Lesson 1/35 min
NATO, ANZUS and AUKUS
NATO
- Full form: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- Founded: 4 April 1949 by a treaty signed in Washington; 12 founding members
- First headquarters in London; Paris from 16 April 1952; Brussels, Belgium since 1967
- 32 members now; the latest is Sweden (7 March 2024); Finland joined on 4 April 2023
- Secretary-general: Mark Rutte (Netherlands), since 1 October 2024
- France left the military command in 1966 and returned in 2009
- Members outside Europe: the United States and Canada
- Two Muslim-majority members: Albania and Turkey
- A member with no army: Iceland
- The rival bloc: the Warsaw Pact (1955); the NATO-led force in Afghanistan was ISAF
- Summits: The Hague 2025 (5%-of-GDP defence goal); Ankara, 7–8 July 2026
The 12 founding members
| Region | Countries |
|---|---|
| North America | United States, Canada |
| Europe | United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Portugal |
How NATO grew (steps worth remembering)
| When | Who |
|---|---|
| 1952 | Greece and Turkey |
| 1999 | Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland |
| 2017 and 2020 | Montenegro and North Macedonia |
| 2023 and 2024 | Finland and Sweden |
Watch out: The book's list repeats Latvia and leaves out Montenegro. The 32 members are the 12 founders plus Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Finland and Sweden.
ANZUS
- Australia, New Zealand and United States Security Treaty; signed 1 September 1951
- Three parties: Australia, New Zealand, United States
- Type: military alliance; aim: to resist outside attack
AUKUS
- Members: Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US) = AUKUS
- Announced: September 2021; a security partnership aimed at China's influence in the Indo-Pacific
- France objected, as the deal replaced its submarine contract with Australia
Check yourself
Who is NATO's latest member?
At a glance
- 1
NATO was founded on 4 April 1949 with 12 founding members; it now has 32 members.
- 2
NATO's headquarters are in Brussels (since 1967); the secretary-general is Mark Rutte (Netherlands).
- 3
The latest member is Sweden (7 March 2024); Finland joined on 4 April 2023.
- 4
NATO's Muslim-majority members are Albania and Turkey; Iceland has no army.
- 5
ANZUS dates from 1 September 1951; AUKUS (2021) groups Australia, the UK and the US.