North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) : Current Affairs Notes

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an alliance of 29 countries from North America and Europe committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty signed on 4 April 1949. In accordance with the Treaty, the fundamental role of NATO is to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries by political and military means. NATO is playing an increasingly important role in crisis management and peacekeeping. The two official languages of NATO are English and French. Brussels, Belgium is the headquarter of NATO. 

NATO’s role in the fight against terrorism

On 12 September 2001, less than 24 hours after the terrorist attacks against the United States, NATO declared the attacks to be an attack against all NATO member countries within the terms of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. This landmark decision was followed by practical measures aimed at assisting the United States in different fields, in relation to its campaign against terrorism.

There are currently 29 Members (Countries) of NATO. These are:-

1. Belgium (1949)

2. Canada (1949)

3. Denmark (1949)

4. France (1949)

5. Iceland (1949)

6. Italy (1949)

7. Luxembourg (1949)

8. Netherlands (1949)

9. Norway (1949)

10. Portugal (1949)

11. The United Kingdom (1949)

12. The United States (1949)

13. Greece (1952)

14. Turkey (1952)

15. Germany (1955)

16. Spain (1982)

17. Czech Republic (1999)

18. Hungary (1999)

19. Poland (1999)

20. Bulgaria (2004)

21. Estonia (2004)

22. Latvia (2004)

23. Lithuania (2004)

24. Romania (2004)

25. Slovakia (2004)

26. Slovenia (2004)

27. Albania (2009)

28. Croatia (2009)

29. Montenegro (2017)

Why NATO in the News?

1. Montenegro officially joined NATO, just as the crucial Atlantic alliance appeared imperilled by US President Donald Trump’s ambiguous commitment to its mutual defence pledge. Foreign Minister of Montenegro Srdjan Darmanovic submitted Montenegro’s official accession papers in a ceremony at the US State Department, making the small Balkan State the 29th member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

2. More than 100 high-level officials and experts from over 50 countries and international organisations met in Helsinki (capital city of Finland) from 29th to 30th May 2017 to discuss multilateral non-proliferation regimes and initiatives in view of a changing security environment on the occasion of Annual NATO Conference.

3. Since Russia began its illegal military intervention in Ukraine, Russian officials have accused NATO of a series of mythical provocations, threats and hostile actions stretching back over 25 years. 

4. Since 2014, NATO has implemented the biggest increase in its collective defence since the Cold War.

NATO International Staff

The NATO Secretary General is the Alliance’s top international civil servant. This person is responsible for steering the process of consultation and decision-making in the Alliance and ensuring that decisions are implemented. The Secretary General is also NATO’s chief spokesperson and the head of the Organization’s International Staff.

The current NATO Secretary General is Jens Stoltenberg.

The current NATO Deputy Secretary General is Rose Gottemoeller.


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