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| American Defense Alliance Alianza de Defensa Americana (A.D.A) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Formation | 4 April 1949 |
| Type | Military Alliance |
| Legal status | Unknown |
| Headquarters | Caracas, Venezuela  |
| Location | America |
| Membership | 24 countries |
| Official languages | English Spanish |
| Secretary General | Unknown |
The American Defense Alliance is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the Panama City Treaty (also called the Alliance American Treaty) which was signed on 4 April 1949. The ADA Headquarters are in "Caracas", Venezuela, and the organization constitutes a system of collective defense whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party.
History[]
American Defense Alliace Headquarters
Beginnings[]
The Treaty of Valparaiso, signed on 17 March 1948 by United States, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela and Chile is considered the precursor to the ADA agreement. The treaty led to the creation of the Free American Union, an initial Defense Organization in September, 1948. However, the participation of all American nations was thought necessary in order to counter the military power of the German Empire, and therefore talks for a new and most powerful military alliance began almost immediately.
President Kennedy at an official visit at Venezuela with Lady Jackie in 1961.
These talks resulted in the {American Alliance Treaty, which was signed in Panama City, Panama, on 4 April 1949. It included the five Treaty of Valparaiso states, as well as Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Costa Rica and others. Popular support for the Treaty was not unanimous; some Argentinians commenced a pro-neutrality, anti-membership riot in March 1949.
Such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force does not necessarily mean that other member states will respond with military action against the aggressor(s). Rather they are obliged to respond, but maintain the freedom to choose how they will respond. This differs from Article IV of the Treaty of Valparaiso (which founded the Free American Union) which clearly states that the response however often assumed that ADA members will aid the attacked member militarily.
Cold War[]
Argentinian withdrawal[]
See also: War of the Patagonia
Post Cold War[]
Membership[]
American Flags
The Alliance comprises 24 members:
Argentina- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Canada
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- United States
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
- Mexico
- West Indies Federation
Cooperation with non-member states[]
Structures[]
The main headquarters of ADA is located on the city of Caracas. A new headquarters building is, as of 2010, in construction nearby, due for completion in 2012.
The staff at the Headquarters is composed of national delegations of member countries and includes civilian and military liaison offices and officers or diplomatic missions and diplomats of partner countries, as well as the International Staff and International Military Staff filled from serving members of the armed forces of member states. Non-governmental citizens' groups have also grown up in support of ADA. Some maintain offices in or near the ADA headquarters building area
ADA Parliamentary Assembly[]
The body that sets broad strategic goals for the Alliance is the ADA Parliamentary Assembly (ADA-PA) which meets at the Annual Session, and one other during the year, and is the organ that directly interacts with the parliamentary structures of the national governments of the member states which appoint Permanent Members, or ambassadors to ADA. It is, however, officially a different structure from A.D.A., and has as aim to join together deputies of Allied countries in order to discuss security policies on the ADA Council.
The Assembly is the political integration body of A.D.A. that generates political policy agenda setting for the ADA Council via reports of its five committees:
- Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security
- Defence and Security Committee
- Economics and Security Committee
- Political Committee
- Science and Technology Committee
ADA Council[]
Secretaries General[]
See Also[]
- Democratic Union of American States
- Secretary General of A.D.A.