NATO Membership for Albania and Croatia: Military Modernization, Geo-Strategic Opportunities and Force Projection

Abstract

While research on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and its out-of-area operations continues to thrive, very little analysis exists on NATO's ongoing membership enlargement. This article examines NATO's newest members, Albania and Croatia, and their recent efforts to transform themselves into security producers for the alliance. This research examines each state's recent military purchases, their potential geo-strategic value to the alliance, and their ability to contribute to NATO missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo. While their abilities to project force remain limited, the findings presented here suggest that these states have made measurable military advancements and bring meaningful geo-strategic advantages to the alliance, which provides additional evidence of the success of NATO's enlargement policies.