NATO’s purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.
About the Alliance
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military-political alliance established on 4 April 1949. It consistsof 2 North American and 28 European states. NATO’s purpose is to safeguard the freedom and security of all its members by political and military means.
The Alliance protects and respects such values as the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states, democracy, individual liberty, human rights and the rule of law. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has undergone many changes throughout its history to be able to rise up to new challenges, and still continues to engage in concerted efforts to prevent conflicts and ensure peace. NATO is the most effective military-political organization in modern history, which has been providing peace, security and freedom to over 1 billion people for more than 73 years.
Why was NATO founded?
After the Second World War, an ideological boundary divided Europe in two parts. Starting from 1948, the U.S. provided tremendous financial and political aid to war-torn Europe. The goal was simple and clear – to prevent communism from gaining a foothold in Europe on the path to recovery.
On 17 March 1948, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg signed the Brussels Treaty. The Western European Union founded as a result aimed at ensuring close cooperation and the creation of a collective defence system that would resist the ideological, political and military expansion of the Soviet Union. In fact, the Brussels Treaty formed the basis for the collective security system of Western Europe and led to the foundation of NATO.
NATO Enlargement
The NATO enlargement process is It is aimed at promoting stability and cooperation, at building a Euro-Atlantic space whole and free, united in peace, democracy and common values. Any decision to invite a country to join the Alliance is taken by the North Atlantic Council on the basis of consensus among all Allies. No third country has a say in such deliberations.
NATO Member States
Albania (2009)- Belgium (1949)
- Bulgaria (2004)
- Canada (1949)
- Czech Republic (1999)
- Croatia (2009)
- Denmark (1949)
- Estonia (2004)
- Finland (2023)
- France (1949)
- Greece (1952)
Albania (2009)
Belgium (1949)
Bulgaria (2004)
Canada (1949)
Czech Republic (1999)
Croatia (2009)
Denmark (1949)
Estonia (2004)
Finland (2023)
France (1949)
Greece (1952)- Germany (1955)
- Great Britain (1949)
- Hungary (1999)
- Iceland (1949)
- Italy (1949)
- Kingdom of the Netherlands (1949)
- Latvia (2004)
- Lithuania (2004)
- Luxembourg (1949)
- Montenegro (2017)
- North Macedonia (2020)
Germany (1955)
Great Britain (1949)
Hungary (1999)
Iceland (1949)
Italy (1949)
Kingdom of the Netherlands (1949)
Latvia (2004)
Lithuania (2004)
Luxembourg (1949)
Montenegro (2017)
North Macedonia (2020)- Norway (1949)
- Poland (1999)
- Portugal (1949)
- Romania (2004)
- Slovakia (2004)
- Slovenia (2004)
- Spain (1982)
- Türkiye (1952)
- USA (1949)
- Sweden (2024)
Norway (1949)
Poland (1999)
Portugal (1949)
Romania (2004)
Slovakia (2004)
Slovenia (2004)
Spain (1982)
Türkiye (1952)
USA (1949)
Sweden (2024)- USA(1949)
- Belgium (1949)
- Denmark(1949)
- Great Britain (1949)
- Iceland (1949)
- Italy (1949)
- Canada (1949)
- Luxembourg (1949)
- Kingdom of the Netherlands (1949)
- Norway (1949)
- Portugal (1949)
- France (1949)
- Türkiye (1952)
- Greece (1952)
- Germany (1955)
- Spain (1982)
- Poland (1999)
- Hungary (1999)
- Czech Republic (1999)
- Bulgaria (2004)
- Estonia (2004)
- Latvia (2004)
- Lithuania (2004)
- Romania (2004)
- Slovakia (2004)
- Slovenia (2004)
- Albania (2009)
- Croatia (2009)
- Montenegro(2017)
- North Macedonia (2020)
- Finland (2023)
- Sweden (2024)
NATO’s Peacekeeping Missions
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has undergone many changes throughout its history to be able to rise up to new challenges. One of the most important moves was the decision to engage in peace operations and crisis management, regardless of the geographical location of the conflict. The Alliance recognizes that the threat is no longer limited to any particular location and it can respond to any threats whenever and from wherever they arise. NATO conducted its first peacekeeping operations in the 1990s. More specifically, in the Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – in 1995, in Kosovo – in 1999, and in Macedonia – in 2001, where the bloody conflict resulting from the breakup of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia created a serious danger not only to regional, but also to European security.
NATO: A history in snapshots
Meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of heads of state and government. Paris, France, 16 December 1957
Signing of the Paris Agreements. Paris, France, 23 October, 1954.
U.S. President John F. Kennedy visits NATO, Paris, France, 7 January 1961.
Queen Elizabeth II visits NATO Headquarters. Brussels, Belgium, 25 November 1980.
The Federal Republic of Germany becomes a member of NATO. Paris, France, 6 May 1955
NATO Conference of Parliamentarians, Paris, France, 18 July 1955. The first conference of "NATO parliamentarians" later became known as the North Atlantic Assembly.
Greece - On 3-6 May 1962, Greece hosted a meeting that would be key for its security and that of the other European Allies and Canada. Every effort was made by the host country to make the meeting of NATO foreign and defence ministers a memorable occasion, as illustrated by the spectacular fly-over organised over the Acropolis.
Greece - NATO also used other ways of telling the story of its new members: it sent photographers to travel the country and captured locals on camera as they went about their daily lives , 1950s.
Naples - On NATO's 10th anniversary in 1959, an exhibition was organised, Piazza del Plebiscito, in Naples.
Portugal - For a country whose interests had for a long time been its colonies, territories and trading posts, it was important to explain NATO to the general public. The first travelling exhibition set off from Paris in 1952 and was called the “Caravan of peace”. It travelled through several member countries before stopping in Portugal in September 1954.
Netherlands - An exhibition on NATO in The Netherlands on the occasion of the Alliance's 15th anniversary in 1964.
Portugal/military - The number of Portuguese military forces was relatively high compared to fellow NATO member countries. The government had been gradually modernising and increasing its forces, especially since the country’s membership of NATO.
Portugal/military - During the 1950s many Portuguese officers took part in exercises, especially naval exercises in the Atlantic, and training in other Allied countries. They brought back a new strategic and political vision of the world, helping to open up Portugal to new perspectives. NATO helped to forge a new generation of officers, which were called the “NATO generation”.
NATO commanders responsible for the protection of 41 million square kilometres of ocean were from the United States Armed Forces. Most were Navy Admirals (with the exception of one Marine Corps General and one Army General). They were based in Norfolk, Virginia, and commanded the defence of the Atlantic Ocean.
Norway - Following their experiences in the Second World War, Norway and its armed forces knew the value of preparation when it came to defence. Norwegian forces used a variety of military equipment conceived to work in cold, snowy and mountainous terrain.
Did you know that…
The North Atlantic Treaty (Washington Treaty) was signed in Washington D.C., on 4 April 1949.
Only 14 articles long, the Treaty is one of the shortest documents of its kind. The text of the NATO founding treaty can be found at the link. .
NATO is a military-political organization whose member states maintain full independence and sovereignty.
All NATO decisions are made by consensus based on the interests of each member country. All NATO member states have an equal say in deliberations and decision-making.
On 3 January 2018, NATO adopted an official hymn for the first time in the Alliance's history
Composed for NATO’s fortieth anniversary in 1989, the NATO Hymn was written by Captain André Reichling, conductor of the Luxembourg Military Band. Since then it has been played at many NATO events. The NATO Hymn has no lyrics, and is scored for twenty musical instruments.
On 29 March 2004, 7 new members joined the Alliance making this the largest wave of enlargement in NATO history.
Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia were invited to begin accession talks at the Alliance’s Prague Summit in 2002. On 29 March 2004, these countries became officially became members of the Alliance.
It is also worth noting that before joining the Alliance, all the mentioned seven countries were part of the Membership Action Plan (MAP).
NATO's Open Door Policy is one of the most important principles of NATO's Founding Treaty.
NATO’s door remains open to any European country in a position to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership, and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area. Since 1949, NATO’s membership has grown from 12 to 30 countries. North Macedonia became the 30th member of NATO in 2020.
Collective defence is one of the main principles of the North Atlantic Alliance.
According to Article 5 of the North-Atlantic Treaty, any attack on a NATO member in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all. On 12 September, for the first time in the Alliance’s history, the Allies invoked Article 5 of the Washington Treaty (NATO’s collective defense clause), whereby the Allies declared their solidarity with the U.S.
The position of Secretary General was not established until several years after the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty.
The first Secretary General of NATO was the British Lord Ismay, who assumed the position on 4 April 1952, 3 years after the foundation of NATO.
The current 13th Secretary General of NATO is Jens Stoltenberg, who has held this post since 2014, and according to the decision of the Alliance members, his mandate will last until 30 September 2022.