The object is the NATO political-military strategy. The aim is to analyze a range of factors under influence of which the NATO political-military strategy had been transformed and shaped, as well as to research theoretical military concepts and plans of their practical implementation which caused that transformation. The methodological base includes historical method, scientific objectivity, comprehensive approach, and detailed elaboration. The methods are logical one, inductive one, analytical one, one of synthesis, comparative-historical one, historical-genetic one, one of chronology, and one of periodization. The scientific novelty is that proceeding from analysis of new sources the process of transformation of the NATO strategy during 1949-1954 is explained; a periodization of the initial period of the strategy development from its appearance to its transformation is proposed with the emphasis to the role of internal and external factors of influence; a new estimation is given to creation of integrated military structures of NATO and to changes in NATO nuclear strategy in view of the overall strategy transformation. Theoretical results are that a conclusion is made about the fact of transformation of the NATO political-military strategy in 1954 under influence of external-political and internal-alliance factors; the main clauses of the soviet period historiography are made more accurate in general, including as to aims, principles, and main directions of the NATO strategy; a new periodization of the initial period of NATO activity is proposed. The level of application is determined by the possibility of using the results of the thesis for lectures on the world history of the newest ages, the history of international relations, politology, the history of military strategy and military art, as well as in future scientific development of the NATO history both directly and through studying relations of Ukraine with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Ukraine's participation in peacekeeping, and formingUkraine's foreign policy. The fields of study are the world history, politology, military sciences, international relations.
