In 2022, NATO photographers and photographers from Allied forces took thousands of pictures documenting this historic year. They captured the magnitude of landmark political events like the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, the grit and cooperation of Allied troops conducting NATO exercises, and other moments of beauty, unity and humanity. The photos below illustrate the wide range of NATO’s activities over the past year – from the Alliance's unwavering support for Ukraine, to the increased deterrence and defence capabilities of Allied armed forces along NATO’s eastern flank, to the enduring transatlantic bond at the heart of NATO.
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- 23 February 2022 US Army Special Forces soldiers navigate the deep snow of the Swedish Arctic ahead of exercise Cold Response 22, a Norwegian-led multinational exercise that helps NATO Allies train for military operations in the High North. Photo by NATO photographer.
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- 1 March 2022 French military personnel and vehicles arrive at Mikhail Kogălniceanu international airport in Romania as part of France’s contribution to the NATO Response Force (NRF), which was activated in 2022 for the first time in a deterrence and defence role. Photo by French Army.
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- 1 March 2022 A US Air Force staff sergeant sets up the training area for participants in a tactical leadership course held at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. US Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alexcia Givens.
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- 9 March 2022 A sailor on the UK Royal Navy's HMS Diamond raises the NATO flag as the ship joins NATO Allies and partners as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) in the Mediterranean Sea. Photo by UK Royal Navy.
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- 14 March 2022 A US Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter undergoes post-flight checks in Romania. The helicopter’s crew provide search-and-rescue capabilities for NATO Allies and conduct joint training missions with the Romanian Air Force. US Air Force photo by Senior Airman Noah Sudolcan.
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- 21 March 2022 A Dutch amphibious reconnaissance marine helps a US marine off a Dutch landing craft near Sandstrand, Norway during exercise Cold Response 22, a Norwegian-led multinational exercise that helps NATO Allies train for military operations in the High North. Dutch, French and US forces were part of the more than 30,000 troops from 27 NATO member and partner countries to test their mettle against the harsh, demanding terrain of the Norwegian Arctic. Photo by NATO photographer.
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- 29 March 2022 At Lithuania's NATO Day celebration – held in Vilnius on 29 March to commemorate the country's anniversary of joining NATO – a singer performs a Ukrainian song in solidarity with NATO partner country Ukraine. US Army National Guard photo by Sgt. Agustín Montañez.
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- 12 May 2022 Estonian, French and UK soldiers mark the fifth anniversary of NATO's multinational battlegroup in Estonia. Photo by NATO photographer.
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- 8 June 2022 Polish soldiers engage in a sequence of tests with their short-range air defence anti-aircraft missile and artillery system during exercise Ramstein Legacy 22, a large-scale live-fire NATO air defence exercise. Seventeen NATO member and partner countries trained in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland with aircraft, missile defence systems and electronic warfare systems from 6-10 June 2022. Photo by NATO photographer.
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- 17 June 2022 A helicopter sits on the flight deck of the Royal Netherlands Navy's HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën during exercise Dynamic Mongoose, an annual anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare exercise held every summer in the Atlantic Ocean or the Norwegian Sea. The 2022 exercise included sailors and air personnel from nine NATO Allies: Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. Allied Maritime Command photo by WO Stephane Dzioba (FRA N).
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- 19 June 2022 The USS John Warner surfaces as part of exercise Dynamic Mongoose, an annual anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare exercise held every summer in the Atlantic Ocean or the Norwegian Sea. Photo by Pte Connor Bennett, Canadian Armed Forces Imagery Technician.
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- 27 June 2022 The Palacio de Cibeles (Madrid City Hall) with Spanish and NATO flags ahead of the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid. Photo by NATO photographer.
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- 29 June 2022 Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, US President Joe Biden and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg listen to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he addresses the North Atlantic Council at the NATO Summit in Madrid. Photo by NATO photographer.
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- 5 July 2022 NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (third from left) and Allied Ambassadors to the North Atlantic Council applaud after signing the Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, in the presence of Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde. The signature of the Accession Protocols marked the start of the ratification process, after which Finland and Sweden will be full NATO members. Photo by NATO photographer.
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- 24 August 2022 Two divers hold up the NATO flag in the waters of the English Channel during a historical ordnance disposal operation off the coast of Dieppe, France. Led by Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1, the operation successfully removed 13 pieces of historical ordnance, reducing the risk of mine encounters in the water and making the area safer for all mariners. Photo by Allied Maritime Command.
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- 26 October 2022 A German armoured Leopard 2 tank fires flares during exercise Iron Wolf in Lithuania. The exercise involved more than 3,500 troops from nine NATO Allies: Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. Photo by NATO photographer.
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- 7 November 2022 The Royal Danish Navy ship HDMS Triton sails next to an iceberg while on patrol off the coast of Greenland. Photo by NATO photographer.
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- 15 November 2022 A US Navy Lieutenant Commander watches as an F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter lands on the flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford during exercise Silent Wolverine, a series of maritime drills off the coast of Portugal, which involved 11 ships from seven NATO countries. Photo by NATO photographer.
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- 15 November 2022 About 800 paratroopers from the US Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade, the Italian Army's 4th Alpini Paratroopers Regiment and the German Army's 26th Airborne Regiment perform several jumps over a drop zone in northern Italy. Photo by NATO photographer.
NATO faced a new security reality in 2022, but the Alliance has kept its people, territory and forces safe for more than 70 years, and will continue to do so for years to come.
Check out NATO: a history in snapshots for more photos of Allies training, working and living together – one from every year of NATO’s history, including the winner of our public vote for 2022.
