How do alliances contribute to military security?

By becoming a member of a military alliance, states acquire military security. States who believe that their territorial sovereignty might not survive just on their own resources are more likely to join alliances. More powerful states may enter into alliances that extend their protective umbrella over weaker friendly states. An example of such alliances would be NATO, which includes both powerful governments such as the United States, and weaker countries like Hungary. Both of these countries benefit from being part of such an alliance; the US through being able to maintain military bases close to the Russian border, and Hungary through being able to rely on the support of a much greater military force than its own in case of a military attack. However, some critics say that alliances contribute little to a state’s military security and are destabilizing the international system.