North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is an alliance of 32 countries in Europe and North America with the purpose of guaranteeing the freedom and security of its members. NATO was established in 1949 by the North Atlantic Treaty. It promotes democratic values for its members, also called allies, and has the military power and authority to defend every member. NATO also creates a transatlantic link allowing for efficient defense and security responses to multinational crises on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.

NATO’s core is collective defense, meaning that an attack against one member is an attack against all of NATO. Therefore, all members will act in solidarity by voluntarily contributing their military. This alliance uses consensus decision-making called “NATO decisions,” instead of voting. NATO decisions require the allies to consult each other to reach an acceptable decision for everyone. NATO operations can range from peace support following a conflict, capacity-building missions, or humanitarian aid after natural disasters. 

NATO also works with non-member countries, referred to as NATO partners. These partners can cooperate with NATO or may participate in some NATO operations, but they do not have decision-making authority and do not fall under the collective defense agreement. 

The 32 NATO member countries are:

  1. Albania
  2. Belgium
  3. Bulgaria
  4. Canada
  5. Croatia
  6. Czech Republic (Czechia)
  7. Denmark
  8. Estonia
  9. Finland
  10. France
  11. Germany
  12. Greece
  13. Hungary
  14. Iceland
  15. Italy
  16. Latvia
  17. Lithuania
  18. Luxembourg
  19. Montenegro
  20. Netherlands
  21. North Macedonia
  22. Norway
  23. Poland
  24. Portugal
  25. Romania
  26. Slovakia
  27. Slovenia
  28. Spain
  29. Sweden
  30. Türkiye
  31. United Kingdom
  32. United States

 [Last reviewed in May of 2026 by the Wex Definitions Team] 

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