NATO

Question 1

When was NATO formed?

Answer 1

4th April 1949

Question 2

How many NATO members?

Answer 2

29

Question 3

What is NATO’s Fundamental role?

Answer 3

• To safeguard the freedom and security of its member
  countries through political and military means.
• It also plays a big role in crisis management,
  peacekeeping and serves as a platform to facilitate
  political and military alliances with member states.

Question 4

Does NATO have an armed forces?

Answer 4

All member countries contribute forces and equipment that remain under national command until they are required.

NATO possesses some common capabilities such as AWACS.

Question 5

What are the conditions for joining NATO?

Answer 5

Any European country that is willing to further the Washington treaty and contribute to Euro-Atlantic security.

Aspiring members must meet political, economic and military goals.

Membership Action Plan (MAP) is designed to assist aspiring nations.

Question 6

What is NATO?

Answer 6

An intergovernmental alliance between 29 member states.

Question 7

Who were the 12 founding members of NATO?

Answer 7

• US
• UK
• France
• Luxembourg
• Norway
• Italy
• Denmark
• Canada
• Portugal
• Iceland
• Belgium
• Netherlands

Question 8

What is the Washington treaty?

Answer 8

The 14 article document that forms the basis of NATO and all member states have signed

Question 9

Article 1 of the Washington treaty?

Answer 9

Settle international disputes by as peaceful a means as practically possible.

Question 10

Article 2 of the Washington treaty?

Answer 10

Contribute to development of international relations and encourage economic collaboration

Question 11

Article 3 of the Washington treaty?

Answer 11

Maintain individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack, as to more effectively achieve the objectives of the treaty

Question 12

Article 4 of the Washington treaty?

Answer 12

Members consult together whenever security of a member is threatened.

Question 13

Article 5 of the Washington treaty?

Answer 13

A key section of the treaty.

It considers an attack against one member state to be an attack against them all - Mutal Self Defence.

It was only triggered once after 9/11

Question 14

Why didn’t the UK trigger Article 5 of the Washington treaty when Argentina attacked the Falklands?

Answer 14

Because the Falklands are South of the Tropic of Cancer

Question 15

Article 6?

Answer 15

For the purposes of Article 5 an armed attack on one or more of the parties is deemed to include an attack on: the territory of any of the parties in Europe, North America, Algerian departments of France, on the territory or Islands under the jurisdiction of any of the parties in the North Atlantic Area, North of the Tropic of Cancer

Question 16

Why is the UK a prominent member of the organisation

Answer 16

• Provides the deputy supreme allied commander in
  Europe
• Possesses the largest military budget of the European
  countries
• Possesses full-spectrum capabilities (incl. being an
  independent nuclear deterrent)
• One of the few members that meets NATO’s target of
  spending 2% of GDP on defence.

Question 17

What is the European deterrence initiative?

Answer 17

A program that was initiated in June 2014, about three months after the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, by the White House to increase the U.S. presence in Europe for security purposes.

• Operation Atlantic Resolve is covered by the initiative

Question 18

Which is the most recent country to join NATO?

Answer 18

Montenegro (2017)

Question 19

NATO: What is the NAC and what is its function?

Answer 19

The North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the principal political decision-making body of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), consisting of Permanent Representatives from its member countries. It was established by Article 9 of the North Atlantic Treaty and it is the only body in NATO that derives its authority explicitly from the Treaty.

Question 20

When and why has Article 5 of the Washington treaty been invoked?

Answer 20

It has been invoked only once in NATO history: by the United States after the September 11 attacks in 2001. The invocation was confirmed on 4 October 2001, when NATO determined that the attacks were indeed eligible under the terms of the North Atlantic Treaty. The eight official actions taken by NATO in response to the 9/11 attacks included Operation Eagle Assist and Operation Active Endeavour, a naval operation in the Mediterranean which was designed to prevent the movement of terrorists or weapons of mass destruction, as well as enhancing the security of shipping in general.

It was also with this that the War on Terror was initiated.

Question 21

Why was NATO formed?

Answer 21

Largely product of the US’ desire to avoid overextension at the end of World War II, and consequently pursue multilateralism Europe. It is part of the US’ collective defense arrangement with Western European powers, following a long and deliberative process. The treaty was created with an armed attack by the Soviet Union against Western Europe in mind, but the mutual self-defense clause was never invoked during the Cold War. Rather, it was invoked for the first and only time in 2001 during Operation Eagle Assist in response to the September 11 attacks.