mutual defense
Allied military commitment
Mutual defense is an arrangement where parties agree to protect each other if either is attacked.
The term appears most often in treaties between nations: NATO is a mutual defense alliance.
The principle extends to less formal agreements—neighbors who watch each other's property, or friends who back each other up in conflicts.
- NATOWestern defense organization
- pactFormal agreement between parties
- alliancesFormal unions for cooperation
- collective securityShared defense pact system
- treatyBinding pact between nations
counterattack · coalitions · interoperability · Warsaw Pact · iron curtain · solidarity · deterrence · Article 5 · reciprocity · joint exercises · charter · diplomacy · military alliance · strategic alliance · partnership · protocol · entente · allied forces
- treatiestreaty, treaties, peace treaty, peace treaties, bilateral treaty
- agreementshandshake, contract, nod, accords, verbal consent
- geopoliticsbalance of power, bipolarity, bloc, blocs, brinkmanship
- international relationsbilateral talks, foreign affairs, UN, global politics, sanctions
- alliancesalliance, allies, ally, coalition, NATO alliance
- defense treatiessecurity pact, military alliance, collective security, pact, Warsaw Pact
mutual defenseneutrality
State of taking sides
non-alignment · isolationism · non-intervention · Swiss neutrality · unilateralism
mutual defensewar
Armed struggle between groups
enmity · belligerence · cold war · arms race