WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, led by Sens. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, and Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., have asked Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to take steps to include Hawaii under North Atlantic Treaty protection, an oversight as old as statehood and one viewed with increased concern as rivalry between the United States and China has heightened tensions in the Indo-Pacific. 

What You Need To Know

  • When the U.S. Senate ratified the North Atlantic Treaty in 1949 at the recommendation of its Foreign Relations Committee, it was with the understanding that overseas territories — including Hawaii — would not be covered by the NATO security umbrella
  • Article 4 of the treaty does allow NATO members to consult whenever the “territorial integrity, political independence or security” of any of them is threatened, a mechanism Blinken himself affirmed during a 2022 Foreign Relations Committee hearing would apply to an attack on Hawaii or any U.S. territory. However, lawmakers say that is not enough given rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific
  • In a letter to Blinken, the senators recommended amending the treaty to specifically include Hawaii
  • China’s recent efforts to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific and its increasingly stronger ties with Russia have already prompted NATO to turn its attention to Asia and the Pacific

Article 5 of the treaty holds that an armed attack on any NATO members will be considered an attack on the entire coalition and thus subject to a collective NATO response. Article 6 more specifically limits the inciting act as an armed attack on “the territory of any of the parties in Europe or North America, on the Algerian Departments of France, on the territory of Turkey or on the Islands under the jurisdiction of any of the parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer,” or on forces, vessels or aircraft deployed in these areas.

As the lawmakers noted in a letter to Blinken, when the U.S. Senate ratified the treaty in 1949 at the recommendation of its Foreign Relations Committee, it was with the understanding that overseas territories — including Hawaii — would not be covered by the NATO security umbrella.

“However, the world has changed significantly since 1949,” they wrote. “Not only did Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii residents.”

Article 4 of the treaty does allow NATO members to consult whenever the “territorial integrity, political independence or security” of any of them is threatened, a mechanism Blinken himself affirmed during a 2022 Foreign Relations Committee hearing would apply to an attack on Hawaii or any U.S. territory.

“However, the gravity of the Indo-Pacific threat environment requires that we do more,” wrote the lawmakers, who recommended a formal amendment to the treaty.

“Allies and adversaries alike must understand now, before potential hostilities erupt, that an attack against Hawaii will be seen as an attack on NATO,” they wrote. “Silence on whether NATO allies would come to the defense of Hawaii 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.”

Among short-term measures, the senators recommended asking the North Atlantic Council to clarify the treaty language.

The letter also included a series of queries to Blinken regarding what the state department has done to address the issue.

In addition to Schatz and Schmitt, the letter was co-signed by Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii;  Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.; Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Todd Young, R-Ind.; Tim Scott, R-S.C.; Chris Murphy, D-Conn.; Joni Ernst, R-Iowa; and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz.

China’s recent efforts to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific and its increasingly stronger ties with Russia have already prompted NATO to turn its attention to Asia and the Pacific. Tensions in the region have been exacerbated by China and North Korea allegedly providing Russia with weapons, ammunition, machinery and other support in its war with Ukaine.

Leaders from New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Australia attended the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C. this week.

According to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, NATO allies and the Indo-Partners are set to launch four new joint projects on Ukraine, artificial intelligence, disinformation and cybersecurity.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.