Alliances vs. Partnerships

Alliance, partnership, partnership, alliance. It seems like those terms are used interchangeably by Defense Department officials in every other speech. However, those officials are choosing their words carefully, because in the world of international relations, alliances and partnerships are two very different things.

Alliances

Alliances are formal agreements between two or more nations. In national defense, they're promises that each nation will support the other, particularly during war.

Some examples of alliances that the U.S. is in include NATO — the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (with 28 other countries), NORAD — the North American Aerospace Defense Command (with Canada), ANZUS — the Australia, New Zealand and U.S. Security Treaty, and the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship — which is America's oldest unbroken treaty.

Partnerships

Partnerships are less formal than alliances. Often called "strategic partnerships," they help build relationships between nations or organizations like militaries. Like alliances, they benefit the members of the partnership, but they can be short-term and don't involve a treaty.

Just because a country is an ally doesn't mean they can't also be a partner on things that aren't covered by an existing treaty.

https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Features/Story/Article/1684641/alliances-vs-partnerships/

Civilian and Military Alliance is special, making history on a photo board Anons.