NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty, NATO is a security alliance of 28 countries from North America and Europe. NATO's fundamental goal is to safeguard the Allies' freedom and security by political and military means. As we approach the celebration of the Alliance's 60th anniversary at the NATO Summit in Strasbourg-Kehl April 2009, NATO remains the principal security instrument of the transatlantic community and expression of its common democratic values. It is the practical means through which the security of North America and Europe are permanently tied together. NATO enlargement has furthered the U.S. goal of a Europe whole, free, and at peace.
Article 5 of the Washington Treaty -- that an attack against one Ally is an attack against all -- is at the core of the Alliance, a promise of collective defense. Article 4 of the treaty ensures consultations among Allies on security matters of common interest, which after 60 years have expanded from a narrowly defined Soviet threat to the critical mission in Afghanistan, as well as peacekeeping in Kosovo and new threats to security such as cyber attacks, and global threats such as terrorism and piracy that affect the Alliance and its global network of partners.
In addition to its traditional role in the territorial defense of Allied nations, NATO leads the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and has ongoing missions in the Western Balkans, the Mediterranean, and Iraq; it also conducts extensive training exercises and offers security support to partners around the globe, including the European Union in particular but also the United Nations and the African Union.
President Obama scored a huge success at his first NATO Summit -- a strong sense of transatlantic unity, a common strategy and some significant new contributions on Afghanistan, two new NATO Members, France reintegrating into NATO military structures for the first time since the 1960's, and the decision to write a new NATO strategic concept to focus NATO on the security threats of the future. NATO even picked a new Secretary General -- pretty big stuff. DipNote Blog
2009 NATO Summit
April 3-4: Hosted, for the first time, by two Allies – Germany and France – the Summit brought together leaders of all 28 member states. More
Albania and Croatia Join NATO
Deputy Secretary Steinberg accepted Albania's and Croatia's instruments of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty for which the United States is the depositary government. Full Text | Video
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