Alarms across NATO were triggered on January 6, 2021 not because a missile threat was detected, but because a violent mob overwhelmed the capital and exposed a broader vulnerability: how easily deceptive campaigns can sway public perception. This event marked a second instance where a spread of misinformation, amplified through many channels, intensified the consequences far beyond a routine disruption and echoing a confusion similar to the Brexit referendum that followed years ago.
Linda Sánchez, a Democratic U.S. congresswoman from California, was in the House when the attackers breached the building. In a moment of quick thinking, she tried to secure her office by placing furniture against the door where she had taken refuge. Today she serves in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, voicing strong support for a project to build a system that counters hybrid threats. In this assembly, lawmakers from allied nations discuss how disinformation and covert influence campaigns can distort democratic processes, including elections and trust in leadership.
The proposed initiative centers on establishing a NATO Center for Democratic Resilience aimed at strengthening the alliance by defending democratic foundations. The plan is not merely theoretical; it envisions creating an operational body tasked with detecting disinformation and countering efforts to distort electoral outcomes or undermine public trust in politicians. The plan illustrates its aims with examples related to Spain, where misinformation campaigns have focused on senior political figures in ways that resonate internationally.
malicious campaigns
Initially met with some reluctance, the proposal eventually won broad parliamentary support as lawmakers from several nations weighed potential clashes with freedom of speech against the security benefits of a coordinated response. The idea is to formalize mechanisms for early warning, rapid rebuttal, and resilience building within member states.
A discussion is anticipated at the upcoming summit, with Spanish sources indicating that NATO’s Madrid meeting on June 29 and 30 will integrate the plan into the broader Madrid Strategic Concept. The objective is to translate theory into a concrete framework that members can adopt at the highest level of alliance strategy.
North American lawmakers, including Linda Sánchez and Gerry Connolly, have emerged as principal advocates for the NATO Center for Democratic Resilience. Together they push for a structure that can help public institutions recognize and counter disinformation tactics before they cause lasting harm to democratic processes.
Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, has already signaled a commitment to advancing this agenda. Speaking in Riga, he outlined five critical elements for the alliance’s Strategic Concept, stressing the need to preserve shared values amidst external pressure. He warned that authoritarian regimes, notably Russia and China, deploy propaganda and misinformation in concert with cyber tools to influence choices and undermine democratic life.
8-M case
From Madrid, the issue of disinformation would become an official part of the scenarios NATO envisions for potential conflicts, including election campaigns and voting days. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly highlights the Center for Democratic Resilience as a key initiative proposed earlier by its chair, a Democrat named Connolly, with Sánchez contributing as a leading voice from the American side. The dossier underlines how recognizing and correcting democratic weaknesses can thwart the use of disinformation by malicious actors to sow division and erode trust.
The project aims to deploy a NATO system against hybrid threats, including teams that assist local authorities in identifying vulnerabilities to misinformation before or during sensitive events. It also references regional partners and knowledge exchanges, noting how tools and practices from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other national security bodies can contribute to this effort.
Two centers of excellence could participate in the initiative: the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre in Tallinn, Estonia, and the European Centre against Hybrid Threats in Helsinki, Finland. These hubs would help coordinate cross-party and cross-national responses to information manipulation and related risks.
The report emphasizes that the fight against disinformation is not only about defense. It is about preserving the integrity of democratic processes, ensuring that voters are informed by accurate information, and maintaining public confidence in institutions during times of stress and crisis.
The Madrid summit would also consider how to articulate these protections within national strategies, helping member states adapt to evolving threats while safeguarding rights to free expression and robust political participation. The overall aim remains clear: to strengthen resilience, reduce the damage caused by misleading content, and support democratic governance across North America and Europe.