faq
Trump’s comments on NATO have sparked a debate about the durability of the military alliance. Since Russia’s attack on Ukraine, the alliance’s importance has grown again. tagesschau.de clarifies the most important questions.
Since when has NATO existed?
NATO was founded after the Second World War in 1949. The “North Atlantic Treaty Organization”, NATO for short, is the security policy institution of the West. During the Cold War it was seen as a counterweight to the Warsaw Pact led by the Soviet Union.
After the end of the East-West conflict, NATO continued to exist and gained new members from the former Eastern Bloc.
Who is a member of the alliance and who else wants in?
With currently 31 members, the NATO alliance is intended to guarantee security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area. Finland most recently joined the alliance on April 4, 2023. In response to the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, traditionally non-aligned Sweden also applied for NATO membership in May 2022. Hungary’s approval is still pending here.
What does the much-discussed Article 5 say?
Article 5 of the NATO Treaty is one of the most important foundations of the defense alliance. The so-called assistance clause states that an attack on one member state is seen as an attack on all.
Former US President Donald Trump recently questioned this duty of assistance when he announced that he would no longer defend “defaulting members”, i.e. states that did not meet their financial obligations, after an election victory.
Before Article 5 applies, Article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty applies. The Federal Ministry of Defense writes: “Article 4 deliberations of the NATO Council usually take place after serious military incidents or with a view to special security policy events.”
In the history of the alliance, the NATO Council has met seven times on the basis of this article. Most recently, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia requested an Article 4 consultation on February 24, 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which violated international law.
Has the obligation to provide assistance already been applied and how binding is it?
NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in its history after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 against the USA. The USA was accordingly supported by NATO allies in the fight against terrorists and the occupation of Afghanistan.
The Federal Ministry of Defense explains on its website, Article 5 requires Allies to provide any form of assistance they deem necessary to respond to the relevant situation. This is an individual obligation for each ally to do what they consider necessary and can do under the particular circumstances. The aim of Article 5 is clear, namely “to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area”.
Experts assess the liability differently or point out the practice, which is often complex.
Who has nuclear weapons?
In addition to the USA, the United Kingdom and France also have nuclear weapons within the NATO alliance. Outside the alliance, in addition to Russia, Israel, Pakistan, India, China and North Korea also possess nuclear weapons.
According to the Stockholm Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) The two military superpowers Russia and the USA have by far the largest nuclear arsenals: Russia has around 5,889 nuclear warheads, the USA has 5,244 nuclear warheads.
This large number of nuclear weapons resulted from the decades-long arms race during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Germany does not have its own nuclear weapons, but participates in NATO’s so-called nuclear sharing program. This stipulates that in the event of a conflict, US nuclear weapons stored in the participating states will be transported to their destination by the alliance partner’s air force.
Nuclear sharing was highly controversial in Germany for a long time, but is still being maintained, even in the wake of the Russian attack on Ukraine. Among other things, assets acquired within the framework of the special fund should also be included F-35 fighter jets deployed come.
What is the two percent target? Who pays how much – and why does the USA pay so much?
According to NATO’s current decision, the 31 member states should each invest at least two percent of their economic output in defense. However, very few countries have achieved this so far.
According to Secretary General Stoltenberg, 18 of NATO’s 31 member states will reach the two percent target for military spending this year.
For the first time in a long time, Germany is meeting its target of around 2.1 percent: according to documents from the NATO archives, this was last the case in 1992. During the years of the Cold War, the rate was usually over three percent.
According to diplomats, Spain, Turkey and Belgium are still having difficulty meeting the target, while France wants to reach the target next year.
After Information from the Ifo Institute The states on NATO’s Eastern European external border increased their defense spending the most relative to economic output. Those NATO states with a greater geographical distance from Russia are making fewer efforts to achieve the agreed spending targets.
So they wear United States accounts for more than two-thirds of defense spending throughout NATO. This role has grown historically; the USA traditionally spends record sums on its security. Even under former President Barack Obama, calls were made for the other NATO members to spend more money on defense.
Only Poland currently spends more on defense relative to its GDP than the United States.
What specific tasks has Germany taken on within NATO?
According to the federal government Germany is involved with the Bundeswehr in international NATO missions such as in Kosovo as well as in alliance defense.
As with air policing in Estonia or, since 2019, as the “framework nation” of a multinational NATO association in Lithuania, Germany often takes on leading responsibility within NATO.
In 2002, Germany also took part in the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) mission and the subsequent NATO training mission in Afghanistan. 59 Bundeswehr soldiers died during the operation, which ended abruptly in 2021 with the evacuation of the last Western troops and the Taliban coming to power.