 | |
| Use | Other |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 3:4[1] |
| Adopted | October 14, 1953 (1953-10-14) |
| Design | A dark blue (Pantone 280 C) field charged with a whitecompass rose emblem from which radiate four white lines. |
Theflag ofNATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) consists of a dark blue field charged with a whitecompass rose emblem, with four white lines radiating from the fourcardinal directions. Adopted three years after the creation ofNATO, it has been the flag of NATO since October 14, 1953. The blue color symbolizes theAtlantic Ocean, while the circle stands for unity.
TheNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization was established on April 4, 1949, when twelve nations signed theNorth Atlantic Treaty to counteract the threat from theSoviet Union.[2] The first flag used by NATO was unveiled October 5, 1951, by Gen.Dwight Eisenhower, who helped design it.[3] The 1951 flag consisted of a green field with the coat of arms of theSupreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), which still uses the flag.
The first flag attracted criticism from US CongressmanJohn Travers Wood, who condemned it as a "strange and alien rag" after an incident where theflag of the United States was allegedly replaced by the NATO flag inNorfolk, Virginia, the headquarters of theSupreme Allied Commander Atlantic.[4]
NATO began looking for an emblem to differentiate it from SHAPE, a task handled by the newly formed Information Policy Working Group. After several discussions, it concluded that a flag for the organization containing its emblem was necessary, and that it would recommend this to theNorth Atlantic Council.[5]The council stipulated that the design had to be "simple and striking," in addition to highlighting the "peaceful purpose" of the Treaty; several proposals were rejected.[5] An emblem of NATO was finally adopted on October 14, 1953. The decision was announced byHastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay – the firstSecretary General of NATO – exactly two weeks later on October 28, where he also elaborated on the symbolism behind the chosen design.[5] He described the flag as "simple and inoffensive."[6]
The modern flag was first hoisted on November 9, 1953, at the opening ceremony of the Atlantic Exhibition inParis.[5][7] However, little is known about the occasion, since no documentation of the speech delivered at the event exists.[5]
The colors of the flag carry cultural, political, and regional meanings. The dark blue field represents theAtlantic Ocean, while the circle stands for unity among themember states of NATO. Thecompass rose symbolizes the direction towards the path of peace, the goal that member states strive for; it has been updated once.[5][8]
Colors scheme[9] | Blue | White |
|---|---|---|
| Pantone | 280C | White |
| HEX | #004990 | #FFFFFF |
| RGB | 0-73-144 | 255-255-255 |
| CMYK | 100-72-0-18 | 0-0-0-0 |
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