1. Source: http://www.nato.int
NATO Basics
Source:

2. Outline The Treaty Enlargement Partners National Delegations
Decision-making
Institutions
International Staff
Petroleum Committee
Pipeline System

3. Member Countries
12 founding members: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, UK and US
NATO has an “open door policy”, based upon Art. 10 of the Washington Treaty, which states that membership is open to any “European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area”

4. Cold War Enlargement
1952: Greece and Turkeyreinforcing the Southern Flank
1955: Germany (West)forward defense from the Rhine to the Elbe
With the reunification of Germany in 1990, the länders of the former GDR joined the FRG in its membership
1982 Spain

5. Post-Cold War Enlargement
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact opened up the possibility of further NATO enlargement
1995, Study on NATO Enlargement concluded that the end of the Cold War provided a unique opportunity to build improved security in the entire Euro-Atlantic area and that enlargement would contribute to enhanced stability and security for all
The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland were invited to begin accession talks in 1997 and in March 1999 they became the first former members of the Warsaw Pact to join NATO

6. …post cold war enlargement
April 1999: Membership Action Plan (MAP) established to help countries aspiring to NATO membership in their preparations
Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia were invited to begin accession talks in 2002
In 2004, they officially became members of the Alliance, making this the largest wave of enlargement in NATO history
All seven countries had participated in the MAP before acceding to NATO

7. …post cold war enlargement
The most recent accessions are those of Albania and Croatia
Albania had participated in MAP since its inception in 1999 and Croatia joined in 2002
They worked with NATO in a wide range of areas, with particular emphasis on defense and security sector reform, as well as support for wider democratic and institutional reform
In 2008, they both signed Accession Protocols and became official members of the Alliance in 2009

9. Partners
NATO cooperates with a range of international organizations and countries in different structures:
Formal Partnerships: Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC); Mediterranean Dialogue; Istanbul Cooperation Initiative
Partners across the globe
International Organizations: UN, EU, OSCE

10. National Delegations
Each NATO member country has a delegation at NATO Headquarters in Brussels
The delegation has a status similar to that of an embassy
It is headed by an “ambassador” or “permanent representative”, who acts on instructions from his or her capital and reports back to the national authorities
With all the delegations in the same building, they are able to maintain formal and informal contacts with each other

11. …national delegations
They are also able to maintain contact with NATO's International Staff, International Military Staff and representatives of Partner countries, each of which are entitled to have a mission at NATO Headquarters
A delegation’s function is two-fold: to represent its country’s government and contribute to the consultation process, which allows NATO to take collective decisions or actions
Delegations can vary in size and are principally staffed with civil servants from the ministries of foreign affairs and defense

12. Consensus decision-making
All NATO decisions are made by consensus, after discussion and consultation among member countries
A decision reached by consensus is an agreement reached by common consent, a decision that is accepted by each member country
This means that when a "NATO decision" is announced, it is the expression of the collective will of all the sovereign states that are members of the Alliance
This principle is applied at every committee level

13. …consensus
Consensus decision-making means that there is no voting at NATO
Consultations take place until a decision that is acceptable to all is reached (Sometimes member countries agree to disagree on an issue)
In general, this negotiation process is rapid since members consult each other on a regular basis and therefore often know and understand each other's positions in advance

14. …consensus
Facilitating the process of consultation is one of the NATO Secretary General's main tasks
Consensus has been accepted as the sole basis for decision-making in NATO since the creation of the Alliance in 1949

15. Policy and Decision-making Institutions- NAC
NATO works by committees
Principal committees:
North Atlantic Council (NAC):
principal political decision-making body within NATO and the only committee that was established by the founding Treaty (art. 9)
ultimate authority within NATO

16. Policy and Decision-making Institutions-NPG
Nuclear Planning Group (NPG):
Founded in 1966 at US suggestion and formed by all member countries, with the exception of France, which has decided not to participate
Chaired by NATO Secretary General
Role: to review NATO’s nuclear policy in the light of the ever-changing security challenges of the international environment and to adapt it if necessary
Meets at the level of Ambassadors; and once a year at the level of Ministers of Defense

17. Policy and Decision-making Institutions-MC
Military Committee (MC)
senior military authority in NATO and the oldest permanent body after NAC
primary source of military advice to NATO’s civilian decision-making bodies – NAC and NPG
Its advice is sought prior to any authorization for military action and, consequently represents an essential link between the political decision-making process and the military structure of NATO

18. Policy and Decision-making Institutions-Summit Meetings
NATO summit meetings provide periodic opportunities for Heads of State and Government of member countries to evaluate and provide strategic direction for Alliance activities
Summits have been used to introduce new policy, invite new members, launch major new initiatives and build partnerships with non-NATO countries
From the founding of NATO in 1949 until today there have been 25 NATO summits. The most recent one took place in Chicago, May 2012

19. The Secretary General
The Secretary General is the Alliance’s top international civil servant. This person is responsible for steering the process of consultation and decision-making in the Alliance and ensuring that decisions are implemented
The Secretary General is also NATO’s chief spokesperson and the head of the Organization’s International Staff
The function of Secretary General is filled by a senior statesman with high-level political experience in the government of one of the member countries

20. …Secretary General
The person is nominated by member governments for an initial period of four years, which can be extended by mutual consent to a fifth year
The position has traditionally been held by a European statesman
The post is currently held by Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former Prime Minister of Denmark

21. International Staff (IS)
Some 1200 civilians work within NATO's International Staff (IS) at NATO Headquarters in Brussels
The primary role of the IS is to provide advice, guidance and administrative support to the national delegations
IS helps to implement decisions taken at different committee levels and, in doing so, supports the process of consensus-building and decision-making within the Alliance

22. …International Staff
The IS is headed by NATO’s Secretary General, who from an administrative point of view, is also a member of the IS
Staff members are recruited from NATO member countries
Worldwide, some 5000 civilians work for NATO in different agencies and strategic and regional commands

23. Petroleum Committee
The Petroleum Committee is the senior advisory body in NATO for logistic support to Alliance forces on all matters concerning petroleum, including the NATO Pipeline System (NPS), other petroleum installations and handling equipment
The Petroleum Committee reports to the Logistics Committee on questions related to NATO petroleum requirements and how they are met in times of peace, crisis and conflict, including expeditionary operations

24. NATO Pipeline System (NPS)
NATO has a pipeline system designed to ensure that its requirements for petroleum products and their distribution can be met at all times
NPS consists of ten distinct storage and distribution systems for fuels and lubricants
In total, it is approximately 12,000 kilometers long, runs through 13 NATO countries and has a storage capacity of 5.5 million cubic meters
NPS was set up during the Cold War to supply NATO forces with fuel and it continues to satisfy fuel requirements with the flexibility that today’s security environment requires

25. Central Europe Pipeline System (CEPS)
CEPS is the largest of the NPS
Designed and managed to meet operational requirements in central Europe in peace, crisis and conflict
Also used commercially under strict safeguards, supplying jet fuel to several major civil airports such as Frankfurt, Schiphol, Brussels, Luxembourg and Zurich
The CEPS is used by five Host Nations - Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands – and one User Nation: the United States