Recent reports highlight a significant loophole in NATO's Article 5, which could leave the United States vulnerable in the event of an attack. Specifically, if a foreign power were to attack Hawaii, including strategic locations such as the U.S. Navy's base at Pearl Harbor or the Indo-Pacific Command headquarters northwest of Honolulu, NATO member nations would not be obligated to defend the Aloha State. This revelation, confirmed by the US State Department, has raised concerns about potential exploitation by adversaries, including Russia under Vladimir Putin's leadership, indicating that Putin can exploit this loophole. The loophole suggests that despite the collective defense principle that underpins NATO, certain territories of member states, like Hawaii, are not covered by Article 5's security guarantees.
⚡️ One U.S. state is not covered by NATO's Article 5 The U.S. state of Hawaii is not covered by NATO's Article 5 on collective defense. If a foreign nation attacked the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor or the Indo-Pacific Command headquarters northwest of Honolulu, NATO members… https://t.co/IzSI0jcx0r
Hawaii isn’t protected by NATO Article 5 in case of foreign attack, confirms the US State Department https://t.co/QWYibsF9AZ
If a foreign power attacked Hawaii -- say the U.S. Navy's base at Pearl Harbor -- the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would not be obligated to rise to the Aloha State's defense. https://t.co/rbaeACPPvd https://t.co/fAKoxabNWH
If a foreign power attacked Hawaii, NATO member nations would not be obligated to rise to the Aloha State's defense. https://t.co/wBOPgGoAuF
"Putin can exploit this NATO loophole to attack the US and NOT trigger Article 5." (via @Daily_Express) https://t.co/obhOq557V9
NATO: Putin can exploit this NATO loophole to attack the US and NOT trigger Article 5. If the tragic events that pulled the US into World War 2 were to repeat themselves today, NATO would not be obliged to enact Article 5. https://t.co/cKaZ9G8agz