The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a political and military Alliance whose primary goals are the collective defence of its members and the maintenance of democratic peace in the North Atlantic area. Since its inception in 1949, NATO has been a central pillar of Euro-Atlantic defence and a cornerstone of Canadian defence and security policy. While the nature and the scope of threats faced by Canada and its allies have changed over time, NATO’s basic tenets of solidarity, dialogue and cooperation continue to uphold the Alliance’s approach to collective security. NATO members are more secure because security concerns are discussed in a shared forum and addressed collectively, based on a set of common principles and shared values.
As one of NATO’s founding members, Canada has been, and remains, a leader in the Alliance. The Canadian Armed Forces have made important contributions to NATO operations, providing modern, deployable capabilities to allied missions and highly trained personnel to its command structure. Canada’s recent and ongoing contributions to NATO, including the service and sacrifices of the Canadian Armed Forces personnel and civilians in Afghanistan, the Balkans and Libya, are clear demonstrations of Canada’s commitment to, and leadership in, NATO.
Established under the Washington Treaty, NATO was created as an alliance of collective defence, and as a deterrent to protect Western Europe against Soviet domination. Over the course of the Cold War, NATO allies devoted significant resources toward the development of military and civilian structures to further protect against the threat of an expansionist Soviet Union. This lengthy period of allied defence cooperation gave NATO substantial military capabilities, as well as valuable experience in the planning and execution of multi-national military operations, and laid the foundation for an unprecedented and uninterrupted period of stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact that marked the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, NATO adopted a new spirit of cooperation with non-member countries as part of a broader approach to transatlantic security. Today, NATO engages with over 40 countries through various partner arrangements, including the Partnership for Peace, the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, as well as international organizations such as the United Nations, the European Union, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Alliance has a global approach to defence, with activities ranging from peace support operations in Kosovo, to counter terrorism operations in the Mediterranean, as well as combat operations and the training of security forces in Afghanistan. NATO first invoked Article 5 of the Washington Treaty on September 12, 2001, in response to the terrorist attacks on the United States.
Canada is at the forefront of efforts to transform and reform the alliance to ensure it is better able to act as a fit-for-purpose, political and military hub that enables allies and non-NATO partners to collaboratively address today’s security challenges.
Membership in the Alliance affords Canada an effective military instrument that helps Canada meet its three strategic defence and security objectives: to defend Canada and North America, and to project leadership abroad. NATO is an important driver for Canada’s military interoperability with allies and partners. NATO also provides an important political forum in which Canada can advance its views and interests and build consensus around issues of pressing concern.
In the event of a crisis that threatens the security of a NATO nation, Canada could rapidly make available the contingency forces that it maintains for Alliance operations, including land, air and sea, and special forces elements. Canada currently contributes approximately 200 personnel to NATO’s command structures, and to our Joint Delegation at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Along with allies and partners, the Canadian Armed Forces participates in NATO exercises to maintain interoperability, and support NATO’s high readiness forces.
Canada is represented at NATO by the Permanent Representative of Canada to the North Atlantic Council, the Alliance’s highest decision-making body. The Canadian Military Representative represents the Chief of the Defence Staff on the Military Committee. In addition to its regular meetings with permanent representatives, the North Atlantic Council also meets at the level of heads of state and government, or ministers of defence or foreign affairs. NATO’s Chiefs of Defence staff also hold periodic meetings, normally in advance of high-level meetings of the North Atlantic Council.
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For more details, please visit the following web page on Canadian international operations.
For more information on the Summit Declaration on Defence Capabilities, please visit the following web page on NATO Forces 2020.
