North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Definition

NATO is a military alliance established in 1949, consisting of 30 countries from North America and Europe committed to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party. It functions as a platform for political and military cooperation to safeguard the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.

Related terms

Collective Defense: A security arrangement where each member agrees to mutually defend any member that is attacked by an external party.

Article 5: The clause within the NATO treaty that states an armed attack against one or more members is considered an attack against all members, obligating them to assist the attacked member(s).

Cold War: A period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States from 1947 to 1991, during which NATO played a key role in deterring Soviet aggression in Europe