Member states of NATO members and three former Yugoslav republics) from 12 March 1999 to 5 June 2017. NATO has added new members seven times since its founding in 1949, and since 2017 NATO has had 29 members. Twelve countries were part of the founding of NATO: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In 1952, Greece and Turkey became members of the Alliance, joined later by West Germany (in 1955) and Spain (in 1982). In 1990, with the reunification of Germany, NATO grew to include the former country of East Germany. Between
Horatio Nelson Lay (admiral) Staff (Warfare) and made a member of the Naval Board of Canada. He was promoted to rear admiral and assigned to Naval HQ as Vice-Chief of Naval Staff and as Chief of the Naval Staff in 1954, serving until his retirement in 1958. After retirement, he was active in the Ottawa United Appeal from 1958 to 1972. Horatio Nelson Lay (admiral) Horatio Nelson Lay (23 January 1903 in Skagway, Alaska, United States – 1988 in Perth, Ontario) was a rear admiral of the Royal Canadian Navy. In 1918 he was a Naval Cadet at the Royal Naval College of Canada.