In recent weeks we’ve heard a lot of discussion surrounding NATO. Is it good, is it bad, is it effective, is it outdated? In this article we are going to take a look at a bit of the history of NATO, how it functions, and its current activities.
First of all, NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is an international military alliance between 29 countries across Europe and North America (US/Canada). It was formed in 1949, in the rebuilding aftermath of WWII. Its creation was necessary to prevent against a resurgent Germany and the rise and spread of the Soviet Union, as well as helping to rebuild European countries who had been devastated.
President Truman wanted to provide economic and military aid to Greece and Turkey who were being subjugated, increase military spending, and a peacetime draft. Additionally, he wanted a military alliance with western Europe that would adhere to the United Nations Charter, but be outside of the rules of the UN Security Council, where the Soviet Union had permanent veto power. Congress passed the military assistance package, which included $1.4 billion to help rebuild western Europe. With the Berlin Crisis in full swing, and the city divided in half, and the signing of the Brussels Treaty in 1949 for the collective defense of Europe, the North American Treaty Organization was officially born and included 12 founding countries.
The early 1950’s brought on the start of the Cold War and Soviet aggression. NATO was intended to be in place so that any attack on one member, was an attack on the whole, and others were obligated to defend that member. That measure is known as NATO Article V. So, NATO was even more vital during this time period. The Soviet Union never did attack a NATO member nation, and NATO continued to grow to more countries during this time.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, NATO now needed a new direction. President Clinton was faced with a decision on which way the U.S. would go in the future of NATO. He voiced his favor for the expansion of NATO, and former soviet controlled countries were admitted.
The majority of threats to Europe now lay outside of NATO member country’s borders. They would now have to focus on countering instability outside of their membership. When the former country of Yugoslavia started to break up in 1992, they would get their first chance. Violent conflict was occurring in Bosnia and Herzegovina and NATO stepped in to enforce no fly zones. April 1995 saw NATO engage in their first combat operations, when they shot down 4 Bosnian Serb planes.
In 1999, NATO entered Kosovo to help stop widespread violence and killings. Then in 2001, NATO evoked the first use of their Article V, an attack on one member is an attack on all. With the horrific terrorist attack on September 11th, NATO was now in a position to help defend an attacked nation. The UN created the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, and NATO took over operation of that force in 2003. Additionally, in October of 2001 NATO also participated in its first ever counter-terrorism operation, Operation Eagle Assist. This program lasted from October 2001 until May 2002 as 830 crew members from 13 NATO countries flew 360 missions in radar aircraft patrolling over United States’ skies every day for a total of 4,300 hours. This is also the first time NATO was ever used on U.S. soil. This operation freed up American radar aircraft to go fly missions in Afghanistan.
This would not be the end of NATO’s presence in the greater Middle East. NATO assisted the Iraqi Security Forces after the U.S. invasion of Iraq and remained there from 2004-2011. From 2008 to 2016 NATO conducted anti-piracy missions off the Horn of Africa. They then commanded all military operations in Libya starting in 2011 after the fall of Gadhafi and the Libyan government. In addition to primarily being in Afghanistan, they currently operate security patrols to deter terrorist activity in the Mediterranean Sea, and support African forces in Somalia against terrorist groups on peacekeeping missions.
NATO is also still in Kosovo. They are assisting the newly independent country set up a security force of their own. When the International Security Assistance Force mission was ended in 2014, NATO began non-combat support and training of Afghan forces for operation Resolute Support which still continues today. U.S. forces make up half of the NATO forces that conduct Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan.
Russia still sees NATO as a threat, and Europe currently sees Russia as its most threatening since the Cold War. Russia’s invasion of Georgia, its annexation of Crimea, and destabilization of Ukraine is further evidence to support those feelings. And NATO’s expansion to eastern European countries bothers Russia a great deal.
Criticism of NATO seems to always stem from spending. Both President George W. Bush and President Obama criticized member states spending, and President Trump has most recently voiced displeasure with the spending of other countries versus the U.S. NATO members spend around $900 billion a year on defense, but the U.S. spends 70% of that total, or more than $600 billion. Each member is required to spend at least 2% of their GDP on defense, but only 6 of the 29 countries do, with again the U.S. as the largest with 3.6% of our GDP.
Last year, NATO members spending increased by 4.3%. This is in part due to U.S. pressure, and fears of Russian expansion and hostility. At the NATO summit in Brussels two weeks ago, NATO members agreed to increase spending by $33 billion. Increases are necessary to help lessen the burden on the U.S. to continue propping up the alliance. An increase in commitment and accountability must follow. A weakening of NATO, and divisions between member countries, will only empower an already aggressive Russia. This is an important time for NATO, and it will be interesting to see how the U.S. handles the alliance in the coming year.
Sources:
Collinson, Stephen, “Trump is not the first US President to bemoan NATO spending…but no one did it like this”, CNN.com, 07/04/2018
Continetti, Matthew, “Why NATO Matters”, 07/21/2018, nationalreview.com
Fritze, John, “What is NATO and why is President Trump Slamming It?”, 07/12/2018, usatoday.com
Lake, Emma; Mullin, Gemma, “How has the role of the worlds largest military alliance changed”, 07/12/2018, thesun.co.uk
Masters, Jonathan, “What is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?”, pbs.org, 07/11/2018
Miller, S.A., “Mission accomplished: Trump says NATO members agree to spend more on defense”, 07/12/2018, washingtontimes.com
“North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), 1949”, Office of the Historian, US Department of State, history.state.gov
Smith, Alexander, “What is NATO? And what do Trump and Russia think about it?”, 04/19/2018, nbcnews.com