nato wiki
69 pages in this category
NATO
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nato background (key documents)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
curated foundational texts and major summit decisions shaping nato policy and posture
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nato chronology (1949–present)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
key events, treaties, and strategic shifts from 1949 to present
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nato related concepts & entities
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
glossary of core concepts, forces, councils, and organizations linked to nato policy and operations
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appendix: evolution of nato strategic concepts
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
analysis of 1991, 1999, 2010, and 2022 nato strategic concepts
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NATO Governance Documents
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
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North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) – Inaugural Meeting Statement
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Launched in December 1991, the NACC created NATO’s first formal forum for political consultation and cooperation with former Warsaw Pact and Soviet states, laying the groundwork for later frameworks like the Partnership for Peace and the Euro‑Atlantic Partnership Council.
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The Alliance
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Agreed upon at the Rome Summit, this was the Alliance's first post-Cold War strategic concept. It adopted a broader approach to security, emphasizing dialogue and cooperation alongside collective defense, and significantly reduced the role of nuclear forces.
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Study on NATO Enlargement
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
This 1995 NATO study outlines the 'why and how' of admitting new members to the Alliance. It emphasizes the goal of enhancing stability and security across the Euro-Atlantic area and details the obligations of membership.
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Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) – Basic Document
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Adopted in 1997, the EAPC replaced the NACC and established a more structured framework for political consultation and practical cooperation between NATO and partner countries across the Euro‑Atlantic area.
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NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Launched in 1999, MAP provides tailored advice, assistance, and practical support to countries wishing to join NATO, covering political, economic, defence, resource, security, and legal aspects.
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The Alliance
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Approved at the Washington Summit, this document adapted the Alliance to the post-Cold War security environment. It broadened NATO's mission to include crisis management and 'out-of-area' operations, and reaffirmed the 'open-door policy' for new members.
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EU–NATO ‘Berlin Plus’ Arrangements (2002–2003)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Agreements allowing the EU to draw on NATO assets and capabilities for EU‑led crisis management operations, subject to agreed conditions. Key step in EU–NATO cooperation.
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2002 Prague Summit – NATO Response Force and Prague Capabilities Commitment
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
The Prague Summit launched the NATO Response Force (NRF) and the Prague Capabilities Commitment (PCC), invited seven countries to join NATO, and advanced transformation to meet 21st‑century threats.
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Rome Declaration: NATO–Russia Relations – A New Quality (NATO–Russia Council)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
At the 2002 Rome Summit, Allies and Russia created the NATO–Russia Council (NRC), moving from the 1997 Permanent Joint Council to a format for joint consultation and, where appropriate, joint decisions and actions on shared security concerns.
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Putin's Munich Speech (2007)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Speech by Vladimir Putin at the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy, criticizing a unipolar order and NATO enlargement; widely seen as an inflection point in Russia–West relations.
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Bucharest Summit Declaration (2008)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
This declaration is notable for stating that Ukraine and Georgia 'will become members of NATO' and that the Membership Action Plan (MAP) would be the next step. It also invited Albania and Croatia to begin accession talks.
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NATO 2010 Strategic Concept:
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Adopted at the Lisbon Summit, this concept identified collective defense, crisis management, and cooperative security as NATO's core tasks. It addressed a broader range of threats, including cyber-attacks and terrorism, and referred to Russia as a 'strategic partner.'
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Alliance Maritime Strategy (2011)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
NATO’s Alliance Maritime Strategy sets the role of maritime power in collective defence, crisis management, cooperative security, and maritime security operations.
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NATO Ballistic Missile Defence – Interim Capability (Chicago 2012)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
At the Chicago Summit, Allies announced an interim ballistic missile defence (BMD) capability, integrating sensors and interceptors under NATO command and control as the foundation for a full BMD architecture.
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2012 Deterrence and Defence Posture Review (DDPR)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Agreed at the Chicago Summit, the DDPR set NATO’s overall approach to deterrence across nuclear, conventional and missile defence, reaffirming that as long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO remains a nuclear alliance, while advancing arms control and transparency.
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2014 Readiness Action Plan (RAP)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Adopted at the Wales Summit after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, the RAP strengthened NATO’s readiness and responsiveness through assurance and adaptation measures, including the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).
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Wales Summit Declaration (2014)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Issued in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea, this declaration marks a major turning point in NATO's post-Cold War posture. It suspended practical cooperation with Russia, created the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), and called on allies to reverse the trend of declining defense budgets.
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2016 NATO Cyber Defence Pledge
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Allies committed to enhance national cyber defences as a priority, recognizing cyberspace as a domain of operations and underlining that cyber attacks could, in certain circumstances, lead to the invocation of Article 5.
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Warsaw Summit Communiqué (2016)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
This communiqué details the implementation of the decisions made at the 2014 Wales Summit. It announces the establishment of the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) in the Baltic states and Poland, representing a significant shift in NATO's deterrence and defense posture.
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2018 Brussels Summit Declaration
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Leaders endorsed the NATO Readiness Initiative (\\
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2019 London Declaration
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Marking NATO’s 70th anniversary, leaders reaffirmed the transatlantic bond, recognized space as an operational domain, and underscored unity on deterrence and defence, resilience, and burden sharing.
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Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA) and NATO Warfighting Capstone Concept (NWCC)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Public overviews of two core classified military concepts: DDA (2020) translates political guidance into a warfighting posture to deter and defend across domains; NWCC (2021) provides a long‑term vision for how NATO will fight and win out to 2040.
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2021 Brussels Summit Communiqué – NATO 2030 Agenda
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Allies approved NATO 2030 to strengthen political consultation, resilience, technological edge, and partnerships; advanced adaptation across domains; and reaffirmed that cyber and hybrid activities could lead to the invocation of Article 5.
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National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation (2021 Summary)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A summary of the key points from Russia's 2021 National Security Strategy. This document outlines Russia's view of the international environment, its national interests, and its strategic priorities, reflecting a confrontational stance towards the West.
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NATO New Force Model (NFM)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Introduced in 2022 to deliver more forces at higher readiness, aligned to new regional defence plans; replaces the NATO Response Force construct over time and underpins forward defence.
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NATO 2022 Strategic Concept
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Adopted at the Madrid Summit, this document identifies Russia as the 'most significant and direct threat' to Allied security. It reaffirms NATO's three core tasks and addresses the challenges posed by China for the first time.
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2023 NATO Defence Production Action Plan (DPAP)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Launched to accelerate multinational procurement, expand industrial capacity, and improve interoperability and stockpiles, the DPAP responds to the demands of sustained support for Ukraine and Allied deterrence and defence.
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Finland Joins NATO
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Finland became a full member of NATO on 4 April 2023, extending the Alliance’s border with Russia and strengthening defence and deterrence in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea region.
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Vilnius Summit Communiqué (2023)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Issued in the midst of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, this communiqué details NATO's most recent decisions on strengthening deterrence and defense. It reaffirms that Ukraine's future is in NATO, removes the requirement for a Membership Action Plan, and establishes the NATO-Ukraine Council.
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Sweden Joins NATO
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Sweden became NATO’s 32nd Ally in March 2024, completing the Nordic region’s integration into the Alliance and enabling deeper regional defence planning and interoperability.
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2024 Washington Summit Declaration
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
At NATO’s 75th anniversary Summit, Allies reaffirmed support to Ukraine, endorsed measures to strengthen deterrence and defence and defence industrial capacity, and underscored the 2% of GDP defence investment as a floor.
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The Black Sea Grain Initiative
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
An agreement brokered by the UN and Turkey in July 2022 to ensure the safe passage of grain and other foodstuffs from Ukrainian ports. The initiative was a critical humanitarian effort to address the global food crisis exacerbated by the war, though Russia ultimately withdrew from the deal in July 2023.
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The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A 1994 agreement in which Russia, the UK, and the US provided security assurances to Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan in exchange for their accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The signatories committed to respect the sovereignty and existing borders of the newly independent states.
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Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Signed in 1990, this treaty established comprehensive limits on key categories of conventional military equipment in Europe. It was a cornerstone of post-Cold War European security, designed to reduce the possibility of large-scale offensive operations.
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Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A joint statement issued on February 4, 2022, that outlines a shared vision for international relations. It opposes the further enlargement of NATO, criticizes the United States' Indo-Pacific strategy, and declares that the friendship between the two states has 'no limits.'
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Is NATO Ready for War? (CSIS, 2024)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A June 2024 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies that assesses NATO's efforts to strengthen its defense and deterrence capabilities since the 2022 Madrid Summit. It analyzes progress in defense spending, forward defense, and high-readiness forces, while also highlighting the challenges of preparing for a potential protracted war.
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A Strategic Compass for Security and Defence (2022)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
The EU's comprehensive strategy to strengthen its security and defense policy. It aims to make the EU a stronger and more capable security provider, able to act rapidly in crises and protect its citizens against a wide range of threats, and is the modern successor to the St. Malo Declaration.
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French National Strategic Review (Revue Nationale Stratégique) 2022
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
France's national security strategy, updated in response to the war in Ukraine. It identifies Russia as the 'main and most immediate threat' and reaffirms NATO as the 'foundation and framework of Europe's collective security,' while also strongly emphasizing the need for European strategic autonomy.
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The Helsinki Final Act
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
The concluding document of the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe (CSCE), signed in 1975. It established foundational principles for East-West relations, including the inviolability of frontiers, territorial integrity, and respect for human rights.
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NATO, the EU, and the Challenge of Hybrid Warfare
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
An analysis of the evolving nature of hybrid warfare in the context of the NATO-Russia standoff. By September 2025, both NATO and the EU have developed comprehensive strategies to counter hybrid threats, which have escalated from disinformation to coordinated physical and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.
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The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Signed in 1987 by the United States and the Soviet Union, this treaty required the elimination of all ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Its collapse in 2019 is a significant factor in the deterioration of European security.
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The Minsk Agreements (I and II)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A series of agreements signed in 2014 and 2015 to stop the war in the Donbas region of Ukraine. Their failure to be fully implemented is a key element of the current conflict.
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The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Signed in 1936, this international agreement governs the passage of maritime traffic, both civilian and military, through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits. It grants Turkey control over the Straits while ensuring freedom of passage for civilian vessels in peacetime and restricting the passage of naval warships.
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Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between NATO and the Russian Federation
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Signed in 1997, this act established the basis for a new relationship between NATO and Russia. It declared that the two were no longer adversaries and created the NATO-Russia Permanent Joint Council for consultation and cooperation.
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NATO-Russia Weekly Briefing (September 20-26, 2025)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A summary of key events during a week of escalating tensions, marked by a coordinated Russian hybrid warfare campaign involving airspace violations, drone incursions, and cyberattacks against critical infrastructure in multiple NATO countries.
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Charter on a Distinctive Partnership between NATO and Ukraine
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Signed in 1997, this charter established the NATO-Ukraine Commission and outlined areas for consultation and cooperation. It recognized the importance of an independent and stable Ukraine and established a crisis consultation mechanism.
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The North Atlantic Treaty
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
The foundational treaty of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), signed in 1949. It establishes the principle of collective defense, outlined in Article 5, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all.
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National Security Archive:
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A briefing book from the National Security Archive that compiles declassified documents revealing a 'cascade of assurances' given by Western leaders to Soviet officials in 1990 and 1991 that NATO would not expand eastward beyond the borders of a reunified Germany.
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Treaty on Open Skies (1992)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A multilateral treaty permitting short‑notice, unarmed observation flights over the entire territory of participating states to promote military transparency; entered into force in 2002. The United States withdrew in 2020 and the Russian Federation withdrew in 2021.
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Charter for European Security (1999)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Adopted at the OSCE's Istanbul Summit, this document was a major attempt to adapt the principles of the Helsinki Final Act to the post-Cold War era. It is the primary source for the principle of the 'indivisibility of security,' which is frequently invoked by Russia in its criticisms of NATO.
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Partnership for Peace: Framework Document
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
This 1994 document launched the Partnership for Peace (PfP) program, a major NATO initiative for practical bilateral cooperation with non-member countries. It provided a framework for former Warsaw Pact countries and other European nations to develop closer ties with the Alliance.
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National Security Strategy of the Republic of Poland (2020)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
This document outlines Poland's national security priorities. It identifies the 'neo-imperial policy of the Russian Federation' as the most serious threat and calls for strengthening Poland's defense capabilities within the NATO framework, including increasing defense spending to 2.5% of GDP.
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Enlarging NATO: The Russia Factor (RAND, 1996)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A 1996 report that provides a political-military analysis of the dynamics of NATO enlargement, with a particular focus on the interaction between the West and Russia. It assesses Russia's foreign policy and defense strategy and proposes alternative approaches for the United States and its allies.
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The Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation (2023)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
Approved in March 2023, this document outlines Russia's current foreign policy. It frames Russia as a unique 'state-civilization' and calls for the formation of a 'multipolar world order,' taking a highly confrontational stance towards the 'collective West.'
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Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation (2014)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
This document outlines the official military policy of the Russian Federation. It identifies NATO's 'power potential' and 'global functions' as the main external military threat and details the conditions for the use of nuclear weapons.
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Western Sanctions on Russia (2014-2025)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A summary of the economic and financial sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States, the European Union, and other partners. These measures, implemented in response to the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and dramatically expanded after the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, target key sectors of the Russian economy.
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Joint Declaration on European Defence (St. Malo Declaration)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A 1998 joint declaration by the British and French governments that is considered a key moment in the development of the EU's Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). It called for the EU to have the capacity for autonomous action, backed by credible military forces, to respond to international crises.
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The Suwałki Gap: A Strategic Analysis
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
An analysis of the Suwałki Gap, a critical vulnerability on NATO's eastern flank. This narrow land corridor is the only overland route connecting the Baltic states to the rest of the Alliance, making it a focal point of NATO's deterrence and defense planning.
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The Tagliavini Report (Summary)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A summary of the main findings of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Conflict in Georgia. This EU-commissioned report provides an in-depth analysis of the origins and course of the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, assigning responsibility to both sides for the escalation of the conflict.
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The Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany (The
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
The 1990 treaty that paved the way for German reunification. It granted full sovereignty to a unified Germany and is a key document in the debate over NATO expansion due to its provisions on military deployments in the former East Germany.
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Integrated Review Refresh 2023 (United Kingdom)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
The UK's updated national security and foreign policy strategy. It identifies Russia as the 'most acute threat' to UK security and China as an 'epoch-defining and systemic challenge,' and commits the UK to a leading role in NATO.
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National Security Strategy of the United States (2022)
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
This document outlines the US approach to national security. It identifies China as the 'only competitor with both the intent to reshape the international order and...the power to do it,' while viewing Russia as an immediate and ongoing threat, and introduces the concept of 'integrated deterrence.'
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OSCE Vienna Document 2011 on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
A politically binding OSCE document updating transparency and confidence‑building measures, including information exchange, notifications, observation of military activities, and verification measures across the OSCE area.
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The Warsaw Pact
Sep 28, 2025 • updated
The treaty that established the Warsaw Pact, a collective defense organization created by the Soviet Union and its Eastern Bloc allies in 1955. It served as the primary military counterbalance to NATO during the Cold War.