U.S. Department Of State Responds To Rep. Ed Case's May 13, 2024 Letter To Secretary of State Antony Blinken Regarding Hawaii's Inclusion In North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)State Says Attack On Hawai’i And Other Parts Of U.S. Not Currently Covered By NATO Treaty Would Invoke Mutual Defense Consultation With NATO Partners But Formal Amendment Of The Treaty Is “Unlikely”
Honolulu, HI,
July 15, 2024
(Honolulu, HI) -- The U.S. Department of State has responded to a May 13, 2024 letter by U.S. Representative Ed Case (Hawai’i-First) to Secretary Antony Blinken regarding Hawaii’s inclusion in mutual defense undertakings of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). (Case’s letter and State’s response are linked below.) In his May 13th letter to Secretary Blinken, Rep. Case wrote: “I write to express concern that the North Atlantic Treaty does not explicitly extend its protections to U.S. states, territories and possessions in the Indo-Pacific and to ask for your assistance in confirming that Article 5 would be invoked for any attack on the Indo-Pacific parts of our country to the same extent as an attack on any other part,” The often-referenced Article 5 of the treaty generally states that an attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all members. This provision is limited by Article 6, which generally limits Article 5 to attacks on territories or forces in North America and Europe and the North Atlantic north of the Tropic of Cancer. “This exclusion is a historical anachronism,” Rep. Case argued. “There is a reasonable level of concern that at least some of our NATO allies might not consider Article 5 invoked if we are attacked in the Indo-Pacific.” Rep. Case asked Secretary Blinken to confirm that Article 5 would be invoked by the U.S. and be honored by our NATO allies if Hawaiʻi, Guam or other U.S. Indo-Pacific locations were attacked. In his July 15th response on behalf of Secretary Blinken, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, Philip G. Laidlaw, wrote to thank Rep. Case for his letter and further responded: “First and foremost, let me assure you in the words of Secretary Blinken that any attack on the United States or its territories, even if outside of the geographic scope of Article 5, would almost certainly draw Allied reaction, including the consultation procedures under Article 4 of the Treaty,” Laidlaw wrote. “This includes Hawaiʻi, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and any other U.S. Indo-Pacific locations.” However, Laidlaw clarified that Article 6 of the Treaty does indeed define NATO area as Allied territory in North American and Europe, and islands under Allied jurisdiction in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer. “An amendment to the Treaty to cover Hawaiʻi and/or U.S. territory outside of the North Atlantic area would be unlikely to gain agreement by consensus within the Alliance as the United States is not the only Ally with territory outside this defined Treaty area,” Laidlaw asserted. The response also highlighted the participation of the Indo-Pacific Partners (Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea) in the NATO Summit that took place the previous week and acknowledged that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and the security of the Indo-Pacific are increasingly interconnected. “It is encouraging to hear that the Department of State believes NATO allies would generally support our country if Hawaiʻi was attacked,” Rep. Case said. “While I appreciate the Department of State’s response, it is clear more needs to be done on this issue. These assurances are helpful while we continue to pursue possible next steps, including communication directly with NATO and legislative action.” View Rep. Case’s May 13 letter to Secretary Blinken here and the July 15 response here.
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