Will NATO respond militarily to the destruction of a Russian missile in Poland? The Polish government wants to activate Article 4. Article four of the NATO treaty is used by member states that feel threatened by a state or a terrorist organisation.
Articles four and five of NATO’s founding treaty of 4 April 1949 are core elements of the defense alliance. Above all, article five is the heart – it regulates the so-called alliance case.
Article Four need not be followed by a military response
Article four reads: “The Parties shall consult each other if, in the opinion of either Party, there is a threat to the territorial integrity, political independence or security of either Party.” This does not necessarily lead to concrete reactions.
According to NATO information, the article has been used seven times since the alliance was formed in 1949. This was last the case on February 24, 2022. Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic requested this after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Article Five regulates attack against anyone
Article Five provides that the Allies shall regard an armed attack against one or more of them as an attack against all of them. You agree to provide assistance. In concrete terms, it means taking whatever measures they deem necessary to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic – including the use of force of arms.
Article Five was activated only once in NATO’s history, after the September 11, 2001 attacks. This led to Germany and other NATO countries joining the war against the Taliban and the Al Qaeda terrorist organization in Afghanistan.
However, the wording of the article does not state that NATO countries must send their own troops to provide support, for example. It only commits to taking immediate measures that the respective NATO state deems necessary.
The Polish president wants to de-escalate
During a press conference, Polish President Andrzej Duda tries to calm and de-escalate the situation. “We know that there has been a Russian missile strike on Ukraine for most of the day, but we currently have no clear evidence as to who fired the missile. The investigation is ongoing,” Duda said.
He says it is very likely that Poland will activate Article 4 at the NATO meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. He said, “We’re very calm.” (SDA/euc)