Pentagon spokesman Brigadier-General Pat Ryder, in a briefing on the apparent Russian missile strike at a site in Poland about 30km from the Ukrainian border, warned the US government will uphold NATO’s Article 5, the clause that outlines how allies will consider an attack on one member an attack on all.
“When it comes to our security commitments and Article 5, we’ve been crystal clear that we will defend every inch of NATO territory,” Ryder said.
His comments echo statements by US President Joe Biden, who has warned Russia since it invaded Ukraine in February that his administration will defend any NATO member attacked.
What is Article 5?
The 30 member nations of NATO agree to help one another in the case of an armed attack against any individual member state, a principle known as Article 5.
As the bloc says: “An attack against one Ally is considered as an attack against all Allies.”
Since the US is the largest and most powerful NATO member, providing the bulk of forces and budget, any state in the alliance is effectively under US protection.
Article 5 has only ever been invoked once, in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.
But invoking Article 5 is not automatic.
After a NATO nation is attacked, they would come together with the other alliance members and see if all 30 member countries would determine to regard the situation as an Article 5 case.
That human element ensures further protection that an accident or a mistake doesn’t result in a wider war.
Other options for NATO members
Article 4 of NATO offers another option for its members to respond to any attack or threat.
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Under this clause of the NATO charter, the 30 member states start formal consultations at the request of the threatened member.
The talks look at whether a threat exists and how to counter it, with decisions arrived at unanimously.
But Article 4 does not mean that there will be direct pressure to act.
Which countries are in NATO?
Twelve founding countries – the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, France and eight other European nations – signed the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949, pledging to protect each other by political and military means.
Over the decades since, the alliance has grown to include a total of 30 members.
In alphabetical order, they are: Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the US.
Sweden and Finland this year applied to join after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but has long hoped to join the alliance.
This is a sore point for Russia, which sees NATO as a threat and vehemently opposes the move.
– Reported with CNN, Associated Press
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