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10 Things to know about the NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, better known as NATO, is a defense organization and security alliance. The organization is between 30 independent nations in Europe and North America. Amazingly, NATO was the first peacetime military alliance the United States entered into outside of the Western Hemisphere.

It was formed in the wake of World War 2 to deter militarised nationalism and the expansion of the Soviet Union. NATO operates on the principle that an attack on one member state is an attack on all members, promising collective defense.

The organization has two official languages, English and French. The organization鈥檚 motto is animus in consulendo liber (Latin for 鈥渁 mind unfettered in deliberation

The alliance has been involved in the Bosnian War, the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, and various other conflicts, relief efforts, and counter-piracy operations.

NATO鈥檚 main headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium. NATO鈥檚 military headquarters are near Mons, Belgium. Also, read 10 Things to know about the NATO.

1. The Organisation was Established on 4 April  1949

In the wake of World War II and the outset of the Cold War, France, and the United  Kingdom signed the Treaty of Dunkirk on March 4, 1947. It was signed as a treaty of alliance and mutual assistance in case of potential attacks by Germany or the Soviet Union.

The Benelux nations were added to this alliance in March 1948. They were added as part of the Treaty of Brussels, creating the Brussels Treaty Organization also known as the Western Union.

The Truman Doctrine,  the country鈥檚 foreign policy, encouraged international solidarity against what it saw as communist aggression, such as the February 1948 coup d鈥櫭﹖at in Czechoslovakia. Talks for a larger military alliance, which could include North America, also started that month in the United States.  

As a result of negotiations, The North Atlantic Treaty was signed on April  4, 1949. It was signed by the Western Union member states as well as the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland.

Up to the start of the Korean War, the North Atlantic Treaty was essentially inert. This is when NATO was founded to put it into effect with an integrated military structure.

2. The Initial Members of NATO were Twelve

NATO was founded with twelve original members. However, it has since gained eight new members, most recently North Macedonia in March 2020. Finland and Sweden are expected to become the 31^st and 32^nd members of the North Atlantic Treaty.  Their Accession Protocols to the North Atlantic Treaty are now undergoing ratification by the current members.

Additionally, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, and Ukraine are currently recognized by NATO as prospective members. The twenty new nations that have joined NATO鈥檚 Partnership for Peace initiative have caused tensions with non-member Russia. Nineteen additional nations take part in NATO鈥檚 institutionalized discussion programs.

3. NATO faced a Significant Challenge in the Early and Middle 1950s

The negotiations over West Germany鈥檚 membership in NATO in the early and middle 1950s were a significant challenge for the organization. Understandably, the idea of a rearmed Germany caused widespread trepidation and uneasiness in western Europe. However,  it has long been understood that the continent needs Germany to remain strong to defend itself from a potential Soviet invasion.

Therefore, plans for West Germany鈥檚 鈥渟afe鈥� participation in the alliance were developed as part of the Paris Agreements of October 1954. The agreement put an end to the western Allies鈥� occupation of West German territory and included provisions for West Germany鈥檚 armament limitations. Moreover,  its ratification of the Brussels Treaty.

 The Soviet Union established the Warsaw Pact alliance in central and eastern Europe the same year that West Germany joined NATO in May 1955, which was a direct result. The NATO alliance afterward received numerous divisions and sizable air units from the West Germans.

Approximately 900,000 soldiers were stationed in West Germany at the end of the Cold War. Half of the soldiers came from six other nations (the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Canada, and the Netherlands).

4. It has No Laws to Punish Specific Citizens

Parliaments, laws, enforcement, and the ability to punish specific citizens are all absent from NATO. A NATO commander鈥檚 power and authority are constrained as a result of this absence of sovereignty.

 Offenses include disobeying a valid order and neglecting one鈥檚 obligations. Moreover, being disrespectful to a superior officer is not punishable by NATO commanders. NATO commanders demand obedience, but occasionally they must defer to the wishes or plans of the operators who are also bound by sovereign standards of conduct like the UCMJ.

NATO members have the option of issuing tactical guidance, operational orders, operational plans, or fragmental commands to their subordinate commanders (FRAGOs). The Law of Armed Conflict must always be complied with, as well as the joint rules of engagement.

5. NATO鈥檚 Article 5 was once  Invoked

The North Atlantic Treaty鈥檚 Article 5 expresses the core values of NATO. In this article, each of the signatory members agrees that, in the event of an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America, it will be considered an attack against them all. As a result, they agree that, in the event of such an attack, each of them will support the Party or Parties so attacked by immediately taking, individually and in coordination with the other Parties, whatever action it deems necessary.

However, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in 2001. The article was invoked following the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City and a portion of the Pentagon outside of Washington, D.C. by the exiled Saudi Arabian businessman Osama bin Laden. This destruction resulted in the deaths of about 3,000 people.

6. France left and then rejoined, NATO鈥檚 Military Command

After 1958, Pres. Charles de Gaulle began to criticize NATO’s dominance by the United States and the encroachment of its numerous international staff and activities on French sovereignty. As a result, France’s relationship with NATO deteriorated.

Consequently, he claimed, France would be susceptible to “automatic” war at the whim of foreigners. Although de Gaulle pledged ongoing French allegiance to the North Atlantic Treaty in the event of an “unprovoked invasion,” France formally withdrew from the military command structure of NATO in July 1966 and demanded that NATO personnel and headquarters leave French territory.

 France continued to participate in the council, and maintain and deploy ground forces in West Europe after NATO’s headquarters relocated from Paris to Brussels. France also maintained a liaison relationship with NATO’s integrated military staff. However, In 2009 France rejoined the military command structure of NNATO.

7. NATO took part in the Bosnian War

As a result of Yugoslavia鈥檚 breakup, the Bosnian War broke out in 1992. The UN Security Council issued Resolution 816 on October 9, 1992, ordering a no-fly zone over central Bosnia and Herzegovina. On April 12, 1993, NATO started enforcing the no-fly zone with Operation Deny Flight.

Operation Sharp Guard, which ran from June 1993 to October 1996, added marine enforcement of the arms embargo and economic sanctions against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. By shooting down four Bosnian Serb aircraft that were flying outside of the no-fly zone on February 28, 1994, NATO engaged in its first combat operation.

NATO actively entered the conflict in 1995. It launched airstrikes near Sarajevo against Bosnia-Serb strongholds. The organization deployed roughly 60,000 soldiers. Amazingly, NATO helped to end the conflict by focusing on the Army of the Republika Srpska.

8. It Receives Funding from its Members

All of NATO鈥檚 members contribute financially, both directly and indirectly. A cost-sharing mechanism based on the gross national income of each member is used to allocate contributions from all member countries to the organization鈥檚 operations.

The money is used to pay for the organization鈥檚 operational expenses, such as paying staff salaries and other expenses involved in keeping its activities in operation.

9. Members of NATO are required to Devote 2% of their GDP to defense

All NATO members are required to devote at least 2% of their GDP to the military.  Currently, only a small percentage of NATO members spend 2% or more on defense, with the US and the UK being two of those countries. According to NATO predictions, 15 member nations will have achieved the 2% goal by 2024.

10. NATO lacks an Armed Force of its own

 Although NATO is primarily a military organization, it does not have a regular force of its own. However, it has a military command structure that participates in peacekeeping operations alongside the forces of member nations.

The multinational, integrated force is constantly available to execute responsibilities ranging from taking part in joint military drills to leading NATO missions and is ready to go into action when required. Additionally, in member states鈥� territories where they are unable to do so on their own, the standing forces carry out air and sea patrol missions.