[HIGHLIGHTS] British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps: “We are in a pre

NATO is celebrating its 75th anniversary in Brussels. Britain's defense minister calls for the defense alliance to be strengthened.

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also called for cohesion between North America and Europe. NATO was founded on April 4, 1949 in Washington in response to perceived threatening policies of the Soviet Union. The focus of the alliance has been on defense and deterrence against Russia since the beginning of the Cold War. NATO foreign ministers want to celebrate the 75th birthday of the Western defense alliance today.