NATO's Hawaii Loophole: Senators Push for Treaty Amendment

As NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary, U.S. senators urge the alliance to amend its founding treaty to include Hawaii under its collective defense umbrella. Article 5 of the treaty, written before Hawaii became a state, currently excludes the archipelago, prompting calls for clarification regarding its defense.

As NATO leaders converge in Washington to celebrate the alliance's 75th anniversary, a dozen U.S. senators have called attention to what they see as a significant gap in the North Atlantic Treaty's founding document. On Wednesday, they requested an update to include Hawaii under its collective defense clauses.

The treaty's Article 5, committing members to mutual self-defense, covers territories north of the Tropic of Cancer. However, Hawaii, which became a state in 1959, falls south of this line and is thus excluded. Senators have long argued for its inclusion, citing the December 1941 Pearl Harbor attack that propelled the U.S. into World War Two.

In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, bipartisan senators stressed the importance of ensuring that an attack on Hawaii would be seen as an attack on all NATO members. The letter notes the increased significance of the Indo-Pacific in U.S. security strategy, particularly amid rising tensions with China and North Korea.

(With inputs from agencies.)