National Resilience Plans (Operational Priorities)

In NATO and EU strategy since 2018, “National Resilience Plans” have emerged as a crucial operational line of effort to ensure that each Allied nation can withstand and recover from major shocks – be it a cyber or hybrid attack on critical systems, physical sabotage of infrastructure, or even a natural disaster – while still supporting collective defence.

This priority is anchored in NATO’s Article 3 requirement that Allies maintain and develop the capacity to resist armed attack through continuous self-help and mutual aid . In practice, it means that robust national resilience is now seen as an essential basis for credible deterrence and defence , on par with military readiness .

This analysis answers: How have National Resilience Plans emerged since 2018 as an operational line of effort for Allied nations to withstand and recover from cyber, hybrid, sabotage and natural-disaster shocks? How does NATO's Article 3 requirement of continuous self-help and mutual aid anchor the national-resilience priority? Why is robust national resilience now seen as an essential basis for credible deterrence and defence, on par with military readiness? How do National Resilience Plans support collective defence while safeguarding critical systems and infrastructure across allies?