KBC 14: What does the ‘A’ stand for in the intergovernmental military alliance NATO?

Options

Atlantic

Army

America

Association

Answer: Atlantic

NATO is a security alliance made up of 30 countries from North America and Europe that was formed in 1949 with the signing of the Washington Treaty.

NATO’s primary purpose is to protect the Allies’ liberty and security through political and military methods. NATO is the transatlantic community’s primary security instrument and reflection of its shared democratic values. It is the practical manner through which North American and European security is inextricably linked. NATO expansion has aided the United States’ objective of a united, free, and peaceful Europe.

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The basis of the Alliance, a pledge of collective defence, is Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, which states that an attack on one Ally is an attack on all Allies.

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Article 4 of the Treaty ensures consultations among Allies on security matters of common interest, which have expanded from a narrowly defined Soviet threat to the critical mission in Afghanistan, as well as peacekeeping in Kosovo and new security threats like cyber attacks, as well as global threats like terrorism and piracy that affect the Alliance and its global network of partners.

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NATO leads the UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and has ongoing missions in the Balkans and the Mediterranean, in addition to its traditional role in territorial defence of Allied nations. It also conducts extensive training exercises and provides security support to partners around the world, including the European Union in particular, but also the United Nations and the African Union.