NATO marks 75 years


Dutch former prime minister Mark Rutte (left) set to take over as NATO secretary-general in October


Canada
Iceland
U.S.

ATLANTIC OCEAN
Ireland
UK
North Sea
Norway
Sweden
Finland
Portugal
Spain
Belgium 
Lux.
France
Mediterranean Sea
Netherlands 
Denmark
Germany*
Switz.
Slovenia
Italy
Croatia
Baltic Sea
Poland
Czech Rep.
Austria
Hungary
Bosnia
Serbia
Montenegro
Kosovo 
Albania
North Macedonia
Estonia 
Latvia
Lithuania 
Kaliningrad (Russia)
Belarus
Ukraine
Slovakia
Moldova
Romania 
Bulgaria
RUSSIA
Black Sea
Crimea
Georgia
Turkey
Greece
400km 250 miles

NATO membership
Founders (1949)
Cold War expansion (1952-82)
Post-Cold War (1990-present)
Applying to join

*German reunification in 1990 resulted in East Germany becoming part of NATO


Apr 4, 1949: U.S., Canada and 10 West European states sign North Atlantic Treaty

1955: West Germany joins NATO – Soviet Union and seven East European states form Warsaw Pact

1966: France pulls out of NATO’s integrated military structure in protest at dominance of U.S. commanders

1967: NATO moves HQ from France to Belgium

1987: U.S. and USSR sign Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty

1989: Fall of Berlin Wall 

1991: Warsaw Pact dissolved

1995: NATO launches first military operation – air strikes against Bosnian Serbs shelling Sarajevo

1999: Alliance conducts air strikes against Yugoslavia over Kosovo – first use of force without UN approval

2001: NATO invokes Article 5 for first time, declaring 9/11 attacks on U.S. to be attack against whole alliance

2003: NATO takes control of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan – first major operation outside Europe

2008: Russia occupies around fifth of Georgia’s territory after five-day war

2009: France announces return to NATO’s military command

2011: NATO takes on responsibility for enforcing no-fly zone over Libya

2014: Russia annexes Crimea. Pro-Russian forces seize parts of Donbas region of Ukraine

2017: NATO deploys multinational battlegroups to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland

2018: U.S. President Donald Trump demands that NATO leaders double defence spending

2019: U.S. and Russia suspend compliance with INF treaty

2021: U.S. and NATO allies exit Afghanistan

Feb 24, 2022: Russia launches full-scale invasion of Ukraine. NATO allies start providing Kyiv with massive military assistance

Jun: NATO boosts high-readiness forces to more than 300,000 troops as part of biggest defence upgrade since Cold War

Apr 2023: Finland becomes member, doubling length of NATO’s border with Russia

Mar 2024: Sweden joins Alliance after membership is held up by Turkey and Hungary

Jul 9-11: Summit in Washington DC marking 75th anniversary. Allies to forge stronger ties with Ukraine and commit to long term support 
 

Sources: Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Stratfor, Reuters, New York Times
Picture: Getty Images
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