en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO
7 corrections found
Article 42(7) of the 1982 Treaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon is not from 1982. It was signed on 13 December 2007 and entered into force on 1 December 2009.
Full reasoning
The European Union’s official overview of the founding agreements states that the Treaty of Lisbon was signed on 13 December 2007 and entered into force on 1 December 2009. Referring to a "1982 Treaty of Lisbon" is therefore plainly incorrect.
This is not a matter of interpretation or wording: the treaty’s official date is 2007, not 1982.
2 sources
- Founding agreements | European Union
Treaty of Lisbon — Signed: 13 December 2007. Entered into force: 1 December 2009.
- Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community | Council of the EU
Signature: 13/12/2007, Lisbon. Entry into force: 01/12/2009.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 816 on 9 October 1992
The date and resolution number are mismatched. UNSC Resolution 816 was adopted on 31 March 1993; 9 October 1992 was Resolution 781.
Full reasoning
This sentence combines the number of one UN resolution with the date of another.
According to the United Nations Digital Library:
- Resolution 816 (1993) was adopted on 31 March 1993.
- Resolution 781 (1992) was adopted on 9 October 1992.
So saying "Resolution 816 on 9 October 1992" is factually incorrect. The page appears to have mixed up Resolution 816 with the earlier Resolution 781.
2 sources
- Resolution 816 (1993) / adopted by the Security Council at its 3191st meeting, on 31 March 1993
Title: Resolution 816 (1993) / adopted by the Security Council at its 3191st meeting, on 31 March 1993.
- Resolution 781 (1992) / adopted by the Security Council at its 3122nd meeting, on 9 October 1992
Title: Resolution 781 (1992) / adopted by the Security Council at its 3122nd meeting, on 9 October 1992.
At the 1999 Washington summit, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic officially joined NATO
These countries did not officially join at the Washington Summit. They became NATO members on 12 March 1999, before the summit took place.
Full reasoning
NATO’s own contemporaneous news release says that on 12 March 1999 the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland deposited their instruments of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty and "officially become members of the Alliance."
That means the article is wrong to place their official accession at the 1999 Washington Summit. The Washington Summit took place later, in April 1999, after they had already joined.
2 sources
- The Czech, Hungarian and Polish Foreign Ministers deposit their instruments of accession to the Washington Treaty | NATO News
With this act, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland officially become members of the Alliance.
- NATO member countries | NATO Topic
Czechia, Hungary and Poland were invited to begin accession talks at the Alliance's Madrid Summit in 1997 and on 12 March 1999 they became the first former members of the Warsaw Pact to join NATO.
Each member has committed to a target of spending at least 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on their own defense
NATO’s 5% commitment is not simply a requirement to spend 5% on a member’s own defence. The official NATO commitment is to reach 5% by 2035, with 3.5% on core defence spending and up to 1.5% on broader defence- and security-related investment.
Full reasoning
NATO’s own explanation of the 2025 Hague commitment says Allies agreed to invest 5% of GDP annually by 2035 on a combination of core defence requirements and defence- and security-related spending. It further specifies that at least 3.5% is for NATO-defined defence expenditure, while up to 1.5% covers areas such as protecting critical infrastructure, defending networks, resilience, innovation and the defence industrial base.
So the article’s wording is incorrect in two ways:
- It describes the 5% figure as if it were all spending "on their own defense", when NATO explicitly divides it into defence spending plus broader security-related investment.
- It omits that the commitment is a 2035 target, not simply a present blanket spending target in that form.
1 source
- Defence expenditures and NATO’s 5% commitment | NATO Topic
At the 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, Allies made a commitment to investing 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually on core defence requirements and defence- and security-related spending by 2035. They will allocate at least 3.5% of GDP annually ... Allies agreed to submit annual plans showing a credible, incremental path to reach this goal. They will account for up to 1.5% of GDP annually ...
The North Atlantic Council and other countries, including Russia, China and South Korea, formed Operation Ocean Shield.
Operation Ocean Shield was a NATO operation approved by the North Atlantic Council, not a joint operation formed by NATO together with Russia, China and South Korea.
Full reasoning
NATO’s own description says the North Atlantic Council approved Operation Ocean Shield in August 2009 as NATO’s contribution to counter-piracy efforts. The official NATO news item lists ships from NATO Allies in support of the operation.
A separate NATO transcript discussing anti-piracy operations distinguishes NATO’s Ocean Shield from other forces present in the region, explicitly listing vessels from countries such as China and Russia as separate actors operating alongside, not as creators of, the NATO mission.
So the article is wrong to say Russia, China and South Korea formed Operation Ocean Shield. They were part of the wider international anti-piracy environment, but Ocean Shield itself was a NATO operation.
2 sources
- NATO counter-piracy mission continues with enhanced mandate | NATO News
NATO's contribution to international efforts to combat piracy ... entered a new phase on 17 August after the North Atlantic Council (NAC) approved Operation Ocean Shield ... Naval forces in support of the operation currently consist of units comprising the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 ...
- Address | NATO Transcript
In addition to NATO, there are other forces present in the International Transit Corridor, to include the EU and a Coalition Maritime forces-group, and vessels from China, Russia, Japan, India, Saudi Arabian, Pakistan and Iran.
Until 2008 the Military Committee excluded France
France was not excluded from the Military Committee until 2008. NATO records show France resumed its seat in the Military Committee in December 1995.
Full reasoning
NATO’s own historical material says France resumed its participation in the NATO Military Committee during the 1990s, and a NATO news item from 5 December 1995 explicitly states that "France announces that it will resume its seat in the NATO Military Committee."
So the claim that the Military Committee excluded France until 2008 is incorrect. France remained outside NATO’s integrated military command structure until 2009, but that is a different point from participation in the Military Committee itself.
2 sources
- The NAC meets at ministerial level | NATO News
France announces that it will resume its seat in the NATO Military Committee. The French Minister of Defence will also regularly attend the Defence Planning Committee and other meetings.
- SHAPE History | France did not leave NATO in 1966 but continued to play a very active role in the Alliance
When NATO began peacekeeping operations in the Balkans in the 1990s, French forces were active participants and France resumed its participation in the NATO Military Committee ... in 2009 France officially rejoined NATO's integrated military command structure.
The [NATO Parliamentary Assembly](/wiki/NATO_Parliamentary_Assembly "NATO Parliamentary Assembly") (NATO PA) is a body that sets broad strategic goals for NATO
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly does not set NATO’s strategic goals. It is independent from NATO; NATO policy is adopted by member governments in the North Atlantic Council.
Full reasoning
Official NATO Parliamentary Assembly material says the Assembly is independent from NATO and has no direct role of oversight over NATO policies. It is a parliamentary forum that helps legislators discuss and influence security issues, but it does not set NATO’s strategy.
NATO’s own institutional description says the North Atlantic Council (NAC) is the Alliance’s principal political decision-making body and the ultimate authority within NATO. So the article misstates the NATO PA’s role by describing it as a body that "sets broad strategic goals for NATO."
2 sources
- Why a Parliamentary Assembly for NATO? | NATO PA
Independent from NATO, the Assembly has no direct role of oversight over NATO policies. ... NATO is an intergovernmental organisation. As such, its policies are adopted by the 32 governments of the Alliance represented in the North Atlantic Council (NAC), NATO’s main political decision-making body.
- North Atlantic Council (NAC) | NATO Topic
The North Atlantic Council is the principal political decision-making body within NATO and is the ultimate authority at the head of a network of committees.