Image Source: NATO

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The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a military alliance comprising 32 member countries.

The alliance was established under the North Atlantic Treaty (1949) to deter the Soviet Union and its similar alliance of (now former) Communist states in Eastern Europe: the Warsaw Pact (established in 1955).

The alliance is underpinned by the principles of collective defence and deterrence (including nuclear weapons).

Perhaps the most well-known NATO policy is under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which considers an attack on one member state as “an attack on all”¹. This has only been enacted once (by the United States following the September 11^th 2001 terrorist attacks), though several member states have asked for defence consultations as a step below Article 5 (“Article 4”).

Although the alliance was established mainly to counter the Soviet Union, it has been involved in other military campaigns since the end of the Cold War. These include intervention in the Yugoslav Wars, the Afghan War, air strikes against Libya in 2011, anti-piracy operations off Somalia and ongoing maritime patrols in the Mediterranean Sea.

More recently, attention has turned once again towards Russia following its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent full-scale invasion of the rest of Ukraine in 2022 (ongoing as of October 2025).

NATO’s eastern borders (which now include the Baltic states, Poland, Sweden and Finland) are considered a high priority for reinforcement and deterrence (“Operation Eastern Sentry”).

While this is purely a defensive move, Russia has long used NATO’s expansion into former Warsaw Pact states (dubbed the “Eastern Flank”) – which Russia considers part of their “sphere of influence” – as justification for their increased aggression and use of hybrid warfare, such as sabotage and incursions into NATO airspace and maritime territories.

Security Partnerships

NATO has security partnerships with countries outside of the alliance.

In Europe, the most important one is the Partnership for Peace. This involves nearly every country in Europe. The goal of the partnership is to guarantee stability in both NATO and non-NATO members, taking in neutral countries such as Austria, Switzerland and Ireland. Russia and Belarus have been suspended as of 2014 and 2021 respectively.

NATO also has high-level partnerships and forums with North Africa (Mediterranean Dialogue), the Gulf States (Istanbul Cooperation Initiative), as well as one-to-one partnerships with other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.

NATO's Decision-Making Bodies

NATO is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. The day-to-day management of the alliance is handled by NATO’s Secretary-General, who is usually appointed by member states for a four-year term.

NATO’s political decision-making body is the North Atlantic Council (NAC)², made up of one representative from each member state.

Each member state appoints a permanent representative to NATO, but the NAC meets several times a year with the relevant ministers or heads of government taking their country’s seat. A summit of NATO heads of state or government is normally held once a year.

NATO’s Military Committee (MC)³ consists of senior military officers from member states. The MC discusses military policy and strategy. When NATO forces are in active operation, they advise the North Atlantic Council on the military situation.

Decisions are usually made by consensus. There are no votes. Instead, NATO adopts a position that’s acceptable to all members⁴.