‍The alliance grew largely out of Cold War fears of Soviet aggression and expansionism. April 4th, 1949 marks the start of a political and military cooperation between the United States and Europe that endures to this day.

In Washington DC twelve countries sign the North Atlantic Treaty with a sole purpose of preventing conflict and preserving peace in Europe. Since its inception, NATO plays a major role in our security and has grown from the original 12 countries to an alliance of 29 members. The most recent member state added to NATO was Montenegro on 5th of June 2017 and several other nations are currently in membership negotiations.