NetSec Policy Workshop

Intensifying great power competition is reshaping the strategic environment in which alliances operate. NATO faces renewed questions about burden-sharing, forward posture, and the credibility of extended deterrence. The European Union is developing more autonomous defence capabilities, and middle powers across regions are recalibrating their alliance choices under the pressure of competition among the United States, China, and Russia.

The workshop convened scholars and policy practitioners to examine how alliance politics is evolving under these conditions, and what the policy implications are for European security. It was organised by NetSec Working Group 2 on the Transfer of Knowledge.

• Extended deterrence and reassurance in an era of renewed great power rivalry
• Burden-sharing and defence spending within NATO and the European Union
• The role of nuclear weapons in contemporary alliance politics
• Middle-power alignment strategies
• Technology, industrial policy, and the future of allied cooperation
• Alliance credibility, coercive statecraft, and crisis management

Accommodation in Ankara and all meals during the workshop were provided by Bilkent University and the Royal Danish Defence College.

Travel reimbursement through COST Action NetSec was offered to accepted participants (airfare, ground transport, train) up to a maximum of €700 per participant, subject to a decision by NetSec's Management Committee. Where travel exceeded €700, the balance was met by the participant.

Applications closed on 15 August 2026, applicants were informed of the outcome, and invitations to take part in person went out. A link for online participation was circulated ahead of the day.

The call asked for the application form together with a short CV of at most two pages. Applicants proposed a presentation title, explained its relevance to the NetSec Working Group 2 agenda, set out their motivation for taking part, and gave an estimate of their transportation costs.