List of military alliances
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A military alliance is a legally binding treaty between two or more parties in which the contracting parties agree to mutually protect one another militarily in case of an armed conflict. Military alliances differ from coalitions, which are formed in response to a specific crisis and last until the crisis is resolved. Military alliances can be bilateral or multilateral. Numerous forms of military and defensive alliances have existed between states since early human history. This is a comprehensive list of former and present military alliances.
Bilateral military alliances
[edit]| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Active military alliances | |
Multilateral military alliances
[edit]| Legend | |
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| Active military alliances | |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ See also Anglo-Portuguese Alliance
- ^ See also Lancaster House Treaties
- ^ Effectively ended in 1943
- ^ Agreement applies only between the United States and Allied States
- ^ Taiwan is treated as an MNNA without formal designation
- ^ See also Shusha Declaration
- ^ The Nahua Triple Alliance is also known as the Mexica, or Aztec Empire
- ^ Austro-Russian alliance broke off in 1853.
- ^ (Two days only)
- ^ See also Treaty of Brussels
- ^ Treaty in-force with United States
- ^ Treaty in-force with Thailand
- ^ Joined as West Germany until 1990
- ^ Military wing of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
- ^ The CSTO Secretariat is the seat of the Secretary General of the CSTO. — "CSTO Secretariat". www.en.odkb-csto.org. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g aggregated data for all members
- ^ excl. USA and CAN
- ^ According to the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 100,000 Russian soldiers died in Ukraine in 2025 alone."Marco Rubio slams Russia over Ukrainian war death count, just days after Trump calls out 'bulls–t' Vladimir Putin". www.nypost.com. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
References
[edit]- ^ "Franco-Scottish alliance against England one of longest in history (The University of Manchester)". www.manchester.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012.
- ^ "Beyond "The Antiseptic Realm of Theoretical Economic Models": New Perspectives on Franco-Scottish Commerce and the Auld Alliance in the Long Seventeenth Century | Siobhan Talbott - Academia.edu". www.academia.edu. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021.
- ^ "Treaties in Force A List of Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States in Force on January 1, 2020" (PDF). Treaty Affairs Staff, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State. 1 January 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
Declaration by the Prime Minister of Canada and the President of the United States of America regarding the establishing of a Permanent Joint Board on Defense.
- ^ "Treaty of Alliance between His Majesty in respect of the United Kingdom and His Highness the Amir of Trans-Jordan" (PDF). upload.wikimedia.org.
- ^ McCurry, Justin (19 June 2024). "Putin and Kim keep quiet on details of mutual aid agreement". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
- ^ "Conscious of the close alignment of their vital interests and convinced that there is no strategic threat to one which would not be a strategic threat to the other, the Parties affirm as close Allies their deep commitment to each other’s defence and shall assist one another, including by military means, in case of an armed attack on the other." — Final paragraph, Article 3, "Treaty between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Federal Republic of Germany on friendship and bilateral cooperation". www.gov.uk. 17 July 2025. Retrieved 17 July 2025.
- ^ "Joint Statement on the State Visit of Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia". Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
- ^ "HRH the Crown Prince, Pakistan Prime Minister Hold Official Talks, Sign Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement". Saudi Press Agency.
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- ^ Olson, Wyatt. "Agreement with Micronesian nations gives US military access, locks out China". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ Edel, Charles; Paik, Kathryn (31 January 2024). "The Compacts of Free Association, Congress, and Strategic Competition for the Pacific". The Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
it allows the United States to deny military access or strategic use of the FAS to third countries. In exchange, citizens of these countries can work and reside in the United States as residents, join the U.S. military (which they do at higher rates per capita than any U.S. state)
- ^ Meyer, Tommis (12 March 2025). "Small Island, Big Alliance: US Security Cooperation with Palau". Asia Matters for America. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
For decades, COFA agreements have provided these three island nations with independence and American economic aid and military protection.
- ^ Moscioni, Brian (13 May 2025). "Three South Pacific Island Nations Navigating Diplomatic Ties Amid Growing Chinese Influence". Harvard Center for International Development. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ Lum, Thomas. "How the Compacts of Free Association Support U.S. Interests and Counter the PRC's Influence" (PDF). U.S. House. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
The United States is obligated to defend the FAS against attack or threat of attack.
- ^ Meick, Ethan; Ker, Michelle; Chan, Han May (14 June 2018). China's engagement in the Pacific islands: implications for the United States. United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
- ^ Wallis, Joanne; Powles, Anna (July 2021). "Burden-sharing: the US, Australia and New Zealand alliances in the Pacific islands". International Affairs. 97 (4): 1045–1065. doi:10.1093/ia/iiab081.
- ^ "COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY". www.en.odkb-csto.org. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
- ^ "The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area." — First paragraph, Article 5, "The North Atlantic Treaty". www.nato.int. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "If one of the Member States undergoes aggression (armed attack menacing to safety, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty), it will be considered by the Member States as aggression (armed attack menacing to safety, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty) to all the Member States of this Treaty.
In case of aggression commission (armed attack menacing to safety, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty) to any of the Member States, all the other Member States at request of this Member State shall immediately provide the latter with the necessary help, including military one, as well as provide support by the means at their disposal in accordance with the right to collective defence pursuant to article 51 of the UN Charter." — First and second paragraphs, Article 4, "COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY". www.en.odkb-csto.org. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2025. - ^ "Washington D.C. - 4 April 1949" — "The North Atlantic Treaty". www.nato.int. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "May 15, 1992" — "COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY". www.en.odkb-csto.org. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "This Treaty, of which the English and French texts are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the Government of the United States of America. Duly certified copies will be transmitted by that Government to the Governments of other signatories." — Article 14, "The North Atlantic Treaty". www.nato.int. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "This Treaty shall be subject to ratification by each state which has signed it according to its constitutional procedures. Instruments of ratification shall be transferred for storage to the Secretary General of Council for Collective Security (of the Collective Security Treaty Organization), hereby appointed as the depositary." — Third paragraph, Article 11, "COLLECTIVE SECURITY TREATY". www.en.odkb-csto.org. 23 April 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
- ^ "Secretary-General Addresses CSTO Council in Moscow". www.media.un.org. 22 April 2011. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Members of the NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization". www.worlddata.info. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ a b "WorldData.info". www.worlddata.info. Retrieved 14 July 2025.
- ^ "GDP, PPP (current international $) - Albania, Greece, Turkiye, Bulgaria, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, Slovak Republic, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Canada". www.data.worldbank.org. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ "GDP, PPP (current international $) - Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russian Federation, Tajikistan". www.data.worldbank.org. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ "GDP (current US$) - Albania, Greece, Turkiye, Bulgaria, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, Romania, Slovak Republic, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Greenland, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Bermuda, Faroe Islands". www.data.worldbank.org. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ "GDP (current US$) - Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russian Federation, Tajikistan". www.data.worldbank.org. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ^ "Combined defense expenditure of NATO countries from 2014 to 2024". www.statista.com. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.
- ^ "Military expenditure in Eurasia from 2023 to 2024, by selected country". www.statista.com. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
- ^ a b The International Institute for Strategic Studies (February 2025). The Military Balance 2025. London: Routledge. ISBN 9781041049678. ISSN 0459-7222.
- ^ a b "Nuclear risks grow as new arms race looms—new SIPRI Yearbook out now". www.sipri.org. 16 June 2025. Retrieved 12 July 2025.