The domain
.nato was a
top-level domain (TLD) in the
Domain Name System (DNS) of the
Internet. The domain was added in the late 1980s by the
Network Information Center for the use of
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, based on the rationale that none of the then existing top-level domains adequately reflected its status as an
international organization. Soon after this addition, however,
Paul Mockapetris, the designer of the DNS, suggested to NATO representatives that
nato.int would be a better choice. The TLD
.int was created for the use of international organizations, and NATO switch to using
nato.int. Without use, the TLD
nato was deleted in July 1996.