The European Initiative for Security Studies (EISS), the NATO Defence College (NDC), and the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Brussels School of Governance (CSDS) have partnered to organise a Joint Policy Workshop (JPW). The 2022 edition focussed on the topic of “Military Alliances and Challenges to the Use of Military Force”, and was held on 9th November 2022, at CSDS in Brussels.

This edition brought together academic experts and policymakers to create synergies and foster a dialogue on critical issues in transatlantic security, with a focus on challenges posed to military alliances and the use of military force in the 21st Century. This diverse group of participants from the unique networks offered by EISS, NDC, and CSDS aimed to identify new and emerging critical policy areas facing military alliances such as NATO, today and in the future.

The use of force in the framework of military alliances in the 21st Century faces a range of challenges – some old, some new – with regards to their strategies, doctrines, interoperability, military adaptation and innovation as well as domestic political challenges. Furthermore, as military alliances venture into new security challenges such as climate change and approaches toward China, these policy areas require a close examination not least in the context of the use of military force.

The workshop was organised in two panels: