The evolution of NATO’s role in global security: A timeline of key summits

• NATO was founded in 1949 through the Washington Summit, where 12 nations signed the North Atlantic Treaty and established collective defence under Article 5
• The 1957 Paris Summit adopted NATO’s “Three Pillars” strategy and reaffirmed alliance unity during Cold War tensions
• In 1999, NATO marked its 50th anniversary by launching a military campaign in Kosovo and admitting seven Eastern European states
• The 2022 Madrid Summit invited Sweden and Finland to join NATO and declared Russia its most direct threat

Didacus Malowa, a journalist at .co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Since its establishment in 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has undergone significant transformation, from a Cold War-era defence pact into a globally engaged security alliance.

With over 75 years of existence, NATO's growth has been tremendous in all fronts, from defense and military expansion to social-political and economic influence across the world.

These successes have been greatly achieved through resolutions passed during high-level NATO summits.

The decisions have marked NATO's evolution and influence in regional and global security and political stability.

Here are some of the pivotal NATO summits that have shaped it's role in global security and stability.

1. Washington Summit (1949)

This was the founding summit. It led to the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty by 12 founding members.

These were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, and the United States.

One of the key resolutions they made was a declaration captured in Article 5 of the treaty, which stated that "an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.”

In 1950, the alliance embarked on plans to strengthen its military forces with the capacity to carry out the mission of defending its territory.

There was an urgent need to have an integrated military command structure with an overall commander for NATO forces in Europe.

The alliance embarked on this mission and formed a joint military command in December 1950. The revered U.S. Army General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).

2. Paris Summit (1957)

The summit led to the adoption of the “Three Pillars” of focus: military defence, political consultation, and scientific cooperation.

This was a crucial session as it reaffirmed NATO’s unity amid Soviet pressures and the Suez Crisis.

In 1952, the alliance started to expand by admitting new members. Greece and Turkey joined, bringing NATO membership to 14.

Three years later, in 1955, NATO made another significant milestone by rearming West Germany and integrating it into the alliance as a full member state.

This thwarted the Soviet Union's expansion agenda in Europe, but to remain afloat, the Soviet Union and seven Eastern European states responded by forming the Warsaw Pact.

The eight states were Albania (later withdrew), Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania.

2. Brussels summit (1967)

NATO's new headquarters opened in Brussels, Belgium. Member states adopted the Harmel Report, redefining NATO’s strategy with a dual-track approach: deterrence and détente (easing hostility).

This set the stage for NATO’s later role in fostering East-West dialogue during the Cold War.

1982 - Spain joins NATO. In 1975, Spain transitioned from a long-standing authoritarian regime to a constitutional democracy following the death of long-standing dictator Francisco Franco. This paved the way for Spain's entry into NATO.

This gave NATO strategic depth in the southwest of Europe.

3. The London summit (1990)

It occurred at a time when the Cold War was coming to an end. It was a crucial meeting that saw NATO shift from a confrontational engagement with the Soviet Union to a more diplomatic approach, especially with Eastern Europe.

The alliance went further to downsize its military posture as a sign of goodwill.

4. Rome summit (1991)

This was another crucial moment in the history of NATO as it led to the adoption of a new strategic concept redefining the alliance's priorities. The three key pillars that were identified as areas of focus were: crisis management, peacekeeping and cooperative security.

It also resulted in the formation of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) to strengthen ties with former Warsaw Pact member states.

5. Brussels Summit (1994)

The theme of this summit was partnership for peace. In the spirit of reconciliation, NATO allowed former Soviet states and other non-NATO countries to work and cooperate with the alliance without attaining full membership.

This resulted in the expansion of NATO as membership rose to 18.

6. Madrid Summit (1997)

This summit officially opened doors for former Soviet states and other non-NATO countries to formally join the alliance.

They marked the beginning of NATO's expansion agenda beyond Western Europe.

Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic are some of the states that formally joined the alliance during this summit.

NATO member states agreed to reorganise the alliance's defence and make it more inclusive with a broader focus on global peace and security.

7. Washington summit (1999)

This summit came at the time NATO was conducting its first major military campaign in Kosovo, and the focus was on how to successfully carry out the mission.

The summit also discussed emerging threats such as terrorism, ethnic conflicts and the emergence of weapons of mass destruction such as nukes.

NATO membership grew with the official entry of Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

This summit was also crucial as NATO marked 50 years since its formation.

8. Prague Summit (2002)

The summit focused on reinforcing the alliance's military strength and efficiency in responding to security crises and emergencies. Consequently, the member state approved the formation of the NATO Response Force (NRF).

They also approved the launch of the Prague Capabilities Commitment (PCC) to improve military capabilities.

9. Istanbul summit (2004)

Following 9/11, NATO member states committed to a greater role of dealing with terrorism, particularly from militia groups in the Middle East.

The summit discussed the security situation in Afghanistan and possible ways of restoring calm. For instance, a resolution was passed to allow NATO forces to assume command of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

10. Bucharest Summit (2008)

NATO made a declaration inviting Ukraine and Georgia to be members of the alliance. This rattled Russia, sparking instant tensions.

Consequently, the admission of Ukraine and Georgia as member states was withheld following Russia's opposition.

However, Albania and Croatia joined.

There was also a resolution to increase military operations in Afghanistan and the Balkans.

11. Lisbon Summit (2010)

Focussed mainly on the adoption of the Comprehensive Strategic Concept, which defined NATO's three core tasks: collective defence, Crisis Management and cooperative security.

The summit approved a resolution to introduce ballistic missile defence as NATO's core mission.

There was a consideration to seek cooperation with Russia despite the existing hostility, tension and mistrust.

12. Wales Summit (2014)

This was a critical meeting for NATO member states as it came hot on the heels of Russia's annexation of Crimea. The discussion centred on response to Moscow's aggression.

A Readiness Action Plan (RAP) and the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) were launched.

Further, a resolution encouraging member states to spend at 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense was adopted.

13. Warsaw summit (2016)

Focus shifted to enhancing presence and influence in Eastern Europe. The summit approved a proposal to deepen NATO-EU cooperation for mutual benefits.

During this meeting, cyberspace was recognised as a domain of operations.

14. Brussels summit (2021)

Launched NATO's 2030 agenda with focus on climate change, technology and other emerging threats such as increasing authoritarian governments, with China as the key target.

14. Madrid Summit (2022)

Sweden and Finland recieved invitations to formally join NATO as member states.

Russia was designated as the most 'significant and direct threat' to NATO agenda.