75 years of North Atlantic Treaty Organization

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) pompously celebrated the anniversary of its establishment on April 4, 75 years ago. On this day in 1949, western nations gathered in Washington, DC, to commit their nations to one another’s defence.

ABOUT NATO:

• The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established on April 4, 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.
• The North Atlantic Treaty also known as the Washington Treaty was the first peacetime military alliance between the United States and non-western countries.
• NATO’s main headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium.
• NATO Member:
  • The original 12 founding members of NATO were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
  • NATO has expanded since its founding, with new member countries joining in multiple rounds. The alliance currently consists of 32-member countries.
• NATO’s primary mission is collective defence, as outlined in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. This article stipulates that an attack on one-member country will be considered an attack on all, and the members will respond collectively.
• NATO members have committed to spending at least 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) every year on defence.