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{{Short description|Intergovernmental military alliance}}{{Redirect|OTAN|other uses|NATO (disambiguation)|and|OTAN (disambiguation)}}{{Good article}}{{Pp|small=yes}}{{Pp-move}}{{Use Oxford spelling|date=July 2021}}{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024|cs1-dates=l}}

factoids

border| image_size = 125pxFlag of NATO>Flag| map = North Atlantic Treaty Organization (orthographic projection) in NATO blue.svg| msize = 250px| mcaption = Member states shown in dark blueMilitary alliance| headquarters = Brussels, BelgiumTotal: {{USD>1.264 trillion|link=yes}}Excluding the US: {{USD|404 billion|link=yes}}WEB,weblink Defence Expenditure of NATO Countries (2014–2023), NATO, 20 November 2023, 15 July 2023,weblink live, | expenses_year = 2023titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal; English language>French language17 SEPTEMBER 1949 URL=HTTPS://WWW.NATO.INT/DOCU/COMM/49-95/C490917A.HTM ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20061206002220/HTTP://WWW.NATO.INT/DOCU/COMM/49-95/C490917A.HTM ACCESS-DATE=2 MARCH 2024 QUOTE=ENGLISH AND FRENCH SHALL BE THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES FOR THE ENTIRE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION., NATO >DATE=4 APRIL 1949 URL=HTTPS://WWW.NATO.INT/CPS/EN/NATOHQ/OFFICIAL_TEXTS_17120.HTM ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20110914102953/HTTP://WWW.NATO.INT/CPS/EN/NATOLIVE/OFFICIAL_TEXTS_17120.HTM ACCESS-DATE=2 MARCH 2024 LANGUAGE=EN, This Treaty, of which the English and French texts are equally authentic, .}}Secretary General of NATO>Secretary General| leader_name = Jens Stoltenberg| leader_title2 = Chair of the NATO Military Committee| leader_name2 = Rob Bauer| leader_title3 = Supreme Allied Commander Europe| leader_name3 = Christopher G. CavoliAllied Command Transformation#Supreme Allied Commander Transformation>Supreme Allied Commander Transformation| leader_name4 = Philippe Lavigneweblink|nato.int}}Anthem: "The NATO Hymn" }}{{center|Motto: "Animus in consulendo liber" }}}}The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO {{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|eɪ|t|oÊŠ}} {{respell|NAY|toh}}; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermath of World War II, the organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949.WEB, n.d., What is NATO?,weblink live,weblink 28 February 2022, 3 March 2022, NATO – Homepage, NEWS, Cook, Lorne, 25 May 2017, NATO, the world's biggest military alliance, explained, Military Times, Associated Press,weblink live, 3 March 2022,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170525215404weblink">weblink 25 May 2017, NATO is a collective security system: its independent member states agree to defend each other against attacks by third parties. During the Cold War, NATO operated as a check on the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The alliance remained in place after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, and has been involved in military operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa. The organization's motto is .WEB,weblink Animus in consulendo liber, NATO, 23 March 2015, 9 January 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170109002130weblink">weblink live, The organization's strategic concepts include deterrence.WEB,weblink Szenes, Zoltan. "Reinforcing deterrence: assessing NATO's 2022 Strategic Concept." Defense & Security Analysis 39.4 (2023): 539–560., 10.1080/14751798.2023.2270230, 7 March 2024, 31 March 2024,weblink live, NATO's main headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium, while NATO's military headquarters are near Mons, Belgium. The alliance has increased its NATO Response Force deployments in Eastern Europe,WEB, NATO to accelerate deployment of up to 300,000 soldiers on eastern border,weblink 14 June 2023, Ukrainska Pravda, en, 19 March 2023,weblink live, and the combined militaries of all NATO members include around 3.5 million soldiers and personnel.NEWS, Batchelor, Tom, 9 March 2022, Where are Nato troops stationed and how many are deployed across Europe?, The Independent,weblink 8 June 2022, 8 June 2022,weblink live, All member states together cover an area of 25.07 million km² and about 966.88 million people."weblink {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240309125749weblink|date=9 March 2024}}." worlddata.info. Retrieved on 9 March 2024. "Members of the NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization." Their combined military spending {{as of|2022|lc=on}} constituted around 55 percent of the global nominal total.WEB, 24 April 2023, World military expenditure reaches new record high as European spending surges,weblinkweblink 28 April 2023, 29 April 2023, SIPRI, live, Moreover, members have agreed to reach or maintain the target defence spending of at least two percent of their GDP by 2024.WEB, NATO, The Wales Declaration on the Transatlantic Bond,weblink live,weblink 10 June 2018, 2 March 2024, NATO, en, NEWS, Erlanger, Steven, 26 March 2014, Europe Begins to Rethink Cuts to Military Spending, The New York Times,weblink live, 3 April 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140329132620weblink">weblink 29 March 2014, Last year, only a handful of NATO countries met the target, according to NATO figures, including the United States, at 4.1 percent, and Britain, at 2.4 percent., NATO formed with twelve founding members and has added new members ten times, most recently when Sweden joined the alliance on 7 March 2024.WEB, Notification Reference No. 2024-008,weblink United States Department of State, 7 March 2024, 7 March 2024, 7 March 2024,weblink live, In addition, NATO currently recognizes Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine as aspiring members. Enlargement has led to tensions with non-member Russia, one of the 18 additional countries participating in NATO's Partnership for Peace programme. Another nineteen countries are involved in institutionalized dialogue programmes with NATO.

History

20th century

The Treaty of Dunkirk was signed by France and the United Kingdom on 4 March 1947, during the aftermath of World War II and the start of the Cold War, as a Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance in the event of possible attacks by Germany or the Soviet Union. In March 1948, this alliance was expanded in the Treaty of Brussels to include the Benelux countries, forming the Brussels Treaty Organization, commonly known as the Western Union.WEB,weblink The origins of WEU: Western Union, University of Luxembourg, December 2009, 23 July 2018,weblink 21 June 2018, live, Talks for a wider military alliance, which could include North America, also began that month in the United States, where their foreign policy under the Truman Doctrine promoted international solidarity against actions they saw as communist aggression, such as the February 1948 coup d'état in Czechoslovakia. These talks resulted in the signature of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949 by the member states of the Western Union plus the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland.WEB,weblink A short history of NATO, NATO, 26 March 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170326231233weblink">weblink 26 March 2017, live, Canadian diplomat Lester B. Pearson was a key author and drafter of the treaty.WEB,weblink Canada and NATO – 1949, 14 April 2022, 8 April 2022,weblink live, BOOK,weblink Speaking Out: A Congressman's Lifelong Fight Against Bigotry, Famine, and War, 9781569768914, 24 April 2022, Findley, Paul, 2011, Chicago Review Press, Incorporated, 4 April 2023,weblink live, BOOK,weblink The McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of World Biography: An International Reference Work, 1973, McGraw-Hill, 9780070796331, 24 April 2022, 4 April 2023,weblink live, File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-098967, Aufnahme der Bundesrepublik in die NATO.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|left|West Germany joined NATO in 1955, which led to the formation of the rival Warsaw Pact during the alt=A long rectangular room with multiple rows of seated individuals on each side, and flags hanging at the far end.The North Atlantic Treaty was largely dormant until the Korean War initiated the establishment of NATO to implement it with an integrated military structure. This included the formation of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in 1951, which adopted many of the Western Union's military structures and plans,WEB,weblink NATO the first five years 1949–1954, Hastings, Ismay, Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay, NATO, 4 September 2001, 10 April 2012, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170315234941weblink">weblink 15 March 2017, dmy-all, including their agreements on standardizing equipment and agreements on stationing foreign military forces in European countries. In 1952, the post of Secretary General of NATO was established as the organization's chief civilian. That year also saw the first major NATO maritime exercises, Exercise Mainbrace and the accession of Greece and Turkey to the organization.JOURNAL, Baldwin, Hanson, 28 September 1952, Navies Meet the Test in Operation Mainbrace, New York Times, E7,weblink 10 April 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171010140743weblink">weblink 10 October 2017, live, MAGAZINE, Time (magazine), Time,weblink NATO: The Man with the Oilcan, 24 March 1952, 17 January 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120108012303weblink">weblink 8 January 2012, dead, Following the London and Paris Conferences, West Germany was permitted to rearm militarily, as they joined NATO in May 1955, which was, in turn, a major factor in the creation of the Soviet-dominated Warsaw Pact, delineating the two opposing sides of the Cold War.NEWS,weblink Soviet Union establishes Warsaw Pact, May 14, 1955, Politico, Andrew, Glass, 14 May 2014, 10 June 2022, 24 September 2022,weblink live, The building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 marked a height in Cold War tensions, when 400,000 US troops were stationed in Europe.WEB,weblink Should the United States Keep Troops in Germany?, Dan, Olmsted, September 2020, 22 February 2021, National WW2 Museum, 25 January 2021,weblink live, Doubts over the strength of the relationship between the European states and the United States ebbed and flowed, along with doubts over the credibility of the NATO defence against a prospective Soviet invasion – doubts that led to the development of the independent French nuclear deterrent and the withdrawal of France from NATO's military structure in 1966.{{sfn|van der Eyden|2003|pp=104–106}}NEWS, The Washington Post,weblink After 43 Years, France to Rejoin NATO as Full Member, 12 March 2009, Edward, Cody, 19 December 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171026171515weblink">weblink 26 October 2017, live, In 1982, the newly democratic Spain joined the alliance.WEB,weblink Spain and NATO, 10 April 2021, Country Studies US, Source: U.S. Library of Congress, 15 April 2021,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20210415105730weblink">weblink live, The Revolutions of 1989 in Europe led to a strategic re-evaluation of NATO's purpose, nature, tasks, and focus on the continent. In October 1990, East Germany became part of the Federal Republic of Germany and the alliance, and in November 1990, the alliance signed the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) in Paris with the Soviet Union. It mandated specific military reductions across the continent, which continued after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact in February 1991 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union that December, which removed the de facto main adversaries of NATO.NEWS,weblink Kremlin tears up arms pact with Nato, Luke, Harding, The Observer, 14 July 2007, 1 May 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130831182652weblink">weblink 31 August 2013, live, This began a drawdown of military spending and equipment in Europe. The CFE treaty allowed signatories to remove 52,000 pieces of conventional armaments in the following sixteen years,WEB,weblink The Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty and the Adapted CFE Treaty at a Glance, August 2017, Daryl, Kimball, Arms Control Association, 22 February 2021, 24 February 2021,weblink live, and allowed military spending by NATO's European members to decline by 28 percent from 1990 to 2015.NEWS,weblink The Politics of 2 Percent: NATO and the Security Vacuum in Europe, Jan, Techau, 2 September 2015, Carnegie Europe, 22 February 2021, 23 September 2018,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20180923231851weblink">weblink live, In 1990, several Western leaders gave assurances to Mikhail Gorbachev that NATO would not expand further east, as revealed by memoranda of private conversations.BOOK, Eichler, Jan, NATO's Expansion After the Cold War: Geopolitics and Impacts for International Security, 2021, Springer Nature, 9783030666415, 34, 35, WEB,weblink Declassified documents show security assurances against NATO expansion to Soviet leaders from Baker, Bush, Genscher, Kohl, Gates, Mitterrand, Thatcher, Hurd, Major, and Woerner, 12 December 2017, National Security Archive, live, 23 December 2019, 3 March 2022,weblink NEWS, Klaus, Wiegrefe,weblink Neuer Aktenfund von 1991 stützt russischen Vorwurf, Der Spiegel, 18 February 2022, 3 March 2022, 3 March 2022,weblink live, NEWS, Peter, Baker,weblink In Ukraine Conflict, Putin Relies on a Promise That Ultimately Wasn't, The New York Times, 9 January 2022, 3 March 2022, 1 March 2022,weblink live, File:Berlin Wall at NATO Headquarters.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|The Fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked a turning point in NATO's role in Europe, and this section of the wall is now displayed outside alt=Two tall concrete sections of a wall in a grass lawn in front of a curved building with blue-glass windows.In the 1990s, the organization extended its activities into political and humanitarian situations that had not formerly been NATO concerns.NEWS,weblink NATO Announces Special 70th Anniversary Summit In London In December, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 6 February 2019, 6 April 2019,weblink 6 April 2019, live, During the breakup of Yugoslavia, the organization conducted its first military interventions in Bosnia from 1992 to 1995 and later Yugoslavia in 1999.WEB,weblink Did the US Media Reflect the Reality of the Kosovo War in an Objective Manner? A Case Study of The Washington Post and The Washington Times, Jing Ke, 2008, University of Rhode Island,weblink 23 March 2019, dead, Politically, the organization sought better relations with the newly autonomous Central and Eastern European states, and diplomatic forums for regional cooperation between NATO and its neighbours were set up during this post-Cold War period, including the Partnership for Peace and the Mediterranean Dialogue initiative in 1994, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997, and the NATO–Russia Permanent Joint Council in 1998. At the 1999 Washington summit, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic officially joined NATO, and the organization also issued new guidelines for membership with individualized "Membership Action Plans". These plans governed the subsequent addition of new alliance members.WEB, NATO, Relations with the Republic of North Macedonia (Archived),weblink 16 February 2022, NATO, en, 10 March 2015,weblink live,

21st century

File:Family photo from 2023 NATO Vilnius summit (53038388599).jpg|thumb|left|Family photo of the 2023 Vilnius summit2023 Vilnius summits:North Atlantic Treaty#Article 5|Article 5 of the North Atlantic treaty]], requiring member states to come to the aid of any member state subject to an armed attack, was invoked for the first and only time after the September 11 attacks,WEB, Invocation of Article 5 confirmed,weblink 3 October 2001, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 29 January 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121230143558weblink">weblink 30 December 2012, live, after which troops were deployed to Afghanistan under the NATO-led ISAF. The organization has operated a range of additional roles since then, including sending trainers to Iraq, assisting in counter-piracy operations.WEB, Counter-piracy operations,weblink North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 27 May 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110526115212weblink">weblink 26 May 2011, live, The election of French president Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007 led to a major reform of France's military position, culminating with the return to full membership on 4 April 2009, which also included France rejoining the NATO Military Command Structure, while maintaining an independent nuclear deterrent.NEWS, Sarkozy military plan unveiled, Stratton, Allegra,weblink The Guardian, UK, 17 June 2008, 17 December 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160307184804weblink">weblink 7 March 2016, live, WEB,weblink Defence Planning Committee (DPC) (Archived), NATO, 11 November 2014, 13 August 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20151222165648weblink">weblink 22 December 2015, live, The 2014 Russia's annexation of Crimea led to strong condemnation by all NATO members,NEWS,weblink Statement by the North Atlantic Council following meeting under article 4 of the Washington Treaty, NATO Newsroom, 4 March 2014, 2 April 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140310182356weblink">weblink 10 March 2014, live, and was one of the seven times that Article 4, which calls for consultation among NATO members, has been invoked. Prior times included during the Iraq War and Syrian Civil War.WEB,weblink The consultation process and Article 4, NATO, 24 February 2022, 3 April 2022,weblink 2 April 2022, live, At the 2014 Wales summit, the leaders of NATO's member states formally committed for the first time to spend the equivalent of at least two percent of their gross domestic products on defence by 2024, which had previously been only an informal guideline.WEB, Techau, Jan, The Politics of 2 Percent: NATO and the Security Vacuum in Europe,weblink 2 September 2015, Carnegie Europe, A month before [the alliance's summit in Riga in 2006], Victoria Nuland, then the U.S. ambassador to NATO, called the 2 percent metric the "unofficial floor" on defence spending in NATO. But never had all governments of NATO's 28 nations officially embraced it at the highest possible political level – a summit declaration., 11 July 2018,weblink 12 July 2018, dead, At the 2016 Warsaw summit, NATO countries agreed on the creation of NATO Enhanced Forward Presence, which deployed four multinational battalion-sized battlegroups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.WEB,weblink NATO's military presence in the east of the Alliance, NATO, 28 March 2022, 3 April 2022,weblink 31 March 2022, live, Before and during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, several NATO countries sent ground troops, warships and fighter aircraft to reinforce the alliance's eastern flank, and multiple countries again invoked Article 4.NEWS,weblink U.S. sending 3,000 more troops to Poland amid fresh Ukraine invasion warnings, McLeary, Paul, Toosi, Nahal, Politico, 11 February 2022, 3 April 2022, 22 February 2022,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Spain sends warships to Black Sea, considers sending warplanes, Reuters, 21 January 2022, 3 April 2022, 22 January 2022,weblink live, NEWS,weblink Spain will send four fighter jets and 130 troops to Bulgaria, Reuters, 9 February 2022, 3 April 2022, 14 February 2022,weblink live, In March 2022, NATO leaders met at Brussels for an extraordinary summit which also involved Group of Seven and European Union leaders.NEWS,weblink NATO, G7, EU leaders display unity, avoid confrontation with Russia, Deutsche Welle, 25 March 2022, 3 April 2022, 3 April 2022,weblink live, NATO member states agreed to establish four additional battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, and elements of the NATO Response Force were activated for the first time in NATO's history.NEWS,weblink NATO Response Force deploys for first time, Gonzalez, Oriana, Axios, 26 February 2022, 3 April 2022, 20 March 2022,weblink live, As of June 2022, NATO had deployed 40,000 troops along its {{convert|2,500|km|mi|adj=mid|-long|-1}} Eastern flank to deter Russian aggression. More than half of this number have been deployed in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland, which five countries muster a considerable combined ex-NATO force of 259,000 troops. To supplement Bulgaria's Air Force, Spain sent Eurofighter Typhoons, the Netherlands sent eight F-35 attack aircraft, and additional French and US attack aircraft would arrive soon as well.NEWS, NATO BOOSTS FORCES IN EAST TO DETER RUSSIAN MENACE,weblink BIRN, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Balkan Insight, 14 June 2022, 15 June 2022, 15 June 2022,weblink live,

Military operations

Early operations

No military operations were conducted by NATO during the Cold War. Following the end of the Cold War, the first operations, Anchor Guard in 1990 and Ace Guard in 1991, were prompted by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Airborne early warning aircraft were sent to provide coverage of southeastern Turkey, and later a quick-reaction force was deployed to the area.WEB,weblink NATO's Operations 1949–Present, NATO, 2009, 3 March 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130301231459weblink">weblink 1 March 2013, dead,

Bosnia and Herzegovina intervention

File:F-16 deliberate force.JPG|thumb|upright=1.0|right|A USAF aircraft landing during Operation Deliberate Force after the alt=A fighter jet with AV marked on its tail takes off from a mountain runway.The Bosnian War began in 1992, as a result of the breakup of Yugoslavia. The deteriorating situation led to United Nations Security Council Resolution 816 on 9 October 1992, authorizing its member-states to enforce a previously declared no-fly zone under the United Nations Protection Force over central Bosnia and Herzegovina. NATO complied and started enforcing the ban on 12 April 1993 with Operation Deny Flight. From June 1993 until October 1996, Operation Sharp Guard added maritime enforcement of the arms embargo and economic sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On 28 February 1994, NATO took its first wartime action by shooting down four Bosnian Serb aircraft violating the no-fly zone.{{sfn|Zenko|2010|pp=133–134}}On 10 and 11 April 1994, the United Nations Protection Force called in air strikes to protect the Goražde safe area, resulting in the bombing of a Bosnian Serb military command outpost near Goražde by two US F-16 jets acting under NATO direction.{{sfn|Zenko|2010|p=134}} In retaliation, Serbs took 150 U.N. personnel hostage on 14 April.{{citation|title=NATO Handbook: Evolution of the Conflict|publisher=NATO|url=http://www.nato.int/docu/handbook/2001/hb050102.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011107101023weblink|archive-date=7 November 2001 }}UN Document A/54/549, Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to General Assembly resolution 53/35: The fall of Srebrenica, un.org, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912110426weblink |date=12 September 2009}}, accessed 25 April 2015. On 16 April a British Sea Harrier was shot down over Goražde by Serb forces.{{sfn|Bethlehem|Weller|1997|p=liiv}}In August 1995, a two-week NATO bombing campaign, Operation Deliberate Force, began against the Army of the Republika Srpska, after the Srebrenica genocide.{{harvnb|Zenko|2010|pp=137–138}} Further NATO air strikes helped bring the Yugoslav Wars to an end, resulting in the Dayton Agreement in November 1995. As part of this agreement, NATO deployed a UN-mandated peacekeeping force, under Operation Joint Endeavor, named IFOR. Almost 60,000 NATO troops were joined by forces from non-NATO countries in this peacekeeping mission. This transitioned into the smaller SFOR, which started with 32,000 troops initially and ran from December 1996 until December 2004, when operations were then passed onto the European Union Force Althea.{{sfn|Clausson|2006|pp=94–97}} Following the lead of its member states, NATO began to award a service medal, the NATO Medal, for these operations.NEWS,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20120907225123weblink">weblink 7 September 2012, dead, Thousands more now eligible for NATO Medal, Army Times, Jim, Tice, 22 February 2009, 11 April 2012, {{cbignore}}

Kosovo intervention

File:German KFOR troops patrol southern Kosovo, summer 1999.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|German KFORKFORFile:MSU Mitrovica Manbox - Ibar Bridge summer 2019.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|KFOR-MSU Carabinieri Patrols in front of the Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica, KosovoMitrovica, KosovoIn an effort to stop Slobodan MiloÅ¡ević's Serbian-led crackdown on KLA separatists and Albanian civilians in Kosovo, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1199 on 23 September 1998 to demand a ceasefire.{{cn|date=April 2024}}Negotiations under US Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke broke down on 23 March 1999, and he handed the matter to NATO,NEWS,weblink Nato to strike Yugoslavia, BBC News, 24 March 1999, 25 September 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150926010110weblink">weblink 26 September 2015, live, which acted on protecting regional security and started a 78-day bombing campaign on 24 March 1999.NEWS, UN Kosovo mission walks a tightrope, 24 March 2004, BBC News,weblink Nick, Thorpe, 11 April 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120726190617weblink">weblink 26 July 2012, live, Operation Allied Force targeted the military capabilities of what was then the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. During the crisis, NATO also deployed one of its international reaction forces, the ACE Mobile Force (Land), to Albania as the Albania Force (AFOR), to deliver humanitarian aid to refugees from Kosovo.WEB,weblink The Kosovo refugee crisis, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 19 December 2005, 23 July 2023, 23 July 2023,weblink live, The campaign was and has been criticized over its civilian casualties, including the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, and over whether it had legitimacy.The US, the UK, and most other NATO countries opposed efforts to require the UN Security Council to approve NATO military strikes, such as the action against Serbia in 1999, while France and some others claimed that the alliance needed UN approval.NEWS,weblink NATO reaffirms power to take action without UN approval, CNN, 24 April 1999, 4 September 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150128045422weblink">weblink 28 January 2015, live, The US/UK side claimed that this would undermine the authority of the alliance, and they noted that Russia and China would have exercised their Security Council vetoes to block the strike on Yugoslavia, and could do the same in future conflicts where NATO intervention was required, thus nullifying the entire potency and purpose of the organization. Recognizing the post-Cold War military environment, NATO adopted the Alliance Strategic Concept during its Washington summit in April 1999 that emphasized conflict prevention and crisis management.WEB,weblink Allied Command Atlantic, 3 September 2008, NATO Handbook, NATO,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20080813225955weblink">weblink 13 August 2008, MiloÅ¡ević finally accepted the terms of an international peace plan on 3 June 1999, ending the Kosovo War. On 11 June, MiloÅ¡ević further accepted UN resolution 1244, under the mandate of which NATO then helped establish the KFOR peacekeeping force. Nearly one million refugees had fled Kosovo, and part of KFOR's mandate was to protect the humanitarian missions, in addition to deterring violence.WEB,weblink Kosovo Report Card, 28 August 2000, International Crisis Group, 11 April 2012, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120304114736weblink">weblink 4 March 2012, dmy-all, In August–September 2001, the alliance also mounted Operation Essential Harvest, a mission disarming ethnic Albanian militias in the Republic of Macedonia.NEWS,weblink Macedonia mission a success, says Nato, The Daily Telegraph, Toby, Helm, 27 September 2001, 11 April 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120905212636weblink">weblink 5 September 2012, live, {{as of|2023}}, around 4,500 KFOR soldiers, representing 27 countries, continue to operate in the area.WEB,weblink NATO's role in Kosovo, NATO, 10 July 2023, 23 July 2023, 26 June 2023,weblink live,

War in Afghanistan

File:UA Flight 175 hits WTC south tower 9-11 edit.jpeg|thumb|upright=1.0|left|The alt=A monumental green copper statue of a woman with a torch stands on an island in front of a mainland where a massive plume of grey smoke billows among skyscrapers.The September 11 attacks in the United States caused NATO to invoke Article 5 of the NATO Charter for the first time in the organization's history.JOURNAL, 10.1057/s42738-021-00067-0, Creating common sense: Getting NATO to Afghanistan, 2021, Münch, Philipp, Journal of Transatlantic Studies, 19, 2, 138–166, free, The Article states that an attack on any member shall be considered to be an attack on all. The invocation was confirmed on 4 October 2001 when NATO determined that the attacks were indeed eligible under the terms of the North Atlantic Treaty.WEB,weblink NATO Update: Invocation of Article 5 confirmed, 2 October 2001, NATO, 22 August 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100825031521weblink">weblink 25 August 2010, live, The eight official actions taken by NATO in response to the attacks included Operation Eagle Assist and Operation Active Endeavour, a naval operation in the Mediterranean Sea designed to prevent the movement of terrorists or weapons of mass destruction, and to enhance the security of shipping in general, which began on 4 October 2001.The alliance showed unity: on 16 April 2003, NATO agreed to take command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which included troops from 42 countries. The decision came at the request of Germany and the Netherlands, the two countries leading ISAF at the time of the agreement, and all nineteen NATO ambassadors approved it unanimously. The handover of control to NATO took place on 11 August, and marked the first time in NATO's history that it took charge of a mission outside the north Atlantic area.NEWS,weblink NATO takes historic step into Afghanistan, Al Jazeera, Reuters, 11 August 2003, 23 July 2023, 23 July 2023,weblink live, File:210321-D-BN624-1005 (51058690203).jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|General Austin S. Miller (right) became commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan in September 2018 and oversaw the withdrawal until July 2021. Lloyd Austin, the 28th United States Secretary of DefenseUnited States Secretary of DefenseISAF was initially charged with securing Kabul and surrounding areas from the Taliban, al Qaeda and factional warlords, so as to allow for the establishment of the Afghan Transitional Administration headed by Hamid Karzai. In October 2003, the UN Security Council authorized the expansion of the ISAF mission throughout Afghanistan,WEB,weblink UNSC Resolution 1510, October 13, 2003, 5 July 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101009021301weblink">weblink 9 October 2010, live, and ISAF subsequently expanded the mission in four main stages over the whole of the country.WEB,weblink ISAF Chronology, NATO, 5 July 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101113041055weblink">weblink 13 November 2010, live, On 31 July 2006, the ISAF additionally took over military operations in the south of Afghanistan from a US-led anti-terrorism coalition.NEWS,weblink NATO Takes Control of East Afghanistan From U.S.-Led Coalition, Alex, Morales, 5 October 2006, 4 September 2013, Bloomberg L.P.,weblink 24 July 2014, live, Due to the intensity of the fighting in the south, in 2011 France allowed a squadron of Mirage 2000 fighter/attack aircraft to be moved into the area, to Kandahar, in order to reinforce the alliance's efforts.WEB,weblink La France et l'OTAN, Le Monde, fr, France, 16 July 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071012175557weblink">weblink 12 October 2007, live, During its 2012 Chicago Summit, NATO endorsed a plan to end the Afghanistan war and to remove the NATO-led ISAF Forces by the end of December 2014.NEWS, NATO sets "irreversible" but risky course to end Afghan war,weblink Reuters, Reuters, 22 May 2012, 21 May 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121022162349weblink">weblink 22 October 2012, live, ISAF was disestablished in December 2014 and replaced by the follow-on training Resolute Support Mission.NEWS,weblink Nato ends combat operations in Afghanistan, Rasmussen, Sune Engel, 28 December 2014, The Guardian, 24 October 2019, en-GB, 0261-3077, 2 January 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150102134349weblink">weblink live, On 14 April 2021, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance had agreed to start withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan by 1 May.NEWS, NATO to Cut Forces in Afghanistan, Match US Withdrawal,weblink VOA News, 14 April 2021, 17 August 2021, 15 April 2021,weblink live, Soon after the withdrawal of NATO troops started, the Taliban launched an offensive against the Afghan government, quickly advancing in front of collapsing Afghan Armed Forces.NEWS, Afghanistan stunned by scale and speed of security forces' collapse,weblink The Guardian, 13 July 2021, 17 August 2021, 15 August 2021,weblink live, By 15 August 2021, Taliban militants controlled the vast majority of Afghanistan and had encircled the capital city of Kabul.NEWS, Taliban surge in Afghanistan: EU and NATO in state of shock,weblink Deutsche Welle, 16 August 2021, 17 August 2021, 17 August 2021,weblink live, Some politicians in NATO member states have described the chaotic withdrawal of Western troops from Afghanistan and the collapse of the Afghan government as the greatest debacle that NATO has suffered since its founding.NEWS, Afghanistan takeover sparks concern from NATO allies,weblink Deutsche Welle, 16 August 2021, 19 August 2021, 19 August 2021,weblink live, NEWS, Migration fears complicate Europe's response to Afghanistan crisis,weblink Politico, 16 August 2021, 19 August 2021, 19 August 2021,weblink live,

Iraq training mission

(File:Armentani and Trujillo.jpg|thumb|Italian Major General Giovanni Armentani, Deputy Commanding General for the NATO Training Mission, meets with a U.S. Advise and Assist Brigade.)In August 2004, during the Iraq War, NATO formed the NATO Training Mission – Iraq, a training mission to assist the Iraqi security forces in conjunction with the US-led MNF-I.WEB,weblink Official Website, Jfcnaples.nato.int, 29 January 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111212165020weblink">weblink 12 December 2011, live, The NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) was established at the request of the Iraqi Interim Government under the provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546. The aim of NTM-I was to assist in the development of Iraqi security forces training structures and institutions so that Iraq can build an effective and sustainable capability that addresses the needs of the country. NTM-I was not a combat mission but is a distinct mission, under the political control of the North Atlantic Council. Its operational emphasis was on training and mentoring. The activities of the mission were coordinated with Iraqi authorities and the US-led Deputy Commanding General Advising and Training, who was also dual-hatted as the Commander of NTM-I. The mission officially concluded on 17 December 2011.NEWS,weblink NATO closes up training mission in Iraq, Reuters, Rania, El Gamal, 17 December 2011, 17 January 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20111218070636weblink">weblink 18 December 2011, live, Turkey invoked the first Article 4 meetings in 2003 at the start of the Iraq War. Turkey also invoked this article twice in 2012 during the Syrian Civil War, after the downing of an unarmed Turkish F-4 reconnaissance jet, and after a mortar was fired at Turkey from Syria,NEWS,weblink NATO demands halt to Syria aggression against Turkey, Reuters, Adrian, Croft, 3 October 2012, 3 October 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121004011242weblink">weblink 4 October 2012, live, and again in 2015 after threats by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant to its territorial integrity.NEWS,weblink Turkey calls for rare NATO talks after attacks along Syrian border, Ford, Dana, 26 July 2015, Cnn.com, CNN, 26 July 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150727233434weblink">weblink 27 July 2015, live,

Gulf of Aden anti-piracy

(File:Gulf of Aden - disabled pirate boat.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|{{USS|Farragut|DDG-99|6}} destroying a Somali pirate skiff in March 2010|alt=A tall plume of black smoke rises from the blue ocean waters next to a large grey battleship and a small black inflatable boat.)In 2008 the United Nations Secretary-General called on member-states to protect the ships of Operation Allied Provider, which was distributing aid as part of the World Food Programme mission in Somalia.WEB, 30 September 2014, Operation Allied Provider,weblink live,weblink 14 November 2016, 4 April 2024, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, The North Atlantic Council and other countries, including Russia, China and South Korea,WEB,weblink Operation Ocean Shield, NATO, 3 March 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110513125123weblink">weblink 13 May 2011, WEB,weblink 2009 Operation Ocean Shield News Articles, NATO, October 2010, 19 May 2011, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110429152017weblink">weblink 29 April 2011, formed Operation Ocean Shield. The operation sought to dissuade and interrupt pirate attacks, protect vessels, and to increase the general level of security in the region.WEB,weblink Operation Ocean Shield purpose, 12 July 2016, 27 September 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160913104750weblink">weblink 13 September 2016, live, Beginning on 17 August 2009, NATO deployed warships in an operation to protect maritime traffic in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean from Somali pirates, and help strengthen the navies and coast guards of regional states.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

Libya intervention

File:Palmaria bengasi 1903 0612 b1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|Libyan Army Palmaria howitzers destroyed by the French Air Force near alt=Pieces of a destroyed tank, notably the gun turret, lie on a sandy landscape.During the Libyan Civil War, violence between protesters and the Libyan government under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi escalated, and on 17 March 2011 led to the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973, which called for a ceasefire, and authorized military action to protect civilians. A coalition that included several NATO members began enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya shortly afterwards, beginning with Opération Harmattan by the French Air Force on 19 March.{{cn|date=April 2024}}On 20 March 2011, NATO states agreed on enforcing an arms embargo against Libya with Operation Unified Protector using ships from NATO Standing Maritime Group 1 and Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1,WEB,weblink Statement by the NATO Secretary General on Libya arms embargo, NATO, 22 March 2011, 25 March 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110428121505weblink">weblink 28 April 2011, live, and additional ships and submarines from NATO members.WEB,weblink Press briefing by NATO Spokesperson Oana Lungescu, Brigadier General Pierre St-Amand, Canadian Air Force and General Massimo Panizzi, spokesperson of the Chairman of the Military Committee, NATO, 23 March 2011, 25 March 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110428121332weblink">weblink 28 April 2011, live, They would "monitor, report and, if needed, interdict vessels suspected of carrying illegal arms or mercenaries".On 24 March, NATO agreed to take control of the no-fly zone from the initial coalition, while command of targeting ground units remained with the coalition's forces.NEWS,weblinkweblink" title="archive.today/20130217004750weblink">weblink dead, 17 February 2013, NATO reaches deal to take over Libya operation; allied planes hit ground forces, 25 March 2011, Washington Post, NEWS,weblink NATO to police Libya no-fly zone, English.aljazeera.net, 24 March 2011, 25 March 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110326033949weblink">weblink 26 March 2011, live, NATO began officially enforcing the UN resolution on 27 March 2011 with assistance from Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.NEWS,weblink UAE and Qatar pack an Arab punch in Libya operation, Jerusalem Post, se, Arieh, O'Sullivan, 31 March 2011, 29 January 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121106134641weblink">weblink 6 November 2012, live, By June, reports of divisions within the alliance surfaced as only eight of the 28 member states were participating in combat operations,"NATO strikes Tripoli, Gaddafi army close on Misrata" {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812030653weblink |date=12 August 2011 }}, Khaled al-Ramahi. Malaysia Star. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011 resulting in a confrontation between US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and countries such as Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey, and Germany with Gates calling on the latter to contribute more and the latter believing the organization has overstepped its mandate in the conflict.Coughlin, Con (9 June 2011). "Political Gridlock at NATO" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010140850weblink |date=10 October 2017 }}, Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 9 June 2011"Gates Calls on NATO Allies to Do More in Libya" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314100915weblink |date=14 March 2022 }}, Jim Garamone. US Department of Defense. 8 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2011Cloud, David S. (9 June 2011). "Gates calls for more NATO allies to join Libya air campaign" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314100911weblink |date=14 March 2022 }}, Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 June 2011 In his final policy speech in Brussels on 10 June, Gates further criticized allied countries in suggesting their actions could cause the demise of NATO.Burns, Robert (10 June 2011). "Gates blasts NATO, questions future of alliance" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105213305weblink |date=5 November 2013 }}, Washington Times. Retrieved 29 January 2013 The German foreign ministry pointed to "a considerable [German] contribution to NATO and NATO-led operations" and to the fact that this engagement was highly valued by President Obama.Birnbaum, Michael (10 June 2011). "Gates rebukes European allies in farewell speech" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825192654weblink |date=25 August 2017 }}, Washington Post. Retrieved 10 June 2011.While the mission was extended into September, Norway that day (10 June) announced it would begin scaling down contributions and complete withdrawal by 1 August.Amland, Bjoern H. (10 June 2011). "Norway to quit Libya operation by August" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411165833weblink |date=11 April 2020 }}, Associated Press. Earlier that week it was reported Danish air fighters were running out of bombs."Danish planes running out of bombs" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612163628weblink |date=12 June 2011 }}, Times of Malta. 10 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011weblink" title="archive.today/20120724041541weblink">"Danish Planes in Libya Running Out of Bombs: Report", Defense News. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011 The following week, the head of the Royal Navy said the country's operations in the conflict were not sustainable."Navy chief: Britain cannot keep up its role in Libya air war due to cuts" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913110403weblink |date=13 September 2018 }}, James Kirkup. The Telegraph. 13 June 2011. Retrieved 29 January 2013 By the end of the mission in October 2011, after the death of Colonel Gaddafi, NATO planes had flown about 9,500 strike sorties against pro-Gaddafi targets.NEWS,weblink NATO: Ongoing resistance by pro-Gadhafi forces in Libya is 'surprising', The Washington Post, UPI, 11 October 2011, 29 January 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131016020425weblink">weblink 16 October 2013, live, NEWS,weblink NATO strategy in Libya may not work elsewhere, 22 October 2011, USA Today, 21 October 2011, A report from the organization Human Rights Watch in May 2012 identified at least 72 civilians killed in the campaign.NEWS,weblink How Many Innocent Civilians Did NATO Kill in Libya?, Ishaan, Tharoor, 16 May 2012, 9 April 2016, Time Magazine,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160401032328weblink">weblink 1 April 2016, live, Following a coup d'état attempt in October 2013, Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan requested technical advice and trainers from NATO to assist with ongoing security issues.NEWS,weblink NATO to advise Libya on strengthening security forces, Reuters, Adrian, Croft, 1 July 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150930090823weblink">weblink 30 September 2015, live,

Turkish border

Use of Article 5 has been threatened multiple times and four out of seven official Article 4 consultations have been called due to spillover in Turkey from the Syrian civil war. In April 2012, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan considered invoking Article 5 of the NATO treaty to protect Turkish national security in a dispute over the Syrian Civil War.todayszaman.com: "PM: Turkey may invoke NATO's Article 5 over Syrian border fire" {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626182142weblink |date=26 June 2015 }}, 11 April 2012todayszaman.com: "Observers say NATO's fifth charter comes into play if clashes with Syria get worse" {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626180355weblink |date=26 June 2015 }}, 11 April 2012 The alliance responded quickly, and a spokesperson said the alliance was "monitoring the situation very closely and will continue to do so" and "takes it very seriously protecting its members."todayszaman.com: "NATO says monitoring tension in Turkey-Syria border" {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626231647weblink |date=26 June 2015 }}, 12 April 2012After the shooting down of a Turkish military jet by Syria in June 2012 and Syrian forces shelling Turkish cities in October 2012WEB,weblink The consultation process and Article 4, NATO, 24 February 2022, 25 February 2022, 2 April 2022,weblink live, resulting in two Article 4 consultations, NATO approved Operation Active Fence. In the past decade the conflict has only escalated. In response to the 2015 Suruç bombing, which Turkey attributed to ISIS, and other security issues along its southern border,telegraph.co.uk: "Turkey calls for emergency Nato meeting to discuss Isil and PKK" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016195051weblink |date=16 October 2022 }}, 26 July 2015NEWS,weblink Turkey calls for rare NATO talks after attacks along Syrian border, CNN, 27 July 2015, 27 July 2015, Ford, Dana, 16 October 2022,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20221016195052weblink">weblink live, WEB, 27 July 2015, Turkey and U.S. Plan to Create Syria 'Safe Zone' Free of ISIS,weblink Anne, Barnard, Michael R., Gordon, Eric, Schmitt, subscription, live,weblink 16 October 2022, The New York Times, WEB,weblink NATO, Statement by the North Atlantic Council following meeting under Article 4 of the Washington Treaty, 28 July 2015, 27 February 2022, 27 February 2022,weblink live, Turkey called for an emergency meeting. The latest consultation happened in February 2020, as part of increasing tensions due to the Northwestern Syria offensive, which involvedWEB,weblink Russia denies involvement in airstrikes on Turkish troops in Idlib, Daily Sabah, 28 February 2020, 1 March 2022, 28 February 2020,weblink live, Syrian and suspected Russian airstrikes on Turkish troops, and risked direct confrontation between Russia and a NATO member.WEB,weblink Greece 'vetoes NATO statement' on support for Turkey amid Syria escalation, 29 February 2020, 1 March 2022, The Russian military later explained that the Syrian army targeted Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terrorists operating in the province, adding that Syrian government forces were not informed about the Turkish presence in the area., 3 March 2020,weblink dead,

Membership

The 32 NATO members are {{div col|colwidth=20em}}

• {{Flagcountry|Albania}}
• {{Flagcountry|Belgium}}
• {{Flagcountry|Bulgaria}}
• {{Flagcountry|Canada}}
• {{Flagcountry|Croatia}}
• {{Flagcountry|Czech Republic}}
• {{Flagcountry|Denmark}}
• {{Flagcountry|Estonia}}
• {{Flagcountry|Finland}}
• {{Flagcountry|France}}
• {{Flagcountry|Germany}}
• {{Flagcountry|Greece}}
• {{Flagcountry|Hungary}}
• {{Flagcountry|Iceland}}
• {{Flagcountry|Italy}}
• {{Flagcountry|Latvia}}
• {{Flagcountry|Lithuania}}
• {{Flagcountry|Luxembourg}}
• {{Flagcountry|Montenegro}}
• {{Flagcountry|Netherlands}}
• {{Flagcountry|North Macedonia}}
• {{Flagcountry|Norway}}
• {{Flagcountry|Poland}}
• {{Flagcountry|Portugal}}
• {{Flagcountry|Romania}}
• {{Flagcountry|Slovakia}}
• {{Flagcountry|Slovenia}}
• {{Flagcountry|Spain}}
• {{Flagcountry|Sweden}}
• {{Flagcountry|Turkey}}
• {{Flagcountry|United Kingdom}}
• {{Flagcountry|United States}}

{{div col end}}{| class="skin-nightmode-reset-color" style="background:white; color: inherit; border:1px solid rgb(153, 153, 153); margin: 1em auto 1em auto; overflow:auto; overflow-x:auto; overflow-y:hidden;" style="text-align:center;"1000px|alt=A world map with countries in blue, cyan, orange, yellow, purple, and green, based on their NATO affiliation.) style="font-size:85%;"|{|class="wikitable collapsible collapsed skin-nightmode-reset-color" style="background:white; color:inherit; border:1px solid white;"{{legendoutline=black}}NATO members {{legendoutline=black}}Membership Action Plan {{legendoutline=black}}Enhanced Opportunities Partners {{legendoutline=black}}Individual Partnership Action Plan {{legendoutline=black}}Partnership for Peace {{legendoutline=black}}Mediterranean Dialogue {{legendoutline=black}}Istanbul Cooperation Initiative {{legendoutline=black}}Global Partners! style="border:0; background:none; width:3.6em;"| valign="top"{hide}plainlist|

• Albania
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Montenegro
• Netherlands
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
• United States{edih}

{hide}plainlist|

• Bosnia-Herzegovina{edih}

{hide}plainlist|

• Australia
• Georgia
• Jordan
• Ukraine{edih}

{hide}plainlist|

• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Georgia
• Kazakhstan
• Moldova
• Serbia
• Ukraine{edih}

{hide}plainlist|

• Armenia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Georgia
• Ireland
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Malta
• Moldova
• Russia
• Serbia
• Switzerland
• Tajikistan
• Turkmenistan
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan{edih}

{hide}plainlist|

• Algeria
• Egypt
• Israel
• Jordan
• Mauritania
• Morocco
• Tunisia{edih}

{hide}plainlist|

• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Qatar
• United Arab Emirates{edih}

{hide}plainlist|

• Australia
• Colombia
• Iraq
• Japan
• Mongolia
• New Zealand
• Pakistan
• South Korea{edih}

File:World map with tropic of cancer.svg|thumb|Member states of NATO are not obligated to come to the defence of territory south of the Tropic of CancerTropic of CancerNATO has thirty-two members, mostly in Europe with two in North America. Some of these countries also have territory on other continents, which is covered by the security agreements only as far south as the Tropic of Cancer, which together with the Atlantic Ocean defines NATO's "area of responsibility" under Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty. During the original treaty negotiations, the United States insisted that colonies such as the Belgian Congo be excluded from the treaty.{{sfn|Collins|2011|pp=122–123}}WEB,weblink The area of responsibility, NATO Declassified, NATO, 23 February 2013, 28 September 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130601131134weblink">weblink 1 June 2013, live, French Algeria was, however, covered until its independence on 3 July 1962.WEB,weblink Washington Treaty, NATO, 11 April 2011, 28 September 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131016081817weblink">weblink 16 October 2013, live, Twelve of these thirty-two are original members who joined in 1949, while the other twenty joined in one of ten enlargement rounds.NEWS,weblink How does a country join NATO?, Al Jazeera, 12 July 2023, 23 July 2023, 22 July 2023,weblink live,

Special arrangements

The three Nordic countries which joined NATO as founding members, Denmark, Iceland, and Norway, chose to limit their participation in three areas: there would be no permanent peacetime bases, no nuclear warheads and no Allied military activity (unless invited) permitted on their territory. However, Denmark allows the U.S. Space Force to maintain Pituffik Space Base, in Greenland.WEB,weblink Denmark and NATO – 1949, 13 April 2022, 13 April 2022,weblink live, From the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s, France pursued a military strategy of independence from NATO under a policy dubbed "Gaullo-Mitterrandism".WEB, Why the concept of Gaullo-Mitterrandism is still relevant,weblink IRIS, 7 March 2022, 29 April 2019, 7 March 2022,weblink live, Nicolas Sarkozy negotiated the return of France to the integrated military command and the Defence Planning Committee in 2009, the latter being disbanded the following year. France remains the only NATO member outside the Nuclear Planning Group and, unlike the United States and the United Kingdom, will not commit its nuclear-armed submarines to the alliance.

Enlargement

{{stack|File:History of NATO enlargement.svg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|NATO has added 16 new members since German reunification and the end of the alt=A map of Europe with countries labelled in shades of blue, green, and yellow based on when they joined NATO.}}NATO was established on 4 April 1949 by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty (Washington Treaty). The 12 founding members of the alliance were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.WEB, NATO, Member countries,weblink 29 June 2022, NATO, en, 29 March 2020,weblink live, Four new members joined during the Cold War: Greece (1952), Turkey (1952), West Germany (1955) and Spain (1982). Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, many former Warsaw Pact and post-Soviet states sought membership. In 1990, the territory of the former East Germany was added with the reunification of Germany. At the 1999 Washington summit, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic officially joined, and NATO issued new guidelines for membership, with individualized "Membership Action Plans". These plans governed the addition of new members: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia in 2004, Albania and Croatia in 2009, Montenegro in 2017, and North Macedonia in 2020.WEB, NATO, Relations with the Republic of North Macedonia (Archived),weblink 16 February 2022, NATO, en, 10 March 2015,weblink live, Finland and Sweden are the newest members, joining on 4 April 2023 and 7 March 2024 respectively, spurred on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.NEWS,weblink NATO's border with Russia doubles as Finland joins, BBC News, 4 April 2023, 4 April 2023, 4 April 2023,weblink live, Ukraine's relationship with NATO began with the NATO–Ukraine Action Plan in 2002.WEB,weblink NATO Topics: Individual Partnership Action Plans, NATO, 29 January 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130310015635weblink">weblink 10 March 2013, live, In 2010, under President Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine re-affirmed its non-aligned status and renounced aspirations of joining NATO.NEWS,weblink Yanukovych signs law declaring Ukraine's non-aligned status, Kyiv Post, 15 July 2010, 25 February 2022, 2 February 2022,weblink live, During the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution, Russia occupied Crimea and supported armed separatists in eastern Ukraine. As a result, in December 2014 Ukraine's parliament voted to end its non-aligned status,NEWS, Ukraine drops non-aligned status in swipe at Moscow,weblink France 24, 23 December 2014, 8 March 2024, 8 March 2024,weblink live, and in 2019 it enshrined the goal of NATO membership in the Constitution.NEWS, Ukraine's parliament backs changes to Constitution confirming Ukraine's path toward EU, NATO,weblink Ukrainian Independent Information Agency, 7 February 2019, 7 March 2024, 15 February 2022,weblink live, WEB, The law amending the Constitution on the course of accession to the EU and NATO has entered into force {{!, European integration portal|url=https://eu-ua.org/novyny/zakon-pro-zminy-do-konstytuciyi-shchodo-kursu-na-vstup-v-yes-i-nato-nabuv-chynnosti|website=eu-ua.org|access-date=23 March 2021|language=uk|archive-date=28 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928024828weblink|url-status=live}} At the June 2021 Brussels Summit, NATO leaders affirmed that Ukraine would eventually join the Alliance, and supported Ukraine's right to self-determination without interference.WEB,weblink Brussels Summit Communiqué issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels 14 June 2021, NATO, 14 June 2021, 21 February 2022,weblink live, In late 2021, there was another massive Russian military buildup near Ukraine's borders. On 30 November, Russian president Putin said Ukraine joining NATO, and the deployment of missile defense systems or long-range missiles in Ukraine, would be crossing a red line. However, there were no such plans to deploy missiles in Ukraine.NEWS, Russia will act if Nato countries cross Ukraine 'red lines', Putin says,weblink The Guardian, 30 November 2021, 13 December 2021, 17 December 2021,weblink live, NEWS, NATO Pushes Back Against Russian President Putin's 'Red Lines' Over Ukraine,weblink The Drive, 1 December 2021, 13 December 2021, 14 December 2021,weblink live, NEWS, Putin warns Russia will act if NATO crosses its red lines in Ukraine,weblink Reuters, 30 November 2021, 13 December 2021, 19 January 2022,weblink live, The Russian Foreign Ministry drafted a treaty that would forbid Ukraine or any former Soviet state from ever joining NATO.NEWS, Russia demands NATO roll back from East Europe and stay out of Ukraine,weblink Reuters, 17 December 2021, 7 March 2024, 22 February 2022,weblink live, Secretary-General Stoltenberg replied that the decision is up to Ukraine and NATO members, adding "Russia has no veto, Russia has no say, and Russia has no right to establish a sphere of influence to try to control their neighbors".NEWS, NATO chief: "Russia has no right to establish a sphere of influence",weblink Axios, 1 December 2021, 13 December 2021, 14 February 2022,weblink live, NEWS, Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine? And other questions,weblink BBC News, 10 December 2021, 13 December 2021, 19 December 2021,weblink live, NATO offered to improve communications with Russia and discuss missile placements and military exercises, as long as Russia withdrew troops from Ukraine's borders.NEWS, US offers no concessions in response to Russia on Ukraine,weblink Associated Press, 26 January 2022, 7 March 2024, 1 October 2023,weblink live, Instead, Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022 after Russia proclaimed it had annexed the country's southeast.NEWS, 30 September 2022, Ukraine applies for Nato membership after Russia annexes territory, The Guardian,weblink live, 30 September 2022,weblink 1 October 2022, Georgia was promised "future membership" during the 2008 summit in Bucharest,JOURNAL, George J, Teigen JM, 2008, NATO Enlargement and Institution Building: Military Personnel Policy Challenges in the Post-Soviet Context, European Security, 17, 2, 346, 10.1080/09662830802642512, 153420615, but US president Barack Obama said in 2014 that the country was not "currently on a path" to membership.NEWS, Cathcourt, Will, 27 March 2014, Obama Tells Georgia to Forget About NATO After Encouraging It to Join,weblink The Daily Beast, 15 April 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140416193123weblink">weblink 16 April 2014, live, File:We Stand with Ukraine 2022 Helsinki - Finland (51905505001).jpg|thumb|Protestors at a February 2022 rally against Russia's invasion of Ukraine march past the statue of Tsar Alexander II in Senate Square in alt=A crowd of people in winter coats march past a white domed church above a set of snowy stairs, some carrying signs and blue and yellow Ukrainian flags.Russia continued to politically oppose further expansion, seeing it as inconsistent with informal understandings between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and European and US negotiators that allowed for a peaceful German reunification.NEWS, Klussmann, Uwe, Schepp, Matthias, Wiegrefe, Klaus, 26 November 2009, NATO's Eastward Expansion: Did the West Break Its Promise to Moscow?,weblink Spiegel Online, 7 April 2014,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140405190301weblink">weblink 5 April 2014, live, A June 2016 Levada Center poll found that 68 percent of Russians think that deploying NATO troops in the Baltic states and Poland – former Eastern bloc countries bordering Russia – is a threat to Russia.Levada-Center and Chicago Council on Global Affairs about Russian-American relations {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819190307weblink |date=19 August 2017 }}. Levada-Center. 4 November 2016. In contrast, 65 percent of Poles surveyed in a 2017 Pew Research Center report identified Russia as a "major threat", with an average of 31 percent saying so across all NATO countries,NEWS, Pew survey: Russia disliked around world; most in Poland, Turkey see Kremlin as major threat,weblink Kyiv Post, 4 September 2018, 16 August 2017,weblink 23 March 2019, live, and 67 percent of Poles surveyed in 2018 favour US forces being based in Poland.WEB, NATO summit: Poland pins its hopes on the USA,weblink Deutsche Welle, 4 September 2018,weblink 4 September 2018, live, Of non-CIS Eastern European countries surveyed by Gallup in 2016, all but Serbia and Montenegro were more likely than not to view NATO as a protective alliance rather than a threat.WEB, Smith, Michael, Most NATO Members in Eastern Europe See It as Protection, 10 February 2017,weblink Gallup, 4 September 2018,weblink 4 September 2018, live, A 2006 study in the journal Security Studies argued that NATO enlargement contributed to democratic consolidation in Central and Eastern Europe.JOURNAL, Epstein, Rachel, 2006, Nato Enlargement and the Spread of Democracy: Evidence and Expectations, Security Studies, 14, 63, 10.1080/09636410591002509, 143878355, China also opposes further expansion.NEWS, China joins Russia in opposing Nato expansion, BBC News, 4 February 2022,weblink 4 February 2022,weblink 17 February 2022, live,

NATO defense expenditure

Direct contributions

Member states pay for NATO's three common funds (the civil and military budgets and the security investment program) based on a cost-sharing formula that includes per capita gross national income and other factors.WEB,weblink NATO Common Funds Burdensharing: Background and Current Issues, Congressional Research Service, 15 February 2012, 14 February 2024, 14 February 2024,weblink live, NEWS, Farley, Robert, Kiely, Eugene,weblink Fact-checking Trump comments on 'delinquent' NATO countries, Roll Call, 13 February 2024, 14 February 2024, 14 February 2024,weblink live, In 2023–2024, the United States and Germany were the biggest contributors with 16.2% each.WEB,weblink Funding NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, 14 February 2024, 14 February 2024, 13 February 2024,weblink live,

Indirect contributions

Member states pay for and maintain their own troops and equipment. They contribute to NATO operations and missions by committing troops and equipment on a voluntary basis. Since 2006, the goal has been for each country to spend at least 2 percent of its gross domestic product on its own defense; in 2014, a NATO declaration said that countries not meeting the goal would "aim to move towards the 2 percent guideline within a decade".NEWS, Gray, Andrew, Siebold, Sabine,weblink What did Trump say about NATO funding and what is Article 5?, Reuters, 13 February 2024, 14 February 2024, In July 2022, NATO estimated that 11 members would meet the target in 2023. On 14 February 2024, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that 18 member states would meet the 2% target in 2024.NEWS, Sabbagh, Dan,weblink Nato chief rebukes Donald Trump and announces record defence spending, The Guardian, 14 February 2024, 14 February 2024, 14 February 2024,weblink live,

Partnerships with third countries

(File:Cooperative Archer 2007.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|Partnership for Peace conducts multinational military exercises such as Cooperative Archer, which took place in Tbilisi in July 2007 with 500 servicemen from four NATO members, eight PfP members, and Jordan, a Mediterranean Dialogue participant.NEWS,weblink Cooperative Archer military exercise begins in Georgia, 9 July 2007, RIA Novosti, 3 December 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140107122519weblink">weblink 7 January 2014, dead, |alt=Hundreds of soldiers in military uniforms stand behind a line on a tarmac with 14 flags held by individuals at the front.)The Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme was established in 1994 and is based on individual bilateral relations between each partner country and NATO: each country may choose the extent of its participation.WEB,weblink Partnership for Peace, NATO, 3 March 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110301054735weblink">weblink 1 March 2011, live, Members include all current and former members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.WEB,weblink Nato and Belarus – partnership, past tensions and future possibilities, Foreign Policy and Security Research Center, 25 November 2010, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131020091957weblink">weblink 20 October 2013, The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) was first established on 29 May 1997, and is a forum for regular coordination, consultation and dialogue between all fifty participants.WEB,weblink NATO Topics: The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, NATO, 22 August 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20101024110254weblink">weblink 24 October 2010, live, The PfP programme is considered the operational wing of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership. Other third countries have also been contacted for participation in some activities of the PfP framework, such as Afghanistan.WEB,weblink Declaration by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, NATO, 22 August 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100908042229weblink">weblink 8 September 2010, The European Union (EU) signed a comprehensive package of arrangements with NATO under the Berlin Plus agreement on 16 December 2002. With this agreement, the EU was given the possibility of using NATO assets if it wanted to act independently in an international crisis, on the condition that NATO itself did not want to act – the so-called "right of first refusal".WEB, Bram, Boxhoorn, 21 September 2005, ATA Education,weblink Broad Support for NATO in the Netherlands, 7 July 2022,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070218090444weblink">weblink 18 February 2007, For example, Article 42(7) of the 1982 Treaty of Lisbon specifies that "If a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power". The treaty applies globally to specified territories, whereas NATO is restricted under its Article 6 to operations north of the Tropic of Cancer. It provides a "double framework" for the EU countries that are also linked with the PfP programme.WEB, Howorth, Jolyon, Strategic Autonomy and EU-NATO Cooperation: A Win-Win Approach,weblink Cairn Info, 14 April 2023, 28 February 2022,weblink live, WEB, 7 June 2016, Official Journal of the European Union,weblink EUR-Lex, 14 April 2023, 21 March 2023,weblink live, Additionally, NATO cooperates and discusses its activities with numerous other non-NATO members. The Mediterranean Dialogue was established in 1994 to coordinate in a similar way with Israel and countries in North Africa. The Istanbul Cooperation Initiative was announced in 2004 as a dialogue forum for the Middle East along the same lines as the Mediterranean Dialogue. The four participants are also linked through the Gulf Cooperation Council.WEB,weblink NATO Partner countries, NATO, 6 March 2009, 15 June 2011,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110805170235weblink">weblink 5 August 2011, live, In June 2018, Qatar expressed a wish to join NATO,NEWS,weblink Qatar eyes full NATO membership: Defense minister, 5 June 2018, The Peninsula, 11 September 2019, 2 October 2019,weblink live, who ruled it out, saying that only additional European countries could join according to Article 10 of NATO's founding treaty.NEWS,weblink Nato rejects Qatar membership ambition, Dhaka Tribune, 6 June 2018, 11 September 2019, 2 December 2019,weblink live, Qatar and NATO had earlier signed a joint security agreement, in January 2018.WEB,weblink Qatar signs security agreement with NATO, NATO, 16 January 2018, 11 September 2019, 1 October 2019,weblink live, Political dialogue with Japan began in 1990, and since then, the Alliance has gradually increased its contact with countries that do not form part of any of these cooperation initiatives.WEB,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130910234056weblink">weblink dead, NATO Topics:NATO's relations with Contact Countries, 10 September 2013, NATO, In 1998, NATO established a set of general guidelines that do not allow for a formal institutionalization of relations, but reflect the Allies' desire to increase cooperation. Following extensive debate, the term "Contact Countries" was agreed by the Allies in 2000. By 2012, the Alliance had broadened this group, which meets to discuss issues such as counter-piracy and technology exchange, under the names "global partners" or "partners across the globe".NEWS,weblink NATO PARTNERSHIPS: DOD Needs to Assess U.S. Assistance in Response to Changes to the Partnership for Peace Program, United States Government Accountability Office, September 2010, 27 August 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130618101741weblink">weblink 18 June 2013, dead, WEB,weblink Partners, NATO, 2 April 2012, 12 October 2012,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121007061711weblink">weblink 7 October 2012, live, Australia and New Zealand, both contact countries, are also members of the AUSCANNZUKUS strategic alliance, and similar regional or bilateral agreements between contact countries and NATO members also aid cooperation. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that NATO needs to "address the rise of China", by closely cooperating with Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.NEWS, NATO needs to address China's rise, says Stoltenberg,weblink Reuters, 7 August 2019, 11 September 2019, 14 August 2019,weblink live, Colombia is NATO's latest partner and has access to the full range of cooperative activities offered; it is the first and only Latin American country to cooperate with NATO.WEB,weblink Relations with Colombia, nato.int, 19 May 2017, 20 May 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170521075718weblink">weblink 21 May 2017, dead, WEB, 26 May 2018, Colombia to be NATO's first Latin American global partner,weblink Reuters, 14 April 2023, 18 August 2022,weblink live,

Structure

(File:NATO Ministers of Defense and of Foreign Affairs meet at NATO headquarters in Brussels 2010.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|The North Atlantic Council convening in 2010 with a defence/foreign minister configuration)All agencies and organizations of NATO are integrated into either the civilian administrative or military executive roles. For the most part, they perform roles and functions that directly or indirectly support the security role of the alliance as a whole.{{cn|date=April 2024}}The civilian structure includes:

• The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the body which has effective governance authority and powers of decision in NATO, consisting of member states' permanent representatives or representatives at higher level (ministers of foreign affairs or defence, or heads of state or government). The NAC convenes at least once a week and takes major decisions regarding NATO's policies. The meetings of the North Atlantic Council are chaired by the secretary general and, when decisions have to be made, action is agreed upon by consensus.WEB, Topic: Consensus decision-making at NATO, NATO, 5 July 2016,weblink {{sfnref, NATO, 2016, | access-date=25 February 2022 | archive-date=25 February 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225212946weblink | url-status=live }} There is no voting or decision by majority. Each state represented at the Council table or on any of its subordinate committees retains complete sovereignty and responsibility for its own decisions.BOOK,weblink Encyclopedia of Military Science, G. Kurt, Piehler, SAGE Publications, 24 July 2013, 978-1-5063-1081-7, 991–995, 23 July 2023, 23 July 2023,weblink live,
• The NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) is a body that sets broad strategic goals for NATO, which meets at two session per year. NATO PA interacts directly with the parliamentary structures of the national governments of the member states which appoint Permanent Members, or ambassadors to NATO. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is made up of legislators from the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance as well as thirteen associate members. It is however officially a structure different from NATO, and has as aim to join deputies of NATO countries in order to discuss security policies on the NATO Council.WEB,weblink NATO Parliamentary Assembly in brief, The House of Commons, 30 June 2023, 23 July 2023, 23 July 2023,weblink live,
• NATO headquarters, located on Boulevard Léopold III/Leopold III-laan, B-1110 Brussels, which is in the City of Brussels municipality.WEB,weblink NATO homepage, 12 March 2006,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090326073647weblink">weblink 26 March 2009, live, The staff at the Headquarters is composed of national delegations of member countries and includes civilian and military liaison offices and officers or diplomatic missions and diplomats of partner countries, as well as the International Staff and International Military Staff filled from serving members of the armed forces of member states.WEB,weblink NATO Headquarters, NATO, 10 August 2010, 22 August 2010,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20100913014616weblink">weblink 13 September 2010, live, Non-governmental groups have also grown up in support of NATO, broadly under the banner of the Atlantic Council/Atlantic Treaty Association movement.WEB,weblink The Atlantic Council—The Early Years, Small, Melvin, 1 June 1998, NATO, 15 November 2015, 3 March 2016,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20160303170512weblink">weblink live, WEB,weblink Atlantic Treaty Association and Youth Atlantic Treaty Association, 7 April 2016, NATO, 11 March 2022, 30 October 2021,weblink live,

{{NATO commands}}The military structure includes:

• The Military Committee (MC) is the body of NATO that is composed of member states' Chiefs of Defence (CHOD) and advises the North Atlantic Council (NAC) on military policy and strategy. The national CHODs are regularly represented in the MC by their permanent Military Representatives (MilRep), who often are two- or three-star flag officers. Like the council, from time to time the Military Committee also meets at a higher level, namely at the level of Chiefs of Defence, the most senior military officer in each country's armed forces. The MC is led by its chairman, who directs NATO's military operations.WEB,weblink Chair of the Military Committee, NATO, 31 March 2023, 23 July 2023, 26 June 2023,weblink live, Until 2008 the Military Committee excluded France, due to that country's 1966 decision to remove itself from the NATO Military Command Structure, which it rejoined in 1995. Until France rejoined NATO, it was not represented on the Defence Planning Committee, and this led to conflicts between it and NATO members.NEWS,weblink France to rejoin NATO command, CNN, 17 June 2008, 4 September 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20131205111043weblink">weblink 5 December 2013, live, Such was the case in the lead up to Operation Iraqi Freedom.WEB, Thomas, Fuller, Reaching accord, EU warns Saddam of his 'last chance', International Herald Tribune, 18 February 2003,weblink 15 July 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071012115843weblink">weblink 12 October 2007,
• Allied Command Operations (ACO) is the NATO command responsible for NATO operations worldwide.WEB, About us,weblink Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, 6 March 2022, 8 March 2022,weblink live,
• The Rapid Deployable Corps include Eurocorps, I. German/Dutch Corps, Multinational Corps Northeast, and NATO Rapid Deployable Italian Corps among others, as well as naval High Readiness Forces (HRFs), which all report to Allied Command Operations.WEB,weblink The Rapid Deployable Corps, NATO, 26 November 2012, 4 September 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130910135843weblink">weblink 10 September 2013, live,
• Allied Command Transformation (ACT), responsible for transformation and training of NATO forces.WEB, Who We Are,weblink Allied Command Transformation, 6 March 2022, 6 March 2022,weblink live,

Legal authority of NATO commanders

NATO is an alliance of 32 sovereign states and their individual sovereignty is unaffected by participation in the alliance. NATO has no parliaments, no laws, no enforcement, and no power to punish individual citizens. As a consequence of this lack of sovereignty the power and authority of a NATO commander are limited. NATO commanders cannot punish offences such as failure to obey a lawful order; dereliction of duty; or disrespect to a senior officer.JOURNAL, Randall, Thomas E., Legal Authority of NATO Commanders, NATO Legal Gazette, July 2014, 34, 39–45,weblink 29 August 2021, 29 August 2021,weblink live, NATO commanders expect obeisance but sometimes need to subordinate their desires or plans to the operators who are themselves subject to sovereign codes of conduct like the UCMJ. A case in point was the clash between General Sir Mike Jackson and General Wesley Clark over KFOR actions at Pristina Airport.NEWS, Jackson, General Sir Mike, Gen Sir Mike Jackson: My clash with Nato chief,weblinkweblink 10 January 2022, subscription, live, Telegraph Media Group Limited, 4 September 2007, {{cbignore}}NATO commanders can issue orders to their subordinate commanders in the form of operational plans (OPLANs), operational orders (OPORDERs), tactical direction, or fragmental orders (FRAGOs) and others. The joint rules of engagement must be followed, and the Law of Armed Conflict must be obeyed at all times. Operational resources "remain under national command but have been transferred temporarily to NATO. Although these national units, through the formal process of transfer of authority, have been placed under the operational command and control of a NATO commander, they never lose their national character." Senior national representatives, like CDS, "are designated as so-called red-cardholders". Caveats are restrictions listed "nation by nation... that NATO Commanders... must take into account".

See also

• Atlanticism
• Common Security and Defence Policy of the European Union
  • History of the Common Security and Defence Policy
• Ranks and insignia of NATO
• Major non-NATO ally
• List of military alliances
• List of military equipment of NATO
• List of countries in Europe by military expenditures

Similar organizations

• AUKUS (Australia, United Kingdom, United States)
• ANZUS (Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty)
• Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) — Russia and some former Soviet republics
• Five Eyes (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States intelligence services)
• Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA)
• Free World Military Assistance Forces (FWMAF)
• Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance
• Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC)
• Middle East Treaty Organization (METO)
• Northeast Asia Treaty Organization (NEATO)
• Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
• South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone
• Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO)
• United Nations Command (UNC)
• Balkan Pact (SFR Yugoslavia with NATO members Greece and Turkey)

References

{{reflist|30em}}

Works cited

• JOURNAL, Art, Robert J., Robert J. Art, 1998, Creating a Disaster: NATO's Open Door Policy, Political Science Quarterly, 113, 3, 383–403, 2658073, 10.2307/2658073,
• BOOK, Bethlehem, Daniel L., Weller, Marc, The 'Yugoslav' Crisis in International Law, 1997, Cambridge International Documents Series, 5, Cambridge University Press, 978-0-521-46304-1,weblink 27 June 2015, 3 April 2016,weblink live,
• BOOK, Clausson, M.I., NATO: Status, Relations, and Decision-Making, Nova Publishers, 2006, 978-1-60021-098-3,weblink 27 June 2015, 5 April 2016,weblink live,
• BOOK, Collins, Brian J., NATO: A Guide to the Issues, ABC-CLIO, 2011, 978-0-313-35491-5,weblink 27 June 2015, 15 April 2016,weblink live,
• BOOK, van der Eyden, Ton, Public management of society: rediscovering French institutional engineering in the European context, 1, IOS Press, 2003, 978-1-58603-291-3,weblink 27 June 2015, 18 April 2016,weblink live,
• BOOK, Zenko, Micah, Micah Zenko, Between Threats and War: U.S. Discrete Military Operations in the Post-Cold War World, Stanford University Press, 2010,weblink 978-0-8047-7191-7, 27 June 2015, 11 April 2016,weblink live,

Further reading

{{Library resources box}}

• WEB, Atlantic Council of the United States, Transforming the NATO Military Command Structure: A New Framework for Managing the Alliance's Future,weblink August 2003, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20121003015226weblink">weblink 3 October 2012,
• Axelrod, Robert, and Silvia Borzutzky. "NATO and the war on terror: The organizational challenges of the post 9/11 world." Review of International Organizations 1.3 (2006): 293–307. online
• Borawski, John, and Thomas-Durell Young. NATO after 2000: the future of the Euro-Atlantic Alliance (Greenwood, 2001).
• WEB,weblink NATO: The First Five Years, Hastings, Ismay, 1954, NATO, Paris, 4 April 2017, Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay, 15 March 2017,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20170315234941weblink">weblink live,
• Hendrickson, Ryan C. "NATO's next secretary general: Rasmussen's leadership legacy for Jens Stoltenberg." Journal of Transatlantic Studies (2016) 153 pp 237–251.
• WEB,weblink Evolution of NATO's Command Structure 1951–2009, Pedlow, Gregory W., aco.nato.int, NATO ACO, Brussels(?), 18 February 2015,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110721043422weblink">weblink 21 July 2011, dead,
• Sayle, Timothy Andrews. Enduring Alliance: A History of NATO and the Postwar Global Order (Cornell University Press, 2019) online review
• "NATO at 70: Balancing Collective Defense and Collective Security", Special issue of Journal of Transatlantic Studies 172 (June 2019) pp: 135–267.
• NATO Office of Information and Press, NATO Handbook : Fiftieth Anniversary Edition, NATO, Brussels, 1998–99, Second Reprint, {{ISBN|92-845-0134-2}}

External links

{{Sister project links|d=Q7184|s=Portal:NATO|b=no|v=no}}

• {{Official website}}
• Secretary General’s Annual Reports 2011–present
• {{Aljazeera topic|organisations/nato}}
• {{Dawn topic|nato}}
• {{Guardian topic}}
• {{New York Times topic}}

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