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The Alliance's 1999 Strategic Concept already identified terrorism as one of the risks affecting NATO’s security. The Alliances response to September 11, however, saw NATO engage actively in the fight against terrorism, launch its first operations outside Europe and begin a far-reaching transformation of its capabilities
On the evening of 12 September 2001, less than 24 hours after the attacks, and for the first time in NATO's history, the Allies invoked Article 5 of the Washington Treaty, the Alliances collective defence clause.
More…NATO’s immediate response to September 11 was further strengthened by a decision, at the Reykjavik meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in May 2002, that the Alliance will operate when and where necessary to fight terrorism.
This landmark declaration effectively ended the debate on what is and what is not NATO’s area of operations and paved the way for the Alliance’s future engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also was a catalyst for a broad transformation of the Alliance’s capabilities that was launched at the 2002 Prague Summit in November
At the 21-22 November 2002 Prague Summit, NATO Heads of State and Government expressed their determination to deter, defend and protect their populations, territory and forces from any armed attack from abroad, including by terrorists.
More…NATO continues to introduce measures to further strengthen the Alliance’s contribution to the fight against terrorism. Since the Prague Summit, NATO leaders discuss and initiate counter-terrorism measures, ranging from the improvement of intelligence to the development of new, advanced technologies to defend against terrorist attack (the Defence Against Terrorism Programme of Work). NATO’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft and multinational CBRN battalion can also be made available to any member country requesting such assistance.
