Sens. Scott, Schatz, Colleagues Call for Protections for Hawai’i under North Atlantic Treaty, Amidst NATO Summit

Armed Attacks Against Hawai‘i Would Not Guarantee NATO Response Under Current Treaty

Senators: The Rising Threats in the Indo-Pacific Make Clarifying NATO’s Role in Relation to Hawai‘i All the More Important

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate NATO Observer Group (SNOG), joined Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), and 10 of their Senate colleagues in penning a letter urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to take steps to rectify Hawai‘i’s exclusion from the North Atlantic Treaty as military threats in the Indo-Pacific continue to rise. In their letter, the senators raised concerns about the omission of Hawai‘i under Article 6 of the Treaty, meaning an armed attack on Hawai‘i would not be seen as an attack on all NATO countries and not necessitate collective self-defense.

“When the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recommended the Senate ratify the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949, it was with the understanding that overseas territories would not be covered by Article 6,” the senators wrote. “At the time, Hawai‘i was a U.S. territory and the drafters of the Treaty were reluctant to include all territories of the Treaty Parties under the NATO security umbrella. However, the world has changed significantly since 1949. Not only did Hawai‘i become a U.S. state, the importance of the Indo-Pacific to U.S. security has increased tremendously. Although since 1949, NATO’s footprint has expanded from 12 founding members to 32, the alliance has not accounted for the inclusion of Hawai‘i as the 50th state of the union. The alliance also has not accounted for the strategic importance of the Indo-Pacific – and the need to deter destabilizing regional conflict – or the need to be more responsive and respectful toward Hawai‘i residents.”

The senators continued, “Allies and adversaries alike must understand now, before potential hostilities erupt, that an attack against Hawai‘i will be seen as an attack on NATO. Silence on whether NATO allies would come to the defense of Hawai‘i undermines our strategy of deterring conflict in the Indo-Pacific. Formally amending the North Atlantic Treaty would be the clearest and most just course of action to rectify this shortcoming.”

In order to deter potential future conflict in the Indo-Pacific and protect Hawai‘i’s residents, as well as U.S. and allied interests, the senators called on the State Department to pursue a range of diplomatic measures to address the issue, including ultimately formally amending the North Atlantic Treaty. Potential short-term measures include clarifying statements from the North Atlantic Council regarding the Treaty language, for which there is precedent.

Senators Scott and Schatz were joined on the letter by Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai‘i), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).

The full text of the letter is available here.