NATO – the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – is a transatlantic security alliance, which was formed in Washington DC in 1949 by 12 countries.
Established during the Cold War, NATO at present consists of thirty-two member countries, including the United States. NATO is headquartered in Brussels.
Nato’s primary purpose was to block expansion in Europe by the Soviet Union – a group of communist republics dominated by Russia which was dissolved in 1991.
Members of NATO
Founding members
1949 – Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom, United States
Cold War expansion
1952 – Greece, Turkey
1955 – West Germany
1982 – Spain
Post–Cold War expansion
1990 – Germany
1999 – Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland
2004 – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia
2009 – Albania, Croatia
2017 – Montenegro
2020 – North Macedonia
2023 – Finland
2024 – Sweden
Structure of NATO
NATO’s military structure comprises two strategic commands: the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, located near Mons, Belgium, and the Allied Command Transformation, located in Norfolk, Virginia.
The supreme allied commander Europe oversees all NATO military operations and is always a U.S. flag or general officer. Although the alliance has an integrated command, most forces remain under their respective national authorities until NATO operations commence.
NATO’s secretary-general, is the alliance’s civilian leader. The secretary-general is also charged with chairing NATO’s principal political body, the North Atlantic Council, which is composed of high-level delegates from each member state.
Can individual states initiate action outside NATO’s auspices?
NATO is a consensus-based alliance in which decisions must be unanimous. However, individual states or subgroups of allies can initiate action outside NATO’s auspices. For instance, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom began policing a UN-sanctioned no-fly zone in Libya in early 2011 before transferring command of the operation to NATO.
Are member states required to participate in every NATO operation?
Member states are not required to participate in every NATO operation; Germany and Poland declined to contribute directly to the campaign in Libya.
What is Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty?
Article 5 is one of Nato’s core principles. It says that an armed attack against one or more members will be considered an attack against all.
In response, each other member would take “such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area”.
The guarantee does not cover bases in foreign countries or territories outside the alliance area – which is why it did not apply during the Vietnam War or the Falkland Islands conflict.
The alliance does not have its own army, but member states can take collective military action in response to international crises. For instance, Nato supported the UN by intervening in the war in the former Yugoslavia between 1992 and 2004.
It also co-ordinates military plans and carries out joint military exercises.
NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in 2001, after the September 11 attacks organized by Osama bin Laden destroyed the World Trade Center in New York City and part of the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., killing some 3,000 people.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
QUES . Consider the following countries: UPSC 2025
I. Austria
II. Bulgaria
III. Croatia
IV. Serbia
V. Sweden
VI. North Macedonia
How many of the above are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?
(a) Only three
(b) Only four
(c) Only five
(d) All the six
Answer (b)
