This is the list of military alliances. A military alliance is a formal agreement between two or more parties concerning national security in which the contracting parties agree to mutual protection and support in case of a crisis that has not been identified in advance. Military alliances differ from coalitions, which are formed for a crisis that already exists. Numerous forms of military and defensive alliances have existed between states since early human history. This is a comprehensive list of the most important alliances.
Legend | |
---|---|
Active military alliances |
Years | Name | Members |
---|---|---|
c. 7th century–338 BC | Latin League | About 30 villages and tribes in the region of Latium |
c. 6th century–338 BC | Peloponnesian League | Various city-states in the Peloponnese, dominated by Sparta |
493 BC | Foedus Cassianum | Roman Republic Latin League |
478–404 BC | Delian League | See Members of the Delian League |
215 BC | Macedonian–Carthaginian Treaty | Macedonia Carthage |
433–554 | Silla-Baekje Alliance | Silla Baekje |
1123 | Pactum Warmundi | Kingdom of Jerusalem Republic of Venice |
1167–1250 | Lombard League | Numerous cities in medieval Lombardy, modern Northern Italy |
Name and description | Countries |
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CANZUK is a proposed alliance between four Commonwealth realms. | Australia Canada New Zealand United Kingdom |
France–Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement is currently being negotiated to finalize a formal alliance between Japan and France. [99] | France Japan |
EU–UK Mutual Defence Agreement is a proposal, most notably from the Labour Party, to sign a formal alliance between the EU and the UK. [100] | European Union United Kingdom |
Japan–Philippines Reciprocal Access Agreement was negotiated due to rising political tensions in the Pacific. [101] [102] Ratification by both countries' legislatures pending. [103] | Japan Philippines |
South Korea–Japan Defense Pact [104] is a proposed alliance between South Korea and Japan in response to increased aggression from North Korea. | Japan South Korea |
Japan–Philippines–United States trilateral alliance is currently being negotiated in response to increased military build-up by China. [105] | Japan Philippines United States |
France–Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement is being negotiated. [106] | France Philippines |
Germany–Philippines Defense Cooperation Agreement is currently being negotiated to increase military training and weapons procurement, slated to be signed and finalized this year. [107] [108] | Germany Philippines |
Arab-Israeli alliance refers to an unofficial security coalition comprising Israel and various Arab countries. | Bahrain Egypt Israel Jordan Morocco Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates |
The Saudi-US Security Pact is a long proposed official deal to deepen security relations, gaining momentum under the Biden administration. [109] | Saudi Arabia United States |
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermath of World War II, the organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949. NATO is a collective security system: its independent member states agree to defend each other against attacks by third parties. During the Cold War, NATO operated as a check on the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The alliance remained in place after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, and has been involved in military operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. The organization's motto is animus in consulendo liber. The organization's strategic concepts include deterrence.
The North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Washington Treaty, forms the legal basis of, and is implemented by, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949.
Ukraine has formal relations with many nations and in recent decades has been establishing diplomatic relations with an expanding circle of nations. The foreign relations of Ukraine are guided by a number of key priorities outlined in the foreign policy of Ukraine.
A major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a designation given by the United States government to countries that have strategic working relationships with the U.S. Armed Forces while not being members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). While the status does not automatically constitute a mutual defense pact with the United States, it does confer a variety of military and financial advantages that are otherwise unobtainable by non-NATO countries. There are currently 20 major non-NATO allies across four continents: 11 in Asia, 4 in Africa, 3 in South America, and 2 in Oceania.
The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty is a 1951 collective security agreement initially formed between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. It requires the parties to maintain their "capacity to resist armed attack", consult with each other on security matters in the Pacific and declares that an armed attack on any of the parties "would be dangerous to [each signatories] peace and safety" and that each signatory "would act to meet the common danger in accordance with its constitutional processes". It also provides for a council of the signatories foreign ministers, in which the implementation of the treaty can be discussed.
Brazil–Russia relations have seen significant improvement in recent years, characterized by increased commercial trades and cooperation in military and technology segments. The two countries maintain important partnerships in areas such as space, military technologies, and telecommunications.
The Soviet Union was the first to recognize North Korea on October 12, 1948, shortly after the proclamation, as the sole legitimate authority in all of Korea. The Soviet Union supported North Korea during the Korean War. North Korea was founded as part of the Communist bloc, and received major Soviet military and political support. The comprehensive personality cult around North Korea's ruling family was heavily influenced by Stalinism. China and the Soviet Union competed for influence in North Korea during the Sino-Soviet split in the 1960s, as North Korea tried to maintain good relations with both countries.
The Mutual Defense Treaty between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America (MDT) was signed on August 30, 1951 by their representatives in Washington, D.C. The treaty has eight articles and requires both nations to support each other if another party attacks the Philippines or the United States.
Diplomatic relations exist between Australia and France, as well as the historical contacts, shared values of democracy and human rights, substantial commercial links, and a keen interest in each other's culture.
Papua New Guinea–United States relations refers to the diplomatic relations between Papua New Guinea and the United States of America. The two countries established diplomatic relations following Papua New Guinea's independence on September 16, 1975. The two nations belong to a variety of regional organizations, including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum; the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF); the Pacific Community (SPC); and the South Pacific Regional Environmental Program (SPREP).
Philippines–United States relations are the bilateral and diplomatic relations of the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America. The relationship has been historically strong, described by some as a "special relationship" as a consequence of the Philippines' American colonial period between 1898 and 1946. Former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, however, was supportive of a foreign policy less dependent on the United States, favoring one that prioritized closer relations with China and Russia, despite the Philippines and the U.S. having a mutual defense treaty dating from 1951 to the present. In 2014, the countries signed an enhanced defense cooperation agreement that began its first phase of implementation in 2019.
Relations between Ukraine and the United Kingdom have existed in one form or another since Ukrainian independence in 1991. The two countries have ties across political, military, social and economic spheres. The UK hosts up to 200,000 Ukrainian refugees giving it the sixth largest Ukrainian migrant population in Europe.
Pakistan and Ukraine formally established diplomatic relations in 1992, one year after the Ukrainian Declaration of Independence. In recent years, the two countries have increasingly developed close economic and military ties. In 2021, their bilateral trade turnover stood at US$411.8 million.
NATO maintains foreign relations with many non-member countries across the globe. NATO runs a number of programs which provide a framework for the partnerships between itself and these non-member nations, typically based on that country's location. These include the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace.
Diplomatic relations were established between Croatia and the Philippines on February 25, 1993, soon after the Philippines recognized Croatia as an independent nation in 1992. The two countries have links between their shipping industries, including port management, and seafarers.
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) is an agreement between the United States and the Philippines intended to bolster the American–Philippine alliance. The agreement allows the United States to rotate troops into the Philippines for extended stays and allows the United States to build and operate facilities on Philippine bases for both American and Philippine forces. The U.S. is not allowed to establish any permanent military bases. The Philippines have personnel access to American ships and planes. This agreement has been the subject of criticism by some leftist groups in the Philippines.
A reciprocal access agreement (RAA) (Japanese: 部隊間協力円滑化協定, lit. 'force-to-force cooperation facilitation agreement') refers to a bilateral defense and security pacts between governments that provides shared military training and military operations. It is an agreement built to create a framework for the two cooperating countries to move their military force whenever required, and also provides a pathway for goods to be imported and exported from one country to the other through following the movement of visiting military forces.
AUKUS, also styled as Aukus, is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States intended to "promote a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable." Initially announced on 15 September 2021, the partnership involves two lines of effort referred to as pillars. Pillar 1 focuses on Australia acquiring nuclear-powered attack submarines and the rotational basing of US and UK nuclear-powered attack submarines in Australia. Pillar 2 entails the collaborative development of advanced capabilities in six technological areas: undersea capabilities, quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and autonomy, advanced cyber, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic capabilities, and electronic warfare; and in two broader functional areas: innovation and information sharing.
U-24 is an intergovernmental peacekeeping organization proposed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy aimed at quickly ending armed conflicts between countries. It was first voiced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his speech to the U.S. Congress on 16 March 2022.
The 2024 Washington summit was the 33rd summit of the heads of state and government of the thirty-two members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), their partner countries and the European Union (EU), which took place in Washington, D.C., United States, on 9–11 July 2024. The summit commemorates the landmark 75th anniversary of NATO, which was founded on 4 April 1949 with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, DC. The summit was also the fourth NATO summit to be held in the United States following the 1978 Washington summit, 1999 Washington summit and 2012 Chicago summit. It also marks the first summit since Sweden acceded to NATO and the last for Jens Stoltenberg as Secretary General.