Purpose of NATO

Crisis Management operations:

Collective defense suggest that a decision has been taken generally by NATO members to consider an attack or act of aggression against one or more members as an attack against all. NATO involved Article 5 for the first time in its history in September of 2001 following the twin tower terrorist attacks.

Non-Article 5 crisis response operations:

Crisis response operations cover all military operations conducted by NATO in a non-Article 5 situation. A “crisis response” or “peace-support operation” includes conflict prevention, peacekeeping, peacemaking, peace building, peace enforcement and humanitarian operations.

Conflict prevention: range from diplomatic initiatives to preventive deployments of forces intended to prevent disputes from escalating into armed conflicts or from spreading. Conflict prevention can also include fact-finding missions, consultations, warnings, inspections and monitoring.

Peacekeeping: Conducted with the consent of all members to monitor and facilitate implementation of a peace agreement.

Peacemaking: includes the provision of good offices, mediation, conciliation. Also, diplomatic pressure, isolation or sanction.

Peace building: Peace building covers actions which support political, economic, social, and military measures and structures aiming to strengthen and solidify political settlements in order to redress the causes of a conflict. This includes mechanisms to identify and support structures which can play a role in consolidating peace, advance a sense of confidence and well-being and supporting economic reconstruction.

Peace enforcement: These operations are undertaken under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. They are coercive in nature and are conducted when the consent of all Parties to a conflict has not been achieved or might be uncertain. They are designed to maintain or re-establish peace or enforce the terms specified in the mandate.

Humanitarian operations: these operations are conducted to alleviate human suffering. Humanitarian operations may precede or accompany humanitarian activities provided by specialized civilian organisations.

Natural, technological or humanitarian disaster operations:

Operations to assist member and partner countries that are affected by disasters also fall under the scope of crisis management. In 2005, NATO assisted Pakistan when it was hit by a devastating earthquake that claimed the lives of an estimated 80,000 people. NATO also regularly responds to requests for assistance following natural disasters such as heavy flooding and forest fires.