- Question #1 of 12 -

In what year was NATO founded?

Answer: B, 1949

When World War II ended in 1945, Europe was in ruins. Two world wars, a generation apart, had killed millions and destroyed farms and factories survivors had relied upon.

In 1949, leaders of Europe and North America formed the NATO Alliance. U.S. President Harry Truman reflected the sentiments of all of those visionaries when he called the Alliance “a shield against aggression” that “will permit us to get on with the real business of government and society, the business of achieving a fuller and happier life for all our citizens.”

- Question #2 of 12 -

How many nations were in the NATO Alliance at its founding and how many are in it today?

Answer: A, 12, 32

Twelve nations, some that fought on different sides during WW II and some neutral, formed NATO: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Today, NATO has grown to 32 member nations, expanding through an open-door policy aimed at promoting peace, stability and cooperation. Invitations to join are based on consensus among Allies. The newest member, Sweden, joined on March 7, 2024.

- Question #3 of 12 -

Where was NATO’s first headquarters?

Answer: B, London

NATO’s first headquarters opened at 13 Belgrave Square in London in 1950. Two years later, the headquarters and its 90 tons of furniture and office equipment was moved to Paris. In 1967, NATO Headquarters moved to Brussels, where it remains today.

- Question #4 of 12 -

Which U.S. president once served as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)?

Answer: B, Dwight Eisenhower

Dwight Eisenhower, who led Allied forces on the D-Day invasion to liberate France from Nazi occupation in World War II, was appointed NATO’s first SACEUR in December 1950.

“In all history, this is the first time that an allied headquarters has been set up in peace, to preserve the peace and not to wage war," he said.

Eisenhower was elected U.S. president in November 1952.

- Question #5 of 12 -

Following NATO’s formation, many Allies enjoyed an era of recovery and growing prosperity. How much did member nations’ economies grow in the decade 1953—63, a period just after NATO formed?

Answer: D, 75%

Between 1953 and 1963, the gross national product of NATO countries surged by 75%. Sustained peace allowed nations to build factories and establish farms on once-ruined landscapes.

“It is increasingly clear that nations united in freedom are better able to build their economies than those that are repressed by tyranny,” said President John F. Kennedy in Naples, Italy, on July 2, 1963.

- Question #6 of 12 -

Realizing the benefits of cooperation, NATO member countries in the mid-1950s together supported scientists as they worked on breakthroughs to make the world better. This cooperation contributed to many innovations, including which of these?

Answer: D, All of the Above

Dozens of NATO-funded or -affiliated researchers have won Nobel Prizes since the 1950s. Their innovations advanced computers, brought materials used in electronics, and led to technology that helps diagnose and treat cancer.

- Question #7 of 12 -

Article 5 of NATO’s founding document, called the Washington Treaty, says that an attack on one member nation is an attack on all and all will come to a member’s defense.

After what event did NATO invoke Article 5?

Answer: C, The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States

In NATO’s 75 years, the only time it has invoked Article 5 was after the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.

- Question #8 of 12 -

The peace and security NATO provides allows countries to foster strong business climates and create jobs. How many jobs were created in North Macedonia after the country joined NATO in 2020?

Answer: C, 60,000

North Macedonia created 60,000 jobs after it joined NATO in 2020, according to the Institute for Geopolitics, Economy and Security. “Such economic growth, in a short time, the country has never experienced before,” the institute says.

- Question #9 of 12 -

NATO approved a new 2022 Strategic Concept at the Madrid Summit in June 2022. The document describes which of the following as NATO’s core tasks?

Answer: D, All of the above

The 2022 Strategic Concept affirms NATO’s values and describes the security environment. The document, which guides NATO for a decade, also affirms that its key purpose is collective defense but includes crisis prevention and management, and cooperation, as core tasks.

- Question #10 of 12 -

Which of the following steps does NATO take to promote safety and stability within the Alliance and beyond?

Answer: D, All of the above

During the COVID-19 pandemic, NATO sent medical supplies to Allied nations and humanitarian relief to non-NATO countries Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Moldova, Tunisia and Ukraine.

In 2023, after devastating earthquakes hit Türkiye, NATO member countries sent more than 1,400 emergency responders and lifesaving equipment, housing and generators to help 4,000 survivors.

NATO member countries also share approaches to cyber-security and respond together to threats.

- Question #11 of 12 -

Which three countries celebrated the 25th anniversary of their NATO accession in 2024?

Answer: A, Czechia, Hungary, Poland

The Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland were invited to join NATO in 1997 and formally joined the alliance on March 12, 1999. In April of that year, the alliance launched the NATO Membership Action Plan to guide aspiring members through the accession process and drew heavily on the three countries’ experience.

- Question #12 of 12 -

Roughly how many Allied citizens does NATO protect?

Answer: D, 1 billion

Where war once brought destruction and famine, nearly 1 billion citizens in Europe and North America today go about their daily lives in peace, thanks to their countries’ NATO status.