – to include autonomous and/or unmanned systems – could contribute to its security.  By providing an overview of current threats and highlighting challenges to achieving enhanced (and interoperable) defense production and deployment, the panel will be a call to action for innovative solutions – in strategy, technology, and policy – to challenges facing Nordic-Baltic security. 

Host Organization: Atlantic Council

Format: Roundtable

By special invitation only

This invitation-only session will bring together a select group of senior US, European, and NATO officials; leading private sector representatives; and high-level experts for a conversation on outcomes from the Summit—including specific decisions pertaining to burden sharing, defense industrial production, and defense and digital innovation—as well as broader topics shaping the debate in The Hague. Bolstering the collective might of the transatlantic alliance and leveraging the opportunities offered by emerging technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence, will be essential to ensure NATO remains fit-for-purpose for decades to come.  

Host Organization: GLOBSEC

Format: Roundtable

Person of contact: Natalia Ferencz

As digitalisation continues to reshape the nature of modern warfare, defense capabilities are increasingly being built on software-defined foundations. No longer a secondary layer, a secure and adaptable digital backbone, comprising cloud infrastructure, artificial intelligence, data networks, and cyber resilience, is now the primary platform on which military hardware and operations are designed and executed.  
 
For Europe and NATO allies, achieving digital autonomy has become a strategic imperative. Yet, autonomy alone is insufficient. To ensure the credibility and agility of allied defense operations, interoperable digital systems must function seamlessly across national boundaries and institutional frameworks. Defense data is, by its nature, highly sensitive, but operational requirements demand that it be mobile, structured, and compatible for joint exercises, AI model training, coordinated battlefield responses, and real-time crisis management.  
 
This debate will provide space for an in-depth, off-the-record discussion on how allies can build secure and autonomous systems that are also interoperable, and how emerging data frameworks, cloud architectures, and cyber contingency protocols can support alliance-wide resilience.

Host Organization: European Forum Alpbach in cooperation with the Austrian Embassy The Hague & Club Alpbach Netherlands

Format: Panel discussion

Person of contact: Hans Christoph Girbinger

On-the-record

Against the backdrop of the NATO Summit in The Hague and its potential impact on the European security architecture, this event offers a valuable opportunity to contribute a distinctively European perspective to the evolving transatlantic security dialogue. In an era of shifting alliances and geopolitical realignment, this session will explore ways in which the European Union can demonstrate assertiveness to ensure collective security. The session will focus on: What concrete steps are needed to make the EU a capable security actor? What does solidarity entail if the EU's mutual assistance clause is invoked?