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The '''North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)''' is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. The organization established a system of collective defence in which its member states agree to mutual defence in response to an attack by any external party. The headquarters of NATO are in [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]].
The '''NATO''' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization'') is a mutual defense treaty established after [[World War II]] by ten European countries and the [[United States of America|U.S.]] and [[Canada]]. The 1949 treaty established a military alliance in response to an attack by any external party. The headquarters of NATO are in [[Brussels]], [[Belgium]].  Since its establishment, an additional 19 countries joined, and Sweden is likely to join shortly, bringing the total to 32.  The NATO alliance is also known by its French acronym, OTAN.


While NATO had long anticipated a Soviet attack, the actual first invocation of the common defense article was in response to the [[9/11 Attack]]. NATO supported the immediate attack on [[Afghanistan]], but did not endorse the [[Iraq War]]; the refusal to do so offended [[America at the Crossroads: Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy|American neoconservatives]].
During the 1990s, NATO took on a peacekeeping role.  NATO forces, composed of troops volunteered by member states, operated as peacekeepers in Bosnia in the 1990s and bombed Serbia in 1999 to protect Kosovo.  The NATO alliance still has troops in Kosovo.
==Structure==
 
At the highest level, there is a Secretary-General, [[Anders Fogh Rasmussen]] of Denmark, and four senior officers from the major military participants in the [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe]] (SHAPE):
While NATO had long held concerns about possible attacks by Russia, the actual first invocation of the common defense article was in response to the [[9/11 Attack|9/11]] attack. NATO supported the immediate attack on Afghanistan, but did not endorse the [[Iraq War]]; the refusal to do so offended [[America at the Crossroads|American neoconservatives]].  
*[[Supreme Allied Commander Europe]], an American four-star officer "dual-hatted" as commander of [[United States European Command]], currently [[ADM]] [[James Stavridis]]
 
*[[Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe]], a British general or admiral who is warfighting leader in Europe, General Sir [[John McColl]]
In 2023, as a result of [[Russia]]'s invasion of the [[Ukraine]], Finland (with its 800-mile border with Russia) abandoned longstanding policies of neutrality and joined NATO.  As a result of the same war, Sweden is also seeking membership but is currently being blocked mainly by Turkey (a unanimous vote is required to admit new member states).<ref name=Biden />  On July 11, it was announced as the NATO summit takes place that Turkey would allow Sweden to join NATO after all.
*[[Supreme Allied Commander Transformation]], a French general or admiral based in the U.S., currently GEN [[Stéphane Abrial]]
 
*[[SHAPE Chief of Staff]], a German general or admiral, General Karl-Heinz Lather
Since 2014, Jens Stoltenberg has been the secretary general of NATO; he is a former Norwegian prime minister and agreed in 2023 to extend his mandate until October 2024.
==Military planning and interoperability==
 
==Current deployments==
== NATO Allies ==
One of the challenges is that military decisions now need to be made by consensus of the 26 members; member militaries also may need to clear orders from the NATO tactical commander with their home government.  
NATO has 31 member countries, called NATO Allies, in 2023.  Each country is a sovereign state, and through NATO, they discuss political and security issues and make collective decisions by consensus.  A map of NATO countries can be viewed on the New York Times website.<ref name=NATOmap />
===Afghanistan===
 
There is a substantial military force in [[Afghanistan]], including U.S. forces, although there are also independent U.S. forces there not under ISAF command.
<!-- <div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"> -->
*[[International Security Assistance Force]] (ISAF), commanded by [[GEN]] [[Stanley McChrystal]], [[United States Army]]
<div class="toccolours mw-collapsible mw-expanded">
===Kosovo===
<div class="mw-collapsible-content">{{NATO countries}}</div>
KFOR is the [[peace operations]] force in Kosovo, under the authority of [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244]].
</div>
*[[Kosovo Force]] (KFOR)
 
===Historic events===
==History==
 
After WWII, both Germanies were demilitarized.  [[Wiederbewaffnung]] was the political goal of West German rearmament and integration with NATO.
 
== Notes ==
<references>
 
<ref name=Biden>
[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/07/03/biden-makes-what-may-be-legacy-defining-push-expanding-nato/ Biden Makes What May Be a Legacy Defining Push Expanding NATO], Washington Post, 7/3/2023.
</ref>
 
<ref name=NATOmap>
[https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-nato.html What Is NATO, and How Has the War in Ukraine Changed It?] on the New York Times website shows a map of NATO countries as of June 2023, 7/10/2023.
</ref>
 
</references>
 
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Latest revision as of 11:00, 22 September 2024

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The NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is a mutual defense treaty established after World War II by ten European countries and the U.S. and Canada. The 1949 treaty established a military alliance in response to an attack by any external party. The headquarters of NATO are in Brussels, Belgium. Since its establishment, an additional 19 countries joined, and Sweden is likely to join shortly, bringing the total to 32. The NATO alliance is also known by its French acronym, OTAN.

During the 1990s, NATO took on a peacekeeping role. NATO forces, composed of troops volunteered by member states, operated as peacekeepers in Bosnia in the 1990s and bombed Serbia in 1999 to protect Kosovo. The NATO alliance still has troops in Kosovo.

While NATO had long held concerns about possible attacks by Russia, the actual first invocation of the common defense article was in response to the 9/11 attack. NATO supported the immediate attack on Afghanistan, but did not endorse the Iraq War; the refusal to do so offended American neoconservatives.

In 2023, as a result of Russia's invasion of the Ukraine, Finland (with its 800-mile border with Russia) abandoned longstanding policies of neutrality and joined NATO. As a result of the same war, Sweden is also seeking membership but is currently being blocked mainly by Turkey (a unanimous vote is required to admit new member states).[1] On July 11, it was announced as the NATO summit takes place that Turkey would allow Sweden to join NATO after all.

Since 2014, Jens Stoltenberg has been the secretary general of NATO; he is a former Norwegian prime minister and agreed in 2023 to extend his mandate until October 2024.

NATO Allies

NATO has 31 member countries, called NATO Allies, in 2023. Each country is a sovereign state, and through NATO, they discuss political and security issues and make collective decisions by consensus. A map of NATO countries can be viewed on the New York Times website.[2]

Click on a column header to sort the table by that item.

1ISO 3166 ALPHA-3 code

No  Name  Short1  Year  Capital 
1 Albania ALB 2009 Tirana
2 Belgium BEL 1949 Brussels
3 Bulgaria BGR 2004 Sofia
4 Canada CAN 1949 Ottowa
5 Croatia HRV 2009 Zagreb
6 Czechia CZE 1999 Prague
7 Denmark DNK 1949 Copenhagen
8 Estonia EST 2004 Tallinn
9 Finland FIN 2023 Helsinki
10 France FRA 1949 Paris, France
11 Germany DEU 1955 Berlin
12 Greece GRC 1951 Athens
13 Hungary HUN 1999 Budapest
14 Iceland ISL 1949 Reykjavik
15 Italy ITA 1949 Rome
16 Latvia LVA 2004 Riga
17 Lithuania LTU 2004 Vilnius
18 Luxembourg LUX 1949 ?
19 Montenegro MNE 2017 Podgorica
20 Netherlands NLD 1949 ?
21 North Macedonia ? 2020 Skopje
22 Norway NOR 1949 Oslo
23 Poland POL 1999 Warsaw
24 Portugal PRT 1949 Lisbon
25 Romania ROU 2004 Bucharest
26 Slovakia SVK 2004 Bratislava
27 Slovenia SVN 2004 Ljubljana
28 Spain ESP 1982 Madrid
29 Türkiye TUR 1952 Ankara
30 United Kingdom GBR 1949 London, United Kingdom
31 United States USA 1949 Washington, D.C.

NOTE: Contents of the above table is from this template.

History

After WWII, both Germanies were demilitarized. Wiederbewaffnung was the political goal of West German rearmament and integration with NATO.

Notes

  1. ↑ Biden Makes What May Be a Legacy Defining Push Expanding NATO, Washington Post, 7/3/2023.
  2. ↑ What Is NATO, and How Has the War in Ukraine Changed It? on the New York Times website shows a map of NATO countries as of June 2023, 7/10/2023.
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