1
Expert researcher at National Defense University
2
Assistant Professor of International Relations, National Defense University,
Abstract
In the contemporary world, security threats have grown complex and multifaceted, extending beyond military challenges to include information, cyberspace, civil society, and the economy. This evolution underscores the need for comprehensive, multidimensional defense strategies, particularly for alliances like NATO. This research traces the genealogy of comprehensive defense in Western defense-security literature, focusing on NATO as a case study. It seeks to answer: How does NATO define comprehensive defense, and what are its strategic principles? The hypothesis suggests that emerging warfare complexities, NATO member vulnerabilities, and external threats drive the development of this strategy. Using qualitative methods, the study analyzes NATO and European strategic documents, employing historical-analytical approaches to explore the concept’s evolution. Findings reveal that comprehensive defense is a dynamic strategy, evolving in response to hybrid threats and requiring broad government and civil society participation. NATO, as the world’s first military alliance, has embraced this strategy, anchored in “resilience” and “resistance,” to ensure member self-sufficiency and address both military and non-military threats. The study concludes that “comprehensive defense” is a more precise and practical term than total or holistic defense in today’s security landscape.
azizzadeh, M., & Naqdi, J. (2026). The Genealogy of Comprehensive Defense in Western Defense-Security Strategic Literature (Case Study: NATO). Defense Policy, 34(133), -.
MLA
mohsen azizzadeh; Jafar Naqdi. "The Genealogy of Comprehensive Defense in Western Defense-Security Strategic Literature (Case Study: NATO)", Defense Policy, 34, 133, 2026, -.
HARVARD
azizzadeh, M., Naqdi, J. (2026). 'The Genealogy of Comprehensive Defense in Western Defense-Security Strategic Literature (Case Study: NATO)', Defense Policy, 34(133), pp. -.
VANCOUVER
azizzadeh, M., Naqdi, J. The Genealogy of Comprehensive Defense in Western Defense-Security Strategic Literature (Case Study: NATO). Defense Policy, 2026; 34(133): -.
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