what is nato

NATO stands for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which is an intergovernmental military alliance between 31 member states, including 29 European and two North American countries. It was established in 1949 after World War II, and its purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means. NATO is a collective security system, and its members are committed to mutual defense in response to an attack by an external party. The organizations key features include collective defense, the transatlantic link, and crisis-management operations. NATOs crisis-management operations are carried out under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty or under a United Nations mandate. NATO also works with many non-member countries on a wide range of political and security-related issues. The North Atlantic Council is the main decision-making body of NATO, and it is composed of ministerial representatives of the member states who meet at least twice a year. NATOs military organization encompasses a complete system of commands for possible wartime use.