NATO in Flux: Sten Rynning on America, Europe and the New Divide

What if NATO's biggest threat wasn't Russia but America's retreat?

In this episode of Facing Coming Storms, we welcome back Sten Rynning, Professor of War Studies at the Danish Institute for Advanced Studies and lecturer at the NATO Defence College. Author of NATO: From Cold War to Ukraine, Sten returns to unpack the turbulence shaking the alliance as the Trump administration redefines transatlantic security.

From drone incursions into Polish airspace to NATO's shifting command structures, we explore how the U.S. is pulling back from conventional defence, doubling down on nuclear control, and leaving Europeans to fill the gap. Sten explains the rise of "mini-lateral" coalitions, the dangers of de-institutionalisation, and the growing unpredictability of both Russian provocations and Western political shifts.

What You'll Learn

- US-NATO Tensions: Why America's "tough love" approach risks weakening alliance cohesion.

- European Security Shifts: How regional coalitions and defence spending are reshaping the balance.

- Future Risks: What Russian provocations, far-right politics, and China mean for Europe's stability.

Sten's insights remind us that NATO's strength has always come from unity and that preserving it in an era of uncertainty may be the hardest challenge yet.

Facing Coming Storms is brought to you by the British Army’s Centre for Historical Analysis and Conflict Research, in partnership with the Project for the Study of the 21st Century, and produced by Urban Podcasts.