The United States is a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). NATO was established on April 4, 1949, by 12 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Portugal and Italy, signed the North Atlantic Treaty. NATO was created to confront the Soviet Union during the Cold War and to maintain the security and stability of Western countries in Europe.
The number of NATO members has increased over time. For example, Greece and Turkey joined in 1952, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in 1955 and Spain in 1982. Since the end of the Cold War, NATO has undergone several eastward expansions, including Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic in 1999, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, and Bulgaria in 2004, Croatia and Albania in 2009, Montenegro in 2017, North Macedonia in 2020, and Finland in 2023. The accession of these countries brings the number of NATO members to 30.
NATO members include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Finland.
NATO's member states have a shared commitment to consider an armed attack on any member state and to act in collective defence in accordance with this principle. NATO is not only an important military force in the West, but also plays an important role in the political and military spheres, aiming to promote democracy, the rule of law, well-being in the Euro-Atlantic region, and to defend the freedom and security of its member states.
NATO members are also committed to upholding democracy, the rule of law and human rights, which are the three core values of NATO. NATO member states are committed to working together to maintain international peace and security, achieving this goal through political and military means. On the military front, NATO member states have pledged to provide military force if necessary to support common defense. On the political front, NATO member States are committed to resolving disputes through dialogue and consultation and to promoting international cooperation in order to maintain stability in the Euro-Atlantic region.
In addition, NATO members have pledged to cooperate in defense and security, including intelligence sharing, military exercises, equipment procurement, and joint research and development. These collaborations help improve NATO members' defense capabilities, strengthen collective defense forces, and jointly respond to potential security threats.
In conclusion, the commitment among NATO member States is reflected in common defence, upholding democracy, the rule of law and human rights, promoting stability in the Euro-Atlantic region, and jointly maintaining international peace and security in the international arena. These commitments help ensure close cooperation among NATO member states to address security challenges and contribute to member and global security.