13:35, 15-Feb-2018
North Atlantic Treaty Organization: NATO's evolution through the years
[]
Share
Copied
NATO was founded by 12 initial member states in 1949 to counteract the Soviet Union's growing influence in Eastern Europe. At its height, NATO had 33 commands with over 22 thousand personnel. There are just seven such commands today, with fewer than seven thousand people.
In order to re-establish military capabilities that have eroded since the end of the Cold War, in 2014, members agreed to increase defense spending within 10 years to two percent of their countries' GDP. But as of 2016, only 5 countries have done so.
However, all members seem to be an agreement to add two more commands to the current seven, to secure Europe's sealine and improve rapid deployment capabilities.
NATO members' strong will to upgrade itself is believed to stem from the threat of Russia. As the former top US Army commander in Europe Ben Hodges said, "The alliance has to move as quick or quicker than Russian Federation forces for our deterrent to be effective."