In 2023, photographers from NATO forces took thousands of pictures documenting this historic year. They captured the magnitude of landmark political events like the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, the grit and cooperation of Allied troops conducting NATO exercises, and other moments of beauty, unity and humanity. We chose four of our favourite photos and put them to a vote on social media, asking the public to choose NATO's photo of the year for 2023. And the winner is...
NATO's photo of the year for 2023:
The British Army's Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths' Own) take part in Operation Cabrit, the UK operational deployment to Estonia, where UK troops are leading a NATO multinational battlegroup. Pictured here: the Royal Lancers get back to their cavalry heritage by conducting mounted armoured reconnaissance with the Polish Territorial Defence Force's 2nd Lubelska (Lublin) Brigade.
Scroll through the images below to see the other three photos that were part of the vote:
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- Romania's elite mountain troops train alongside their French Allies as part of NATO's multinational battlegroup in Romania. Pictured here: a soldier rappels from a massive pine tree in a snowy forest in Romania.
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- Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 join some 30 warships and more than 3,000 personnel from 15 countries for exercise Northern Coasts 23 in the central Baltic Sea. The two-week German-led naval exercise fosters interoperability and demonstrates Allied combat readiness and resolve to deter aggression.
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- A US Army paratrooper assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade looks up as fellow paratroopers descend towards him during an airborne operation on Frida Drop Zone, Pordenone, Italy. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the US Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African and Central Command areas of responsibility. The brigade routinely trains alongside NATO Allies and partners.
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 2023.
