NATO is one of the most influential military-political associations in the world. There are more than 60 years. Initially, the alliance was created as a structure designed to oppose the policies of the USSR and the possible revival of the military aspirations of surrendered Germany. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO joined the majority of the East European countries of the former socialist camp. A number of analysts talk about the prospects for joining the block (albeit in the distant future) of Georgia and Ukraine. It is interesting that attempts to join NATO (or to declare joint military-political cooperation on key issues of a global nature) were made by both the USSR and modern Russia. Now NATO includes 28 countries.
The leading role in military terms in this organization is played by the United States. The block oversees the Partnership for Peace program, and together with Russia organizes the work of the Russia-NATO Council. It consists of two main structures - the International Secretariat and the Military Committee. It has a huge military resource (Response Force). NATO headquarters is located in the Belgian capital Brussels. The alliance has two official languages - French and English. The organization is led by the Secretary General. The NATO budget is divided into three types - civilian, military (the most financially capacious) and in terms of funding the security program. The military forces of the alliance participated in armed conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995), in Yugoslavia (1999th), in Libya (2011th). NATO leads the international military contingent for ensuring security in Kosovo, participates in solving military and political problems in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Tracks the interaction between military structures in the Mediterranean region, identifying organizations involved in the supply of weapons of mass destruction. The Alliance actively participates in international dialogues with Russia, China, India and other major powers. According to some researchers, the tension between NATO and Russia as the successor of the USSR has never disappeared, and at the moment continues to increase.
The creation of NATO
The NATO bloc was formed in 1949 by twelve states. The geographically leading countries of the organization being created, including the United States, the most politically and militarily influential state, had access to the Atlantic Ocean, which influenced the name of the new international structure. NATO is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization, that is, a treaty-based North Atlantic Organization. Often it is called the Alliance.
The purpose of creating the bloc was to counter the political aspirations of the Soviet Union and its friendly countries in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world. According to the agreements between the NATO countries, mutual military protection was provided in case of aggression by the states of the communist world. At the same time, this political union promoted integration trends in the countries that formed it. In 1952, Greece and Turkey joined NATO, in 1956 - Germany, and in 1982 - Spain. After the collapse of the USSR, the bloc further expanded its influence in the world.
NATO after the collapse of the USSR
When the USSR collapsed, it would seem that the need for the continued existence of the Alliance disappeared. But it turned out quite wrong. NATO members not only decided to keep the bloc, but also begin to expand their influence. In 1991, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council was created, which began to oversee work with countries outside the NATO bloc. In the same year, bilateral agreements were signed between the Alliance states, Russia and Ukraine.
In 1995, a program was established to build dialogue with the countries of the Middle East (Israel and Jordan), North Africa (Egypt, Tunisia) and the Mediterranean. Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria also joined. In 2002, the Russia-NATO Council was created, which allowed countries to continue to build dialogue on key issues of world politics - the fight against terrorism and limiting the spread of weapons.
NATO soldier uniform
The form of NATO that the bloc’s soldiers put on has never been unified. Military camouflage on national standards, all that is more or less similar is the green color and shades of “khaki”. Sometimes servicemen put on additional types of clothing (the so-called camouflage overalls) during special operations in special conditions (desert or steppe). In some countries, the NATO uniform contains various designs and patterns to achieve better camouflage of soldiers.
In the United States, for example, camouflage colors in the five main standards are the most popular. Firstly, this is woodland - clothes with four shades of green. Secondly, it is desert 3 color - a uniform for military operations in the desert, containing three shades. Thirdly, this desert 6-color is another variant of clothing for fighting in the desert, this time with six shades. And there are two winter versions of the military uniform - winter (light or milky white) and snow winter (absolutely snow-white shade). All this color scheme is a reference point for designers of many other armies that put their soldiers in NATO camouflage.
The evolution of the military uniform of the US Army is interesting. Camouflage as such is a relatively recent invention. Until the early 70s, American soldiers wore mostly green-only clothing. But during the operation in Vietnam, such a coloring turned out to not meet the requirements of fighting in the jungle, as a result, the soldiers turned into camouflage, which allows masking in the rainforest. In the 70s, this type of uniform became almost the national standard for the US Army. Gradually appeared modifications camouflage - those same five shades.
NATO Armed Forces
The NATO bloc has significant armed forces, in total - the largest in the world, as some military experts believe. There are two types of Alliance forces - combined and national. A key unit of the first type of NATO army is response forces. They are ready for almost immediate participation in special operations in areas of local and spontaneous military conflicts, including in countries outside the bloc. NATO also has an immediate response force. Moreover, the emphasis in their use is placed not on the practical use of weapons, but on the psychological effect - by transferring to the place of hostilities a large number of various weapons and soldiers. The calculation is that the warring parties, realizing the impending power of NATO, will change their tactics in favor of a peaceful settlement.
The block has powerful air forces. NATO aircraft are 22 combat aviation squadrons (about 500 units of aviation equipment). Also at the disposal of the block - 80 military transport aircraft. The countries of the NATO bloc also have a combat-ready fleet. It includes aircraft carriers, submarines (including multipurpose nuclear ones), frigates, missile boats, and also naval aviation. NATO warships number more than 100 units.
The largest military structure of NATO is the main defensive forces. Their involvement is possible only in the case of large-scale military operations in the Atlantic region. In peacetime, they participate in military operations mainly partially. The main defensive forces of NATO - more than 4, 000 aircraft and more than 500 ships.
How NATO expanded
So, after the collapse of the USSR, the NATO bloc continued to exist, moreover, it intensified its influence in the world. In 1999, the countries that recently entered the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union — Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic — entered the Alliance. Five years later, other former socialist countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, as well as the Baltic states. In 2009, new NATO members appeared - Albania with Croatia. Against the backdrop of the political crisis and hostilities in Ukraine, some experts believe that NATO will not show aspirations to expand further. In particular, during negotiations between the leadership of the bloc and representatives of Ukraine, the issue of the country's joining NATO, analysts say, is not directly raised.
At the same time, according to some experts, many countries express a desire to join the bloc. These are primarily the Balkan states - Montenegro, Macedonia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Speaking about which countries in NATO are striving by all means, Georgia should be noted. True, according to some analysts, conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are factors that reduce the country's attractiveness for the bloc. Among experts, there is an opinion that the further expansion of NATO depends on the position of Russia. For example, at a summit in Bucharest in 2008, the bloc made it possible for some countries of the former USSR to join, but didn’t give specific dates due to the opinion of Vladimir Putin that the appearance of NATO near the borders of Russia was a direct threat. This position of the Russian Federation remains relevant today. However, some Western analysts consider Russia's fears untenable.
Alliance military exercises
Since NATO is a military organization, the practice of large-scale army exercises is common for it. They involve a variety of types of troops. At the end of 2013, the largest NATO exercises called Steadfast Jazz were held in Eastern Europe, as many military analysts considered. They were accepted by Poland and the Baltic states - Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. NATO convened more than six thousand military men from different countries to participate in the exercises, attracted three hundred combat vehicles, over 50 aviation units, 13 warships. The conditional adversary of the bloc was the fictitious state of Botnia, which committed an act of aggression against Estonia.
Invented by military analysts, the country experienced a social, political and economic crisis, as a result of which it ruined relations with foreign partners. As a result, the contradictions spilled over into the war, which began with the Botnia invasion of Estonia. On the basis of collective defense treaties, the NATO military and political bloc decided to immediately transfer forces to defend a small Baltic state.
Representatives of the Russian armed forces observed some stages of the exercise (in turn, several months earlier, the NATO military observed the joint maneuvers of the Russian Federation and Belarus). The leadership of the North Atlantic bloc spoke out about the possibility of holding joint military events with Russia. Experts noted that the mutual openness of NATO and the Russian Federation during military exercises helps to increase confidence.
NATO and the United States, the bloc’s leading military power, have planned exercises in southern Europe in 2015. It is estimated that about 40 thousand soldiers will participate in them.
Alliance Weapons
Russian military experts name several samples of the military equipment of the block, which have no analogues in the world or very few. This is a NATO weapon, indicating the high combat effectiveness of the Alliance army. Russia, military analysts believe, should be particularly wary of five types of weapons. Firstly, this is a British-made Challenger 2 tank. It is armed with a 120 mm cannon and equipped with powerful armor. The tank is capable of moving at a good speed - about 25 miles per hour. Secondly, this is a submarine assembled by the so-called "Project-212" by German defense enterprises. It is characterized by low noise, decent speed (20 knots), excellent weapons (torpedoes WASS 184, DM2A4), as well as a missile system. Thirdly, the NATO army possesses Eurofighter Typhoon combat aircraft. According to their characteristics, they are close to the fighters of the so-called fifth generation - the American F-22 and the Russian T-50. The machine is equipped with a 27 mm cannon and many types of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. Some experts believe that Typhoon can compete on equal terms only with the latest Russian aircraft, such as the Su-35. Another noteworthy type of NATO weapons is the Eurocopter Tiger helicopter co-produced by France and Germany. According to its characteristics, it is close to the legendary American AH-64 Apache, but smaller in size and weight, which can give the car an advantage during the battle. The helicopter is armed with many missiles (air-to-air, anti-tank). The Spike missile, which is manufactured by Israeli defense enterprises, is another example of NATO weapons, which the Russian military, according to analysts, should pay attention to. Spike is an effective anti-tank weapon. Its feature is that it is equipped with a two-stage warhead: the first pierces the outer layer of the tank’s armor, the second penetrates the inside.
Alliance military bases
On the territory of each of the countries of the Alliance there is at least one NATO military base. Consider, as an example, Hungary as a former socialist camp country. The first NATO base appeared here in 1998. The US government used the Tasar Hungarian airfield to carry out operations with Yugoslavia - mostly drones and F-18s flew from here. In 2003, military experts from among opposition groups in Iraq trained at the same air base (shortly before the start of military operations by the US Army in this Middle Eastern country). Speaking of American allies among Western countries on the deployment of military bases on its territory, it is worth noting Italy. Immediately after the end of World War II, this state began to host large contingents of the US naval forces.
Now the Pentagon operates ports in Naples, as well as airfields in Vicenza, Piacenza, Trapani, Istra and many other Italian cities. The most famous NATO base in Italy is Aviano. It was built back in the 50s, but is still considered by many military experts to be the best in the region. On it, apart from the infrastructure for take-off and landing of aircraft, there are hangars in which aircraft can take cover in the event of bombing. There is navigation equipment, using which combat sorties can be carried out at night and in almost any weather. New NATO bases in Europe include Bezmer, Count Ignatievo and Novo Selo in Bulgaria. According to the government of this Balkan country, the deployment of NATO troops will strengthen the security of the state, and will also have a positive impact on the level of training of the armed forces.
Russia and NATO
Russia and NATO, despite the long experience of political confrontation in the 20th century, are making attempts at constructive interaction in the international arena. As mentioned above, in 1991 a number of documents were signed on the joint solution of certain issues in world politics. In 1994, the Russian Federation joined the Partnership for Peace program initiated by the North Atlantic Alliance. In 1997, Russia and NATO signed an act on cooperation and security, a Permanent Joint Council was created, which soon became the main resource for finding consensus during consultations between the Russian Federation and the bloc. The events in Kosovo, according to analysts, greatly undermined the mutual trust of Russia and the alliance. But, despite this, cooperation continued. In particular, the Council’s work includes regular diplomatic meetings between ambassadors and army representatives. The main areas of cooperation within the Council are the fight against terrorism, the control of weapons of mass destruction, missile defense, as well as interaction in emergency situations. One of the key points of cooperation is the suppression of drug trafficking in Central Asia. The relations between the bloc and the Russian Federation were complicated after the war in Georgia in August 2008, as a result of which the dialogue within the Russia-NATO Council was suspended. But in the summer of 2009, thanks to the efforts of the foreign ministers, the Council resumed work in a number of key areas.
