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What is the full form of NATO

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NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization

NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is a political and military alliance of 28 countries. The organization was formed to safeguard the freedom and security of the member countries. The organization is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

NATO was established on 4 April 1949 with the purpose of collective defense which means an attack on any of its member countries will be considered an attack on all allies.

Purpose

The primary goal of NATO is to secure and protect the freedom of its member countries. But, in recent years, with the changing face of war, it has to expand its purpose and it has decided that it will also secure and protect the member countries from terrorism, cyber attacks and weapons of mass destruction.

Brief History

• NATO was established in 1949, after World War II, when the United States and several European countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty to unite against enemies.
• In 1949, It started only with 12 member countries; Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, United Kingdom and the United States.
• In 1952, Greece and Turkey joined the organization.
• In 1955, it was joined by West Germany.
• In 1982, Spain joined the Organization.
• In 1997, Hungary, Czech Republic and Poland were invited to join the organization.
• In 2004, one year after NATO took command of United Nations-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), it was joined by seven countries; Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
• In 2009, Albania and Croatia became its members.