The NATO bloc. Members of NATO. NATO weapons

NATO is one of the most influential military-political associations in the world. There is more than 60 years. Initially, the alliance was created as a structure designed to oppose the policy of the USSR and the possible revival of the military aspirations of the capitulated Germany. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO ranks filled the majority of the Eastern European countries of the former socialist camp. A number of analysts speak about the prospects for Georgia and Ukraine joining the bloc (albeit in the distant future). It is interesting that the attempts to join NATO (or declare joint military-political cooperation on key issues of a global nature) were made both by the USSR and modern Russia. Now there are 28 countries in NATO.

The leading role in the military plan in this organization is played by the United States. The block oversees the Partnership for Peace program, together with the Russian Federation, organizes the work of the Russia-NATO Council. It consists of two main structures - the International Secretariat and the Military Committee. Has a huge military resource (Response Force). NATO headquarters is located in the Belgian capital of Brussels. The alliance has two official languages - French and English. The organization is headed by the Secretary General. The budget of NATO is divided into three types - civil, military (the most financially capacious) and in terms of funding a security program. The alliance's military forces participated in armed conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995), Yugoslavia (1999), Libya (2011). NATO leads the international military contingent to ensure security in Kosovo, is involved in solving military and political problems in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Traces the interaction between military structures in the Mediterranean region, identifying organizations involved in the supply of weapons of mass destruction. The Alliance actively participates in international dialogues with Russia, China, India and other major powers. According to some researchers, the tension between NATO and Russia as the successor of the USSR has never disappeared, and at the moment it continues to grow.

The creation of NATO

The NATO bloc was formed in 1949 by twelve states. Geographically, the leading countries of the created organization, including the United States, the most influential politically and militarily state, had access to the Atlantic Ocean, which influenced the name of the new international structure. NATO (NATO) is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, that is, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is often referred to as the Alliance.

The goal of the bloc was to counteract the political aspirations of the Soviet Union and its friendly countries in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world. According to treaties between the NATO countries, mutual military protection was provided in case of aggression of the states of the communist world. At the same time, this political union contributed to the integration trends in the countries that formed it. In 1952, Greece and Turkey joined NATO, in 1956 - the FRG, and in 1982 - Spain. After the collapse of the USSR, the bloc further expanded its influence in the world.

NATO after the collapse of the USSR

When the Soviet Union collapsed, it would seem that the need for the continued existence of the North Atlantic Alliance has disappeared. But it did not happen at all. NATO members not only decided to retain the bloc, but also began to expand their influence. In 1991, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council was established, which began to oversee work with countries that are not members of the NATO bloc. In the same year, bilateral agreements were signed between the states of the North Atlantic Alliance, Russia and Ukraine.

In 1995, a program was established to build a dialogue with the countries of the Middle East (Israel and Jordan), North Africa (Egypt, Tunisia) and the Mediterranean. It was also joined by Mauritania, Morocco and Algeria. In 2002, the Russia-NATO Council was created, which allowed the countries to continue to build a dialogue on key issues of world politics - combating terrorism, limiting the proliferation of weapons.

Form of NATO soldiers

The NATO uniform, in which the soldiers of the bloc are dressed, has never been unified. Military camouflage on national standards, all that is more or less similar is the green color and shades of "khaki". Sometimes military men wear additional types of clothing (so-called camouflage coveralls) when carrying out special operations in special conditions (desert or steppe). In some countries, the NATO form contains various drawings and patterns that make it possible to achieve better camouflage of the soldiers.

In the US, for example, the most popular camouflage coloring in the five main standards. First, it's woodland - clothes with four shades of green. Secondly, it's desert 3 color - a uniform for military operations in the desert, containing three shades. Thirdly, this desert 6-color is another version of clothing for fighting in desert conditions, this time with six shades. And there are two winter versions of the military form - winter (light or milky-white) and snow winter (absolutely white shade). All this color gamut is a reference point for the designers of many other armies that put their soldiers in the NATO camouflage.

The evolution of the military form of the US Army is interesting. Camouflage as such - the invention is relatively recent. Until the early 1970s, American soldiers wore mostly exclusively green clothes. But during the operation in Vietnam, such a coloring turned out to be inconsistent with the requirements of fighting in the jungle, as a result, the soldiers were re-dressed in camouflage, allowing them to camouflage themselves in the rainforest. In the 70's, this type of form became almost the national standard for the US Army. Gradually there were modifications of camouflage - those same five shades.

The Armed Forces of NATO

The NATO bloc has significant military forces, in the aggregate - the largest in the world, as some military experts believe. There are two types of troops of the North Atlantic Alliance - united and national. The key unit of the first type of NATO army is the response force. They are ready almost for immediate participation in special operations in zones of local and spontaneous military conflicts, including in countries that are not members of the bloc. NATO also has an immediate response force. And the emphasis in their involvement is not on the practical use of weapons, but on the psychological effect - by transferring to the scene of military action a large number of different weapons and soldiers. The calculation goes that the belligerents, realizing the impending power of NATO, will change their tactics in favor of a peaceful settlement.

The unit has a powerful air force. NATO planes are 22 combat air squadrons (about 500 units of aircraft). Also at the disposal of the block are 80 military-transport aircraft. The NATO countries also have an efficient fleet. In its composition - aircraft carriers, submarines (including multipurpose atomic), frigates, missile boats, and also naval aviation. NATO combat ships number more than 100 units.

The largest military structure of NATO is the main defensive forces. Their involvement is possible only in the case of large-scale military operations in the Atlantic region. In peacetime, they participate in combat operations mostly in part. As part of the main defensive forces of NATO - more than 4,000 aircraft and 500-odd ships.

How NATO expanded

So, after the collapse of the USSR, the NATO bloc continued to exist, moreover, it activated its influence in the world. In 1999, the North Atlantic Alliance was joined by states that had recently entered the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union - Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic. Five years later, other former socialist countries: Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, as well as the Baltic states. In 2009, new members of NATO appeared - Albania with Croatia. Against the backdrop of political crisis and fighting in Ukraine, as some experts believe, NATO will not show any aspirations to further expand. In particular, during the negotiations between the leadership of the bloc and representatives of Ukraine, the question of the country's entry into NATO, analysts say, is not directly posed.

At the same time, according to some experts, many countries express their desire to join the bloc. This is primarily the Balkan states - Montenegro, Macedonia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. Speaking about which countries in NATO are striving with all their might, Georgia should be mentioned. True, according to some analysts, the conflicts in Abkhazia and South Ossetia are factors that reduce the attractiveness of the country for the bloc. There is an opinion among experts that the further expansion of NATO depends on Russia's position. For example, at the summit in Bucharest in 2008, the bloc allowed the accession of some countries of the former USSR, but did not specify a specific timetable because of Vladimir Putin's opinion that the emergence of NATO near the borders of Russia is a direct threat. This position of the Russian Federation remains relevant today. However, some Western analysts consider Russia's fears to be insolvent.

Military exercises of the North Atlantic Alliance

Since NATO is a military organization, it is usual for it to practice large-scale army exercises. They are attended by a variety of types of troops. At the end of 2013, in Eastern Europe, were held, as counted by many military analysts, the largest NATO exercise called Steadfast Jazz. They were accepted by Poland and the Baltic states - Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. NATO convened more than six thousand military personnel from different countries to participate in the exercises, attracted three hundred combat vehicles, over 50 aviation units, and 13 warships. The conventional enemy of the bloc was the fictional state of Botnia, which committed an act of aggression against Estonia.

Invented by military analysts, the country experienced a social, political and economic crisis, which has spoiled relations with foreign partners. As a result, the contradictions resulted in a war that began with the invasion of Botnia into Estonia. On the basis of collective defense treaties, NATO's military-political bloc decided to immediately move forces to protect the small Baltic state.

Some stages of the exercise were observed by representatives of the Russian armed forces (in turn, a few months before, NATO military observers observed the joint maneuvers of the Russian Federation and Belarus). The leadership of the North Atlantic bloc spoke about the possibility of joint military actions with Russia. Experts noted that the mutual openness of NATO and the Russian Federation in conducting military exercises helps to increase confidence.

NATO and the United States, the leading military power of the bloc, planned exercises in the countries of Southern Europe in 2015. It is estimated that about 40 thousand soldiers will participate in them.

Weapons of the North Atlantic Alliance

Russian military experts call several samples of military equipment of the block, which have no analogues in the world or very few. This is NATO's weapon, which speaks of the high combat capability of the army of the North Atlantic Alliance. Russia, military analysts believe, it is necessary to be especially wary of five types of weapons. Firstly, it's a Challenger 2 tank of British manufacture. It is armed with a 120-mm cannon and is equipped with powerful armor. The tank is capable of moving at a good speed - about 25 miles per hour. Secondly, it is a submarine, assembled by the so-called "Project-212" by German defense enterprises. It is characterized by low noise, decent speed (20 knots), excellent weapons (torpedoes WASS 184, DM2A4), as well as a missile system. Thirdly, the NATO army has combat aircraft Eurofighter Typhoon. By their characteristics, they are close to the fighters of the so-called fifth generation - the American F-22 and the Russian T-50. The machine is equipped with a 27-millimeter cannon and many types of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. Some experts believe that only the newest models of Russian aircraft, such as the Su-35, can compete on equal terms with Typhoon. Another noteworthy type of NATO weapons is the Eurocopter Tiger helicopter produced jointly by France and Germany. In its characteristics, it is close to the legendary American AH-64 "Apache", but smaller in size and weight, which can give the car an advantage in the course of the battle. The helicopter is armed with a lot of missiles (air-to-air, anti-tank). The Spike missile, which is manufactured by the defense enterprises of Israel, is another example of NATO weapons, which, according to analysts, Russian military should pay attention to. Spike is an effective anti-tank weapon. Its peculiarity consists in equipping the combat part with two steps: the first breaks the outer layer of the armor of the tank, the second - the inner one.

Military bases of the North Atlantic Alliance

At least one NATO military base is on the territory of each of the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance. Consider Hungary as an example of a former socialist camp country. The first NATO base here appeared in 1998. The US government used the Hungarian airport "Tasar" during the operation with Yugoslavia - from here flew mainly drones and aircraft F-18. On the same airbase in 2003, military specialists from among oppositional groups in Iraq were trained (shortly before the US army began military operations in this Middle Eastern country). Speaking about the allies of Americans among Western countries on the deployment of military bases on their territory, it is worth mentioning Italy. Immediately after the end of World War II, this state began to deploy large contingents of US naval forces.

Now the Pentagon operates ports in Naples, as well as airfields in Vicenza, Piacenza, Trapani, Istrana and many other Italian cities. The most famous NATO base in Italy is Aviano. It was built in the 50's, but is still considered by many military specialists to be the best in the region. On it, not counting the infrastructure for takeoff and landing of aircraft, there are hangars in which aviation equipment can take cover in case of bombing. There are navigational equipment, when using which combat sorties can be carried out at night and practically in any weather. New NATO bases in Europe include Bezmer, Graf Ignatyevo and Novo Selo in Bulgaria. As the government of this Balkan country has calculated, the deployment of NATO troops will strengthen the security of the state, and will also have a positive impact on the level of training of the armed forces.

Russia and NATO

Russia and NATO, despite the long experience of political confrontation in the 20th century, are making attempts to constructive interaction in the international arena. As it was said above, in 1991 a number of documents were signed on the joint solution of certain issues in world politics. In 1994, the Russian Federation joined the Partnership for Peace program initiated by the North Atlantic Alliance. In 1997, Russia and NATO signed an act on cooperation and security, a Joint Permanent Council was established, which soon became the main resource for seeking consensus in the course of consultations between the Russian Federation and the bloc. Events in Kosovo, according to analysts, have severely undermined the mutual trust of Russia and the alliance. But, despite this, the cooperation continued. In particular, the work of the Council includes regular diplomatic meetings between ambassadors and representatives of the armies. The main areas of cooperation within the Council are the fight against terrorism, the control of weapons of mass destruction, missile defense, and cooperation in emergency situations. One of the key points of cooperation is the suppression of illicit drug trafficking in Central Asia. The relationship between the bloc and the Russian Federation complicated after the war in Georgia in August 2008, as a result of which the dialogue within the Russia-NATO Council was suspended. But in the summer of 2009, thanks to the efforts of the foreign ministers, the Council resumed its work in a number of key areas.

Prospects of the North Atlantic Alliance

Some experts believe that the continued existence of NATO and the prospects for expanding the influence of the bloc depend on the state of the economies of the participating countries. The fact is that the military partnership within the framework of this organization implies a certain percentage of the expenditure of the state budgets of the Allies on defense. But now the state of affairs in the budget policy of many developed countries is far from ideal. The governments of a number of NATO member states, analysts believe, do not have the financial resources for large-scale investments in the armed forces. Moreover, the example of the USA is indicative - it was estimated that military interventions of recent years brought losses to the US economy by one and a half trillion dollars. Apparently, none of the allies wants to experience similar effects from the use of military force on the world stage. In 2010-2013, the budget allocations of the majority of European countries that are members of NATO did not exceed 2% of GDP for defense (more only in Great Britain, Greece and Estonia). While in the 90 years it was quite natural to consider the figure at 3-4%.

There is a version that the EU countries are inclined to conduct an independent US military policy. Particular activity in this direction is shown by Germany. But this again rests on the financial component: the creation of armed forces in Europe, comparable to the US, can cost hundreds of billions of dollars. EU countries experiencing stagnation in the economy, such costs may not be able to.