What is NATO? Why was it formed and why does it still exist? Who pays for it and how do nations become new Allies?
Since its origins in the aftermath of the Second World War, NATO has stood as a guarantee for peace in the Euro-Atlantic area. Through cooperation and dialogue, while deterring aggression from potential adversaries, the Alliance has grown from 12 to 32 members, who are committed to safeguarding the freedom and security of all Allies against any threat.
NATO members share the cost of running the Alliance and contribute forces and capabilities. They make decisions by consensus and work worldwide with non-NATO countries, known as partners, to respond to crises.
Working together and investing in innovation means that NATO and its partners can adapt to evolving threats like terrorism, cyber warfare and the effects of climate change.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s military build-up have proven that we now live in a world that is more and more unpredictable. This means that NATO’s core mission is more relevant than ever – to secure peace and freedom, and protect its 1 billion citizens.
Transcript
VOICEOVER—
NATO, OR THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION,
WAS FOUNDED IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR
TO MAINTAIN PEACE AND FREEDOM AND PREVENT CONFLICT.
IN 1949, FACING A GROWING THREAT FROM THE SOVIET UNION,
12 COUNTRIES FROM EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA SIGNED A TREATY, COMMITTING TO THE PRINCIPLE OF COLLECTIVE DEFENCE:
AN ATTACK AGAINST ONE OF THESE COUNTRIES WOULD BE CONSIDERED AN ATTACK AGAINST ALL OF THEM.
SINCE THEN, NATO HAS HELPED TO PRESERVE PEACE FOR ITS MEMBERS BY PROVIDING A UNIQUE FORUM FOR DIALOGUE,
PEACEFUL RESOLUTION OF DISPUTES
AND COOPERATION ON A WIDE RANGE OF POLITICAL AND SECURITY-RELATED ISSUES,
AND ALSO BY DETERRING AGGRESSION
FROM POTENTIAL ADVERSARIES.
TODAY, NATO HAS 32 MEMBER COUNTRIES FROM EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA, KNOWN AS ALLIES. NATO’S FOUNDING TREATY ALLOWS
FOR OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO JOIN THE ALLIANCE,
AS LONG AS ALL EXISTING MEMBERS AGREE AND REQUIREMENTS ARE MET.
ASPIRING MEMBERS MUST SHARE NATO’S CORE VALUES OF INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY,
HUMAN RIGHTS,
DEMOCRACY
AND THE RULE OF LAW
AND ALSO ADHERE TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER.
THEY HAVE TO FULFIL POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND MILITARY OBLIGATIONS,
INCLUDING BEING ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE SECURITY OF THE EURO-ATLANTIC AREA.
THEY MUST ALSO HAVE A FUNCTIONING DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL SYSTEM AND BE COMMITTED TO PREVENTING CRISES AND CONFLICTS.
NATO’S ENLARGEMENT PROMOTES STABILITY AND COOPERATION, AND CONTRIBUTES TO BUILDING A EUROPE WHOLE AND FREE, UNITED IN PEACE AND DEMOCRACY.
NATO WORKS WITH A WIDE NETWORK OF NON-MEMBER COUNTRIES ACROSS THE GLOBE, WHICH ARE CALLED NATO PARTNERS.
THE ALLIANCE ALSO COLLABORATES CLOSELY WITH OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS, SUCH AS THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE UNITED NATIONS, TO CONTRIBUTE TO PEACE AND SECURITY.
THESE ORGANISATIONS AND PARTNER COUNTRIES TEAM UP WITH NATO ON MANY ACTIVITIES,
INCLUDING MILITARY TRAINING EXERCISES,
CRISIS PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT,
INFORMATION-SHARING AND MUCH MORE.
THESE PARTNERSHIPS ALLOW NATO AND ITS PARTNERS TO TACKLE COMMON CHALLENGES
LIKE TERRORISM, CYBER ATTACKS OR CLIMATE CHANGE.
COOPERATING WITH PARTNERS THAT SHARE NATO’S CORE VALUES CONTRIBUTES TO STABILITY
BEYOND OUR BORDERS AND ENHANCES OUR SECURITY AT HOME.
WHEN YOU HEAR THE WORD ‘NATO’,
YOU PROBABLY THINK OF PLANES, BATTLESHIPS AND ARMIES.
BUT THE TRUE HEART OF NATO IS CONSENSUS.
NATO IS A PLACE WHERE COUNTRIES COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS SECURITY ISSUES
AND AGREE ON COMMON RESPONSES.
ALL MEMBER COUNTRIES ARE REPRESENTED EQUALLY IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL, THE CHIEF POLITICAL DECISION-MAKING BODY OF THE ALLIANCE.
DECISIONS ARE AGREED BY ALL ALLIES.
THIS MEANS THAT WHEN NATO ACTS, IT REFLECTS THE COLLECTIVE WILL OF ALL ITS MEMBERS.
NATO IS ALSO THE ONLY PLACE THAT BRINGS EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA TOGETHER EVERY DAY TO ADDRESS ISSUES RELATED TO OUR SECURITY AND DEFENCE, DEMONSTRATING WITH CONCRETE ACTIONS OUR STRONG TRANSATLANTIC BOND.
THERE IS NO “NATO ARMY”. NATO RELIES ON MEMBER STATES TO CONTRIBUTE FORCES.
EVERY COUNTRY BRINGS SOMETHING TO THE TABLE, FROM TROOPS AND TANKS TO SUBMARINES AND FIGHTER JETS.
ALLIES EFFECTIVELY WORK TOGETHER BY USING NATO STANDARDS, WHICH RANGE FROM AMMUNITION SIZES
TO THE WORDS THAT TROOPS USE TO COMMUNICATE.
ALLIES ALSO VOLUNTEER TO LEAD MILITARY EXERCISES AND HOST NATO FACILITIES ON THEIR TERRITORY, ENSURING SECURITY ACROSS THE EURO-ATLANTIC AREA.
EVERY NATO COUNTRY CONTRIBUTES TO THE COSTS OF RUNNING THE ALLIANCE, BASED ON A CALCULATION LINKED TO GROSS NATIONAL INCOME.
AND EVERY MEMBER ALSO CONTRIBUTES WITH A PERCENTAGE OF ITS BUDGET AND PROVIDES FORCES AND CAPABILITIES TO NATO.
ALLIES SHARE THE COSTS OF NATO’S OPERATIONS AND MISSIONS, HEADQUARTERS,
COMMAND STRUCTURE AND JOINTLY OWNED EQUIPMENT.
IN CERTAIN CASES, GROUPS OF ALLIES CAN ALSO BUILD NEW INITIATIVES,
LIKE ITS MULTINATIONAL FUND TO SUPPORT RESEARCH AND INVESTMENTS IN CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY.
THESE FUNDS ENSURE THAT NATO CAN FULFIL ITS MAIN MISSION:
SAFEGUARDING THE FREEDOM AND SECURITY OF ALL ITS MEMBERS EVERY DAY.
USING BOTH POLITICAL AND MILITARY TOOLS, NATO CAN RESPOND TO LARGE-SCALE CRISES,
INCLUDING CONFLICTS, NATURAL DISASTERS OR HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCIES.
FOR EXAMPLE, NATO AND ITS PARTNERS HELP BUILD SECURITY AND STABILITY IN THE WESTERN BALKANS
AND COOPERATE TO FIGHT TERRORISM.
NATO ALSO PROVIDES ASSISTANCE DURING VARIOUS EMERGENCIES AFFECTING PEOPLE, LIKE DEVASTATING FLOODING,
PANDEMICS
OR EARTHQUAKES.
FOLLOWING RUSSIA’S FULL-SCALE INVASION OF UKRAINE IN 2022,
NATO ENHANCED THE SECURITY AND PROTECTION OF ITS ONE BILLION CITIZENS BY REINFORCING ITS PRESENCE IN THE AIR,
AT SEA
AND ON LAND IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE ALLIANCE.
NATO ALSO HELPS TO PREVENT CRISES, BOTH BY DIPLOMATIC MEANS AND BY DETERRING AGGRESSION.
THE STRENGTH AND UNITY OF ALLIES, WHO ARE COMMITTED TO COLLECTIVE DEFENCE, SENDS A POWERFUL MESSAGE, DISCOURAGING ANY POTENTIAL ADVERSARIES FROM ATTACKING A NATO MEMBER COUNTRY.
TODAY, RUSSIA IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AND DIRECT THREAT TO THE ALLIANCE’S SECURITY
USING CONVENTIONAL,
CYBER AND HYBRID MEANS IN AN ATTEMPT TO DESTABILISE NATO AND ITS PARTNERS.
RUSSIA’S WAR AGAINST UKRAINE HAS SHATTERED PEACE IN EUROPE.
TERRORISM CONTINUES TO REPRESENT A GLOBAL SECURITY CHALLENGE.
CONFLICT AND INSTABILITY IN AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST DIRECTLY CAUSE LARGE-SCALE MIGRATION AND LOSS OF LIFE.
THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, UNSTABLE INSTITUTIONS, HEALTH EMERGENCIES
AND FOOD INSECURITY IN THESE REGIONS CAN ALSO LEAD TO THE GROWTH OF TERRORIST GROUPS.
CHINA’S MILITARY BUILD-UP AND COERCIVE POLICIES CHALLENGE NATO’S INTERESTS, SECURITY AND VALUES.
ITS MALICIOUS HYBRID AND CYBER OPERATIONS,
INCLUDING DISINFORMATION CAMPAIGNS, TARGET ALLIES AND THREATEN OUR SECURITY.
NATO IS ALSO FACED WITH SECURITY CHALLENGES FROM THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW TECHNOLOGIES LIKE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE,
THE EROSION OF ARMS CONTROL AGREEMENTS
AND THREATS TO ENERGY SUPPLIES.
SINCE THE ALLIANCE WAS FOUNDED, THE WORLD HAS FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED, BUT NATO’S MAIN GOAL REMAINS UNCHANGED.
YEAR AFTER YEAR, THE ALLIANCE WILL CONTINUE TO ADAPT TO KEEP ITS CITIZENS SAFE, REMAINING READY TO FACE TOMORROW'S CHALLENGES.
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