NATO Through Time

Why does NATO conduct missions outside of its territory? 
What were the different aims and lessons learned of NATO’s missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan and Iraq? 
What is Canada’s role in a transatlantic alliance that is often framed as a balancing act between the United States and European Allies? 

In this episode, General Jennie Carignan, Chief of the Defence Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces, walks us through her distinguished military career. She served on a demining team during a peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, led an engineering regiment during a combat mission in Afghanistan, and was the first woman to lead a NATO mission when she took command of the advisory and capacity-building mission in Iraq in 2019. She also reflects on Canada’s role in NATO, including its contributions to the Alliance’s forward presence in Latvia, and her place in history as the first woman to lead Canada’s military. 

What was it like learning about NATO while growing up in the former Yugoslavia? 
Why did NATO launch “out-of-area” operations in the Western Balkans following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s? 
What was the road to NATO membership like for Albania and Croatia, and how did these countries help pave the way for other countries in the region to join the Alliance? 

In this episode, former President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović reflects on her country’s journey to independence and its decision to “rejoin the European family” by becoming a member of NATO and the European Union. She also speaks about how Croatia has helped other countries in southeast Europe join the Alliance, and how this experience will support the future membership of further countries, including Ukraine. In addition to serving as President of Croatia (2015-2020), she was also the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (2005-2008), Ambassador to the United States (2008-2011) and NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy (2011-2014), so she played a crucial role in bringing Croatia into NATO and in its early years of membership in the Alliance. 

How is Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty triggered, and what happens once it’s activated? 
How did the 9/11 terrorist attacks impact both the United States and its NATO Allies, and why did NATO respond the way it did? 
What was the significance of NATO’s operations in Afghanistan and how did they change the Alliance? 

In this episode, former NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson of Port Ellen shares his memories of 11 September 2001, and the historic months and years that followed, including the declaration of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and beginning of NATO operations in Afghanistan. He also discusses the difference between Allies’ involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, the optimism for NATO-Russia relations in the early 2000s, and advice he would give to the incoming Secretary General. 

Why did the Baltic States and other countries of Central and Eastern Europe choose to join NATO after the end of the Cold War?
Why was the 2004 enlargement of NATO known as the “Big Bang” enlargement?
How do NATO’s smaller member countries contribute to the Alliance? 

In this episode, former President of Latvia Dr Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga shares her extraordinary life story – from fleeing Latvia as a child at the end of the Second World War, to building a life in Canada for 50 years, to becoming President of Latvia after the country re-established its independence in 1991. Dr Vīķe-Freiberga reflects on her personal experiences, her country’s journey to becoming a NATO member in 2004 (alongside Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia), and on the future of NATO. 

Why did NATO open its door to former Warsaw Pact adversaries after the end of the Cold War? 
What was the process for Czechia, Hungary and Poland to join the Alliance? 
How has NATO changed in the 25 years since this historic enlargement? 

In this episode, former Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi and former Czech Ambassador to NATO Karel Kovanda share their perspectives on this transformative era in NATO history. They reflect on their youths, growing up under communism in Warsaw Pact countries, witnessing the end of the Cold War in 1989, and helping to lead their countries into NATO in 1999. They also discuss how their countries have contributed to the Alliance over the past 25 years, and where NATO is heading in the future. 

Why is NATO important for the United States?
Are we in a more dangerous nuclear situation than we were during the Cold War?
What is the credible path back to peace in Europe?
What was the significance of serving as the first woman and only second American Deputy Secretary General of NATO? 

In this episode, Rose Gottemoeller reflects on her time as NATO Deputy Secretary General during a pivotal time for the Alliance. She discusses her previous experience working on arms control policy in the US State Department, shares her opinions about Russia’s nuclear sabre-rattling and her thoughts about the role of the United States in NATO and the strength of the transatlantic bond between Europe and North America.

How do the political and military sides of NATO work together?
What lessons are NATO militaries learning from Russia’s war against Ukraine? 
How does an alliance of 32 countries combine their armed forces into one integrated military force – and how would this change in the event of war? 

In this episode, Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Wiermann, who served as Director General of NATO's International Military Staff from 2019 until 2022, explains how NATO’s command structure unites diverse militaries under one banner. He clarifies how NATO military leaders give advice to – and receive guidance from – NATO political leaders, ensuring democratic civilian oversight of Allied armed forces.  

He also speaks about his experience serving in the Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces), before and after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany. And he reflects on the future of the Alliance, including the development of new military capabilities based on lessons learned in Ukraine and the importance of critical undersea infrastructure.

What are the main responsibilities of the NATO Secretary General?
How and why did Jens Stoltenberg become the head of the Organization?
How has NATO changed over the past decade, and what does its future look like? 

In this episode, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reflects on his time at NATO over the past 10 years. He shares the personal motivations that led him to accept the job after serving as Prime Minister of Norway, and how his parents' values and his own political activity as a young man shaped his views of NATO. 

He also gives a preview of the main topics that will be on the agenda at the 2024 NATO Summit, taking place in Washington, D.C. in July. 

Welcome to the NATO Through Time podcast!

This podcast dives deep into NATO’s history, reflecting on how the past influences the present – and future – of the longest-lasting alliance in history.

Our first episode introduces the podcast’s co-hosts: former NATO Spokesperson Jamie Shea, along with young content creators Ben Wheeler, Maciej Musiał and Paulius Mikolaitis, who are helping tell NATO’s story to the next generation.

Join them in this initial episode on a 15-minute whirlwind tour of NATO’s 75-year history – from the creation of the Alliance in 1949, to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, to NATO’s first out-of-area operations and the first wave of post-Cold War enlargement in the 1990s. The following episodes will cover all of these topics, and many more, in greater depth.