For the Netherlands this was the biggest security operation in its history; for Nato's 32 member states the Hague summit was historic too.
There were unexpected moments of levity in among the momentous decisions over the looming threat from Russia and raising defence spending to levels not seen since the Cold War.
Here is what we learned from a whirlwind two days in The Hague.
The main takeaway is the allies' commitment to a 5% defence spending target, to be reached within a decade. It's a remarkable jump from the current 2% guideline, which currently isn't even met by eight Nato members out of 32.
Only 3.5% of that figure is meant to be achieved entirely through core defence spending on troops and weapons – while the remaining 1.5% can be put towards "defence-related expenditure".
