10 Fast Facts on NATO

NATO is back at its birthplace, Washington D.C. It was founded here 75 years ago. It will be the focus of next week's SpyCast.

To coincide with the NATO Summit, the International Spy Museum hosted an event this week featuring the President of Latvia Edgars Rinkevics , the former President of Croatia Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovi? , and current Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur .

We had a follow on panel featuring the Ranking Member of the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Jim Himes and former United States Department of Defense Secretary and Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta. The proceedings were opened by our Executive Director Christopher P. Costa .

Here are 10 fast facts on the most famous political and military alliance in history.

1. NATO's founding event happened at the "Departmental Auditorium" in Washington D.C.

• The "Departmental Auditorium" is now called the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium. It lies just on the other side of the National Mall from the International Spy Museum.
• It is also the location where NAFTA was signed (1994) and where the 9/11 Commission held a press conference to release its findings (2004).

2. NATO's first Supreme Allied Commander was General Eisenhower

• President Truman nominated General Eisenhower to become the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) in 1950. He was chosen since he was widely respected on both sides of the Atlantic for leading Allied forces in Europe during WWII.
• Truman wrote to Eisenhower: "As President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces...I know that our entire country is wholeheartedly behind you...you carry with you the prayers of all freedom-loving peoples"

3. NATO first Secretary General was Churchill's WWII Chief Military Advisor

• General Lord "Pug" Ismay was a highly respected British Army officer, and Churchill's primary link to the U.K. Chiefs of Staff Committee during WWII. He didn't fancy the NATO job initially - but Churchill told him, “It’s your duty to accept, Pug.”
• He famously quipped that NATO's purpose was to: "keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”

4. NATO's first summit was held in Paris in 1957

• This was the first time heads of state and government would come together and by this point Eisenhower was the 34th American President.
• Ike delivered these remarks at the opening: We are here to re-dedicate ourselves to the task of dispelling the shadows that are being cast upon the free world...We are here to find ways and means to apply our undoubted strengths to the building of an ample and safer home for mankind here on earth.

5. NATO has added an initial 20 members since founded in 1949

• 12 members founded NATO, 2 North American countries and 10 European Countries.
• It now includes all of Scandinavia, the Baltic Republics, most of Central and Eastern Europe, and the countries around the Adriatic Sea and the North Eastern Mediterranean.

6. NATO's 32 countries have a combined population of almost 1 billion

• At the first NATO summit in 1957 the population of the then 15 member countries was almost 500 million.
• Since then, the number of countries has more than doubled and the population has doubled. The Swedish and Finnish populations will be added to statistical databases.

7. NATO is expected to have 23 out of 32 countries meet the 2% defense investment guideline

• Rounded up, almost 72% of NATO countries will meet this target in 2024.
• Ten years ago, only 3 countries met this target (USA, UK, and Greece).

8. NATO has had 13 Secretary General's

• The current Secretary General is Jens Stoltenberg, the former Prime Minister of Norway. The Designate Secretary General, who will take over in October 2024, is the recently departed Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte.
• By tradition the chief military officer, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, is an American and the Secretary General is a European.

9. The famous "NATO star" is actually the "NATO compass"!

10. If you want to know more about (a) NATO and Intelligence and (b) NATO and Ukraine - listen to these episodes of SpyCast

• We have two episodes featuring the most recent Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security, David Cattler;
• (i) “NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence & Security” – with David Cattler (https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/spycast/524/notes)
• (ii) "Ukraine & the Alliance - with NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence David Cattler (https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/spycast/585/transcript)