ɪt wʌz wˈʌn ʌvðə fˈɜːst mˈɪlətˌɛɹi ˈækʃənz tˈeɪkən baɪ nˈeɪɾoʊ ɪn ɹᵻspˈɑːns tʊ ɐn ɪnvoʊkˈeɪʃən ʌv ˈɑːɹɾɪkəl fˈaɪv ʌvðə nˈɔːɹθ ɐtlˈæntɪk tɹˈiːɾi wˌɪtʃ pɹəvˈaɪdz fɔːɹ kəlˈɛktɪv dᵻfˈɛns ænd ðə fˈɜːstˈɛvɚɹ ˌɑːpɚɹˈeɪʃən kəndˈʌktᵻd baɪ ðɪ ɐlˈaɪəns ɪn dᵻɹˈɛkt ˌæplɪkˈeɪʃən ʌvðə dᵻfˈɛns klˈɔːz ʌvðə tɹˈiːɾi.
It was one of the first military actions taken by NATO in response to an invocation of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty which provides for collective defense and the first-ever operation conducted by the Alliance in direct application of the defense clause of the Treaty.