70 Years Since NATO Formed

Seventy years ago, in the wake of WWII, 12 countries came together to form a military and political alliance. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was firstly needed for collective defence against a growing Soviet Bloc. Article 5 of the treaty, which states that an attack on any member would be considered an attack on the group, has acted as a strong deterrent for the past 70 years. It was only invoked once in NATO history, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In recent years NATO has come under attack by US Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg addressed the US Congress on invitation by Nancy Pelosi on the historic anniversary.