NATO Library: NATO Must Reads: Home

New to NATO? Looking for background information on the Alliance? Want to learn more about NATO, its mission and history but not sure where to begin? Then this guide is for you! Whether you are a new NATO employee, conducting research, or a citizen looking to learn more about the Organization in general, this guide contains reading recommendations and some quick links to get you started on your journey. For further books, articles and NATO Publications check out the side content.

What is NATO?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is one of the world’s major international institutions.

It is a political and military alliance that brings together 32 member countries from Europe and North America.

What is NATO provides a quick glance at NATO, its role, activities and members. This publication is available in different languages here!

NATO Secretary Generals

NATO Leaders
Biographies from past NATO Secretary Generals from Eisenhower to Rasmussen
NATO Allies select Mark Rutte as next Secretary General
NATO's Next Secretary General : Rasmussen's Leadership Legacy for Jens Stoltenberg
Hendrickson, Ryan C.
In: JOURNAL OF TRANSATLANTIC STUDIES, vol. 14, no. 3, September 2016, p. 237-251.
Available to NATO staff only [Please contact the Library]

NATO Topics

Understand how and why NATO was created, its fundamental security tasks, the main policies and principles that guide the Organization, and how 32 countries work together through the principle of consensus decision-making.

Themes covered:

Introduction to NATO
Operations and Missions
Security Challenges and Capabilities
Partnerships and Cooperation
Civilian and Military Structures
Wider Activities

Thematic Index of NATO Topics

NATO 2030 and the new Strategic Concept

NATO 2022 Strategic Concept
The Strategic Concept is a key document for the Alliance. It reaffirms NATO’s values and purpose, and provides a collective assessment of the security environment. It also drives NATO’s strategic adaptation and guides its future political and military development.
The Strategic Concept is reviewed and updated regularly. Since the end of the Cold War, it has been updated approximately every 10 years to take account of changes to the global security environment and to make sure the Alliance is prepared for the future.
Strategic Concepts
The Strategic Concept sets the Alliance’s strategy. It outlines NATO’s enduring purpose and nature, its fundamental security tasks, and the challenges and opportunities it faces in a changing security environment. It also specifies the elements of the Alliance’s approach to security and provides guidelines for its political and military adaptation.
NATO 2030
The NATO 2030 initiative is about making sure our Alliance remains ready today to face tomorrow's challenges.
NATO 2030 : Analysis and recommendations
United for a New Era provides analysis and recommendations of the Reflection Group Appointed by the NATO Secretary General