The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, abbreviated NATO, is a political and military alliance that was founded through the Washington Treaty on April 4, 1949. It was created in the wake of the Second World War, as a collective defense against the expansion of the Soviet Union in Europe.
With the motto “one for all, all for one”, NATO has grown from the original 12 member states to an alliance of 32 countries, including Norway, who stand together to defend peace and security in the North Atlantic area.
The alliance’s basic principle is Article 5, which states that an attack on one member state is to be considered an attack on all member states. The article has been activated once – after the terrorist attack against the USA on 11 September 2001.
Today, NATO faces new security challenges, including cyber attacks, terrorism, and rising tensions with Russia as a result of its attack on Ukraine. The alliance is adapting to new threats such as climate change and pandemics. The number of member countries has gradually increased to 32 countries – with Finland and Sweden being the two newest members. With the entry of our neighboring countries, the entire Nordic region is now united in the alliance.
Defense in NATO
The Norwegian Armed Forces participate in NATO in several ways. We have a number of officers who fulfill important roles both in the headquarters in Brussels, SHAPE in Mons, the commands in Brunssum and Norfolk as well as the alliance’s other departments. We also participate with a force in the NATO operation eFP in Lithuania, and we regularly contribute vessels to the alliance’s two standing naval forces in Northern Europe.
The armed forces also have their own representation at the headquarters, called the Military Mission in Brussels (MMB). The head of the military mission is the chief of defense’s highest representative vis-à-vis NATO and is a permanent representative in NATO’s military committee. Chief MMB is also an adviser on military matters and questions for the Norwegian ambassadors to NATO and the EU.
The NATO Military Committee is the highest military authority in NATO and is the bridge between political decision-makers and NATO’s military structure. The committee advises the North Atlantic Council on matters of military policy and strategy. The committee consists of senior military officers from NATO member states. These officers represent their country’s defense chiefs. In autumn 2023, Norway hosted the committee’s annual meeting.
History
Throughout the Cold War, NATO functioned primarily as a deterrent against the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies. Norway helped establish NATO, and played a key role with its strategic location along the Soviet Union’s western border.
After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, NATO gradually went from being a purely defensive alliance against the Soviet Union, to working on crisis management and peacekeeping operations outside NATO’s territory. Interventions in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan are examples of NATO’s role in global security policy in the period 1990–2019.
Norway has been an active and committed NATO member since its foundation. Geographical location has made Norway a strategically important nation in the alliance, especially in terms of surveillance and intelligence. Norway has also contributed military forces to NATO operations in, among other places, Afghanistan and Libya. Furthermore, the country has been a driving force behind diplomacy and dialogue within the alliance.
Some previous Norwegian NATO contributions