Strategic Repositioning and Military-Technological Transformation: An Analysis of NATO’s New Regional Plans (2023-2025)

Abstract

Between 2023 and 2025, NATO has not only operationalized a series of new regional defense, but has also launched institutional initiatives in fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) , space, cyber security, and innovation, aiming to construct the foundational infrastructure of a broader military-technological transformation strategy. This study critically and multidimensionally analyzes NATO's strategic orientation at the intersection of institutional restructuring and regional security policies.The main argument of this research posits that NATO's recent strategic shift transcends traditional deterrence paradigms and reflects an attempt to establish a multi-layered security architecture while integrating technological capacity into a value-based governance structure. This article analyzes structural interventions established along strategic axes stretching from the Baltics to the Black Sea and from the North Sea to European airspace, within the framework of spatial repositioning and military-technological transformation. AI-driven warfare systems, advanced cyber infrastructures, multi-layered air defense structures, and initiatives such as the “Defense Production Action Plan” demonstrate NATO's evolution beyond a conventional alliance, toward becoming a regional order-building actor endowed with institutional sovereignty capacity. Furthermore, the center–periphery distinction evident in NATO’s decision-making structures perpetuates a hierarchical security architecture that limits the political agency of peripheral actors, despite their significant military contributions. This article conceptualizes NATO’s transformation as a structural, normative, technological, and spatial process of reconstruction, and examines its impact on the emerging multi-layered regional security architecture.

Keywords

• NATO 2023-2025 Plans,
• Regional Defense Plans,
• Military-Technological Transformation,
• Security Structure
• Core-Periphery Relationship

Stratejik Yeniden Konumlanma ve Askeri-Teknolojik Dönüşüm: NATO’nun Yeni Bölgesel Planları Üzerine İnceleme (2023-2025)

Abstract

NATO, 2023–2025 döneminde, doğrudan uygulamaya koyduğu yeni bölgesel savunma planlarının yanı sıra, yapay zeka (YZ), uzay, siber güvenlik ve yenilik gibi alanlara odaklanan askeri-teknolojik dönüşüm stratejilerini kurumsal olarak girişimde bulunmuş ve bu dönüşümün altyapısını inşa etmeye başlamıştır. Bu çalışma, söz konusu stratejik yönelimi, NATO’nun kurumsal yeniden yapılanması ile bölgesel güvenlik politikalarının kesişim noktasında, eleştirel ve çok düzeyli bir analiz çerçevesinde ele almaktadır. Araştırmanın temel iddiası, NATO’nun bu stratejik açılımı, klasik caydırıcılığın ötesine geçerek, çok düzlemli bir güvenlik mimarisi kurma ve teknolojik kapasiteyi ilkesel yönetime entegre etme çabası olarak değerlendirilebilir. Bu makale de, Baltıklardan Karadeniz’e, Kuzey Denizi’nden Avrupa hava sahasına uzanan güvenlik eksenlerinde tesis edilen yapısal müdahaleleri, yeniden coğrafi konumlanma ve askeri-teknolojik dönüşüm çerçevesinde analiz etmektedir. YZ tabanlı harp sistemleri, ileri düzey siber altyapılar, çok katmanlı hava savunma yapılanması ve “Savunma Üretimi Eylem Planı” gibi girişimler, NATO’nun ittifak kimliğini aşan bir biçimde, kurumsal egemenlik kapasitesiyle bölgesel bir düzen kurucu aktöre dönüşme çabası içerisinde olduğunu göstermektedir. Ayrıca, karar mekanizmalarında görülen merkez-çevre ayrımı, çevresel aktörlerin askeri katkılarına rağmen siyasal etkinliklerinin sınırlı kalmasına yol açan hiyerarşik bir güvenlik yapılanmasını kalıcılaştırmaktadır. Bu makale, NATO’nun geçirdiği dönüşümü, hem yapısal, hem de normatif, teknolojik ve mekansal bir inşa süreci olarak kavramsallaştırmakta ve bu dönüşümün çok katmanlı bölgesel güvenlik yapılanmasına etkisini analiz ederek ortaya koymaktadır.

Keywords

• NATO 2023-2025 Planları
• Bölgesel Savunma Planları
• Askeri-Teknolojik Dönüşüm
• Güvenlik Yapılanması
• Merkez-Çevre İlişkisi

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