OPINION:
NATO was established in 1949 with the ratification of the North Atlantic Treaty. One of the shortest treaties ever agreed upon, it is composed of just 14 articles.
Yet legal authority for the organization’s existence has resulted in one of the most enduring alliances ever and one that has grown from 12to 32 member countries.
From its inception, NATO kept Europe and North America safe from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It has been instrumental in peacekeeping operations since the mid-1990s, with operations in Bosnia to Kosovo.
The raison d’etre for NATO’s existence through Article 5 (an attack on one member is considered an attack on all) was invoked for the only time following the 9/11 attacks. NATO contributed airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) to police the airspace over America to help search for future plane attacks.
NATO also executed out-of-area operations in Afghanistan through the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), with 23 non-NATO members participating. Over 1,000 non-U.S. NATO service members died in support of ISAF.
Other notable NATO operations include its mission in Iraq to build capacity among that country’s armed forces and security personnel; humanitarian operations in countries like Pakistan following the 2005 earthquake; and several operations in the Western Balkans.
Today, NATO is involved in maritime operations in the Baltic to protect communications cables, help train military personnel and provide weapons and other material support to Ukraine and other nations to fend off nefarious actors.
NATO stands ready to deter Russia and is preparing for security challenges emanating from China. Though the United States would like NATO to do more to help it in Iran, NATO was created as a defensive alliance to deter Russia from military attack on member countries.
Today, Europe takes greater responsibility to increase its defenses and arm Ukraine to mitigate the likelihood of Russia expanding its war westward. Combined with Ukrainian innovation and production, Kyiv is now in an improved military position.
NATO is also preparing for threats from China. Accordingly, the U.S. should mend fences with its European allies and do more to underpin the relevance of NATO in the future, especially when facing rising threats from the likes of Russia and China.
TOM RØSETH
Associate professor, intelligence studies
Norwegian Defence University College
Oslo, Norway
JOHN WEAVER
Professor, intelligence analysis
York College
York, Pennsylvania
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