NATO is a political and military alliance between 26 North American and European countries formed in 1949. It was originally formed as a response to the threat of Soviet aggression and aimed to establish collective security. NATO is headquartered in Brussels and led by the Secretary General and Chairman of the Military Committee. Key functions include collective defense if a member country is attacked and stabilization of security conditions through economic and political cooperation. NATO has been involved in military operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

1. An intercontinental alliance for optimal security

2. Flag design from October 1953 Copyleft Mysid, under the GNU Free Documentation License.

3. NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization Formed with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949 Original goal: to establish a stable alliance capable of unified defence Credit: NATO Multimedia

4. Currently 26 nations, originally 12: Belgium Canada Denmark France Iceland Italy Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Portugal United Kingdom United States © 2004 NATO Multimedia. Modified from original.

5. Aimed at “promot[ing] stability and well-being in the North Atlantic area” Sought to unite efforts for collective defence Sought to use peaceful means where possible Sought to stabilize various international conditions through economic policies

6. Aimed at “develop[ing] their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack” Established a military alliance between militarily mighty nations including the US, the UK, France Authorized use of force to aid other member nations, or in retaliation

7. POLITICAL Led by the Secretary-General of NATO Each country sends a senior delegate as Permanent Member Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium Decisions are made in the Northern Atlantic Council ( NAC ), meets once a week MILITARY Led by the Chairman of the Military Committee (presently Gen. Henault) Each country sends senior military officials Duties split to two Strategic Commands led by US officers Separately headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia and Casteau, Belgium

8. Bosnia, 1994 : first NATO military incident, shot down 4 Bosnian Serb aircraft while enforcing UN-mandated no-fly zone

9. Kosovo, 1999 : first large-scale deployment, bombed Yugoslavia for 11 weeks Unauthorized by UN, war was never declared “ Accidental” bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade US rejects demands for UN approval of NATO military activities

10. Armed attack against a member in North America or Europe = aggression against all member nations In such a case, all NATO nations will assist the country that was attacked, in exercise of the right to self-defence Armed force to restore or maintain security is permitted

11. In October of 2001 , President Bush invoked Article 5 to receive NATO assistance Aircraft deployed to assist the US in protecting its airspace (Operation Eagle Assist) NATO also deployed naval forces to the Mediterranean Sea (Operation Active Endeavour) Credit: BigFoto. Used for educational purposes.

12. Afghanistan, 2003-present : NATO takes over International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) under UN mandate To assist the Government of Afghanistan To promote democracy & fair elections To spread the rule of law To aid in reconstruction Afghanistan, 2006-present: Canada, UK, Netherlands took over in the Southern parts of Afghanistan from American anti-terrorism mission

13. Presence in Afghanistan 2500-soldiers in Southern region, Kandahar Primarily battling the Taliban Commitment to mission expires February 2009 Military leader of NATO’s armed forces: General Henault, a Canadian figure in a vital role

14. NATO Biographies: Chairman of the Military Committee, General Raymond Henault. (2007, December 17). Retrieved January 09, 2008, from North Atlantic Treaty Organization: http://www.nato.int/cv/milcom/henault-e.htm NATO Organisation: Civilian & military structures. (2007, November 27). Retrieved January 05, 2008, from North Atlantic Treaty Organization: http://www.nato.int/structur/structure.htm NATO Topics: NATO Headquarters. (2007, July 30). Retrieved January 06, 2008, from North Atlantic Treaty Organization: http://www.nato.int/issues/nato_hq/index.html Simpson, E. (2000, January 1). Canada's NATO commitment. Retrieved January 11, 2008, from Behind the Headlines: http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-28766202_ITM Wikipedia contributors. (2008, January 11). 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Retrieved January 12, 2008, from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1999_NATO_bombing_of_the_Federal_Republic_of_Yugoslavia&oldid=183737407 Wikipedia contributors. (2008, January 12). NATO. Retrieved January 13, 2008, from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=NATO&oldid=183833683 Wikipedia contributors. (2008, January 13). Warsaw Pact. Retrieved January 13, 2008, from Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Warsaw_Pact&oldid=184071240