What is NATO?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) was founded in 1949, primarily as a military alliance to counter the potential Soviet threat to Western Europe.

With the Cold War now over, NATO’s core purpose is still to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. However, it has expanded its focus to tackle a range of threats including terrorism, failed states and WMD (weapons of mass destruction). It also contributes to worldwide peace and security through partnerships with non-NATO countries and crisis management operations.

NATO is an organisation for collective defence - that means an attack against one member is considered an attack against all.

The organisation does not have its own army, navy or air force. All member countries that are involved with the military side of the alliance contribute forces and equipment to operations.

NATO currently has operations in:

• Afghanistan . The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) assists the Afghan government in providing security and stability and extending its authority across the country, in order to create a suitable environment for reconstruction and development.
• Kosovo . A NATO peacekeeping force (KFOR) was originally deployed to Kosovo in 1999, and is still contributing towards safety and security for all citizens there.
• Iraq . The NATO Training Mission to Iraq (NTM-I), founded in 2004, assists Iraqis in developing an effective, democratically-led and enduring security sector.
• The Mediterranean . The purpose of Operation Active Endeavour is to detect, deter and protect against terrorist activity, through patrolling the Mediterranean, surveillance and monitoring of shipping, and (although this has been temporarily suspended) providing escorts to non-military vehicles through the Straits of Gibraltar.
  

It also provides airlift support to the African Union mission in Somalia.

NATO has an open door policy on enlargement. Any European country in a position to further the principles of the alliance and contribute to security in the Euro-Atlantic area can become a member.

Non-member countries continue to show interest in joining. Most recently, Croatia and Albania were invited to begin proceedings for accession. They are expected to formally join the alliance in April 2009.

NATO will celebrate its 60th anniversary on 4 April 2009, and this will be marked with a summit in Strasbourg. The main topics that heads of state and government will discuss there include operations in Afghanistan, relations with Russia, and the Declaration of Alliance Security, which will set out NATO’s future direction.

Why do we need an effective NATO?

NATO’s objectives are to:

• provide the foundation for stability in the Euro-Atlantic area, based on the growth of democratic institutions and the peaceful resolution of disputes
• provide a forum for the US, Canada and Europe to consult on security issues and to take joint action to address them 
• defend its members against threats and aggression 
• contribute to effective prevention of conflict and crisis management 
• promote partnership and co-operation with other countries, with the aim of increasing transparency, confidence and scope for joint action.
  

UK Delegation to NATO

A delegation is effectively an embassy that represents a nation within NATO.

The UK Delegation's role is to promote British interests in NATO and to keep ministers and government departments informed about NATO discussions. The delegation is always working to ensure that the UK plays a full and influential role in the North Atlantic Council, the Military Committee and across the spectrum of NATO activities. It's headed by an Ambassador, Mr Stewart Eldon, and the UK's Military Representative to NATO, Lieutenant General David Bill. The staff are civilian personnel from:

• Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO)
• Ministry of Defence (MoD)
  

and military personnel from:

• all three British Armed Services

This is because NATO has both a political and a military committee structure for consultations and consensus-based decision-making.

The UK Delegation to NATO website has lots more info about the work they do.

The UK in NATO

The UK is a founder member of the Alliance. We are a major financial contributor and almost all UK Armed Forces can be assigned to NATO in times of crisis.

The interdependence between the UK and NATO is emphasised in the Strategic Defence Review [PDF, 550KB, 31 pages] created by the Ministry of Defence (2002). The review states that the UK’s security is indivisible from that of Europe, which is why we have an interest in a secure, stable European continent and an effective NATO.

The Minister for Europe, Caroline Flint, currently leads on the UK’s involvement in NATO.

National Security Strategy

The UK’s National Security Strategy (launched March 2008) underlines the importance of both NATO and the EU to Britain’s security:

'A strong EU and NATO inherently promote both European and regional security, complementing the contribution of global institutions, and we will support the expansion of both and closer cooperation between them.'