SWEDEN AND NATO - INTERNATIONAL

News: Sweden formally joins NATO military alliance

 

What's in the news?

       Sweden has officially become the 32nd member of NATO after it completed its accession process in Washington.

 

Sweden and NATO:

       As the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, Sweden joined NATO during the concerns of Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

       This happened after long years of silence post world war-II.

 

Ratification from Member States:

       In order to formally become a part of NATO, Sweden will therefore require ratification from all member states.

 

NATO:

       NATO, or the Collective Security Alliance, is the collaboration between 32 countries (including Sweden) to protect their citizens.

 

Purpose:

       NATO was set up in the backdrop of World War II with the basic objective of ensuring freedom and security of its member countries through political and military means. Actually, it was formed to check the Soviet expansionist threat.

       Member countries abide by collective defence where, in case of an attack by any third party, the member countries stand committed to the defence of other member countries.

 

Structural Organisation:

       NATO is organised with a double structure. It has a civilian and a military structure. At the top of the civilian hierarchy is the Secretary-General.

       The Military Committee consists of all the members of Chiefs of Defence and controls every military operation.

 

Key Operations and Missions:

       The missions and operations NATO includes range from collective defence to crisis management and cooperative security.

       Among them are interventions in the Balkans, anti-piracy missions by the Horn of Africa, and support in Afghanistan post-September 11.

 

Partnerships:

       Beyond these member states, NATO has a network of over 40 non-member countries globally.

       These relations are part of the NATO partnership network and the global policy of dialogue and cooperation with countries from the Euro-Atlantic area, the Mediterranean, and the Persian Gulf, and other partners around the world.

 

Recent Developments:

       Since 2014, NATO’s actions began to seek answers to new concerns caused by Russian aggression in Europe, as it was observed through the prism of the Ukrainian crisis in 2014 and the invasion that occurred in 2022.