NATO – NAOC

Copyright as Security: Lessons from Denmark’s Approach to Deepfakes

In this article, Soha Sarfraz explores how the rise of deepfakes is placing new strains on democratic resilience, using Denmark’s developing legal and policy response as a case study of how states may preserve trust and political legitimacy in the age of fake media, Soha examines what lessons Canada might draw from that model. She argues that deepfakes increasingly threaten not only individual reputations, but also electoral integrity and the broader information environment, contending that the challenge is no longer merely a technological, but fundamentally political and strategic.

Previous Events

Event Report – Baltic and Ukrainian Youth on Security and Solidarity

On May 13, 2026, the NATO Association of Canada (NAOC), the Canadian Lithuanian Youth Association, and the Embassy of Lithuania to Canada co-hosted a panel discussion titled “Baltic and Ukrainian Youth on Security and Solidarity.” The event explored the role of youth in supporting Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s full-scale invasion, countering Russian disinformation, and maintaining transatlantic solidarity with Ukraine. The discussion also examined what NATO countries can learn from Ukraine’s resilience, including lessons on informational resilience, civic mobilization, and rapid innovation in defence technologies. Read the full event report for a detailed overview of the discussion and key takeaways.

Security, Trade and the Economy

Complement or Challenge to Transatlantic Security? Reassessing Europe’s Role in NATO

As Europe advances its pursuit of strategic autonomy, questions are emerging about the future of NATO and transatlantic security. Can a more independent Europe strengthen collective defence, or risk fragmentation? This article explores how alignment and coordination will shape the future of Western security.

Previous Events

Event Report – NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence Toronto Introductory Event

On May 5, 2026, NATO Association of Canada hosted the Toronto introductory event for the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence (CCASCOE). The event brought together military, academic, and civilian experts to examine how climate change is reshaping security, defence planning, and strategic risk. This report provides a detailed overview of the event’s discussions.

Security, Trade and the Economy

Who Pays for Defence? Canada, NATO and the New Architecture of Defence Spending

As NATO allies commit to spending 5% of GDP on defence by 2035, Kaya Dupuis examines how Canada plans to finance its most ambitious military commitment since the Cold War and whether a new multilateral bank can succeed where Victory Bonds once did. Can capital markets do what kitchen-table patriotism once accomplished?

Isabelle Zhu Women in Security

Innovation and Inclusion: Leveraging NATO DIANA to Advance Women in STEM

Isabelle Zhu argues that NATO DIANA can serve as a key platform to uplift women in STEM. By providing opportunities to connect women across the Alliance with the private and public sectors, government, and academia, DIANA has the potential to advance women’s involvement and participation in these fields.

Cyber Security and Emerging Threats

Nuclear Allegations and Rhetoric Continue to Undermine Global Peace

Hope Arpa re-evaluates the logic of nuclear deterrence in the context of nuclear programs allegation’s use to justify interventions. The article considers allegations of nuclear programs as motivators of preemptive strikes, discursive tools to justify intervention politically and socially, and the perception of enemy states as nuclear ambitious causing security dilemmas. The root cause of these conflicts is not necessarily framed as exclusively the nuclear weapons themselves, but the international system’s framing of them as the ultimate ‘self-defense’ tools.

Cyber Security and Emerging Threats

Changing the Currents of Conflict: Oil, Water, and the Flows Reshaping the Middle East

Conflict follows the currents of scarcity, and NATO must navigate a world where the most dangerous battles are fought over what no longer flows freely. These behaviours signal a shift in how conflict will unfold: not only through conventional force, but through the manipulation, withholding, and weaponization of essential resources. This article explores three plausible scenarios – oil dominance, water ascendancy, and a dual‑pressure world – to map how resource hoarding could shape the next generation of conflict in the Middle East and beyond, and what this means for NATO’s strategic posture in the decades ahead.

Cyber Security and Emerging Threats

Is NATO Ready for the Brain Battlefield? Navigating the Governance Window for Neurotechnology

In the shadow of artificial intelligence, governments are pouring billions into technologies that collapse the distinction between human thought and machine computation. If NATO does not intervene early, it risks ceding strategic influence to competitors who view the mind as a domain for military advantage. Yet the strategic promise of neurotechnology is matched by questions about control, accountability, and exploitation that the Alliance cannot afford to ignore. NATO must move quickly, but through a phased approach that balances innovation with the protection of cognitive integrity.

Canadian Armed Forces

2 Years On: What “Our North, Strong and Free” has — and hasn’t — Delivered

This April marks two years since the Department of National Defence released its updated policy titled “Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence,” which pledged $8.1 billion over five years and $73 billion over 20 years in national defence, signifying a new commitment to a military that had previously been underfunded Read More…