NATOja

NATOja is the Basque term for the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In Basque usage, NATOja denotes the states that participate in the alliance, which numbered 32 as of 2024. NATO, founded in 1949, is a political and military alliance that aims to guarantee the security of its members through collective defense, principally under Article 5, which regards an armed attack on one member as an attack on all. The alliance is headquartered in Brussels and operates by consensus, engaging in policy, planning, exercises, and crisis management.

Enlargement has been central to NATO’s history. Founding members included Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Subsequent members include Greece and Turkey (1952); West Germany (1955); Spain (1982); the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland (1999); Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia (2004); Albania and Croatia (2009); Montenegro (2017); North Macedonia (2020); Finland (2023); and Sweden (2024).

NATO also maintains partnerships with non-member countries through programs such as the Partnership for Peace and other dialogues, seeking interoperability and security cooperation. Thus NATOja reflects both a military alliance and a framework for transatlantic security rooted in shared democratic values.