What is article 5 of the NATO treaty and what happens if an Alliance country is attacked

I5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which regulates relations within NATO, “is sacred”. It was on March 25th and American President Joe Biden reassured Polish President Andrzej Duda. In the hours when the news is circulating that two Russian missiles would have hit Przewodow, a Polish town close to the border with Ukraine, hitting a farm and causing two deaths, the article in question that binds the member states to collective defense and that would be invoked in the case of Moscow attacking Poland (NATO member since 1999); that is, all countries belonging to the Atlantic Alliance must intervene in its defense.

For now, the Pentagon is acting cautiously, explaining that it does not want to speculate and await further details about the episode. But no option is excluded, as strongly reaffirmed by Poland and Estonia.

What Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty says

Indeed, Article 5 states that “the Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered a direct attack against all of the Parties”. Consequently, it reads, “in the event of such an attack, each of the parties, in the exercise of the right of self-defence, individually or collectively, shall assist the party or parties thus attacked, committing immediately, individually and jointly with the other parties, such actions as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain security in the North Atlantic region”.

What is meant by “armed attack” against an Atlantic Alliance country

It is hereby established that any armed attack of the aforementioned type, together with all measures taken as a result, will be immediately brought to the attention of the Security Council, which will take the necessary measures to “re-establish and maintain international relations, peace and security”.

Further clarification on the subject can be found in article 6 of the treaty, which specifies that “armed attack against one or more of the parties” means: an armed attack against the territory of one of them in Europe or North America, against the French Departments of Algeria, against the territory of Turkey or against islands placed under the jurisdiction of one of the Parties in the North Atlantic region north of the Tropic of Cancer”.

Furthermore, an armed attack of this type is also considered an attack “against the forces, ships or aircraft of one of the parties, whether they are in these territories or in any other region of Europe where, at the date of entry into force of the treaty, the occupying forces of one of the parties are stationed or located in the Mediterranean Sea or in the North Atlantic region north of or above the Tropic of Cancer.

The full text of Article 5 of the Treaty:

“The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America is to be regarded as a direct attack against all of the Parties and accordingly agree that, if such an attack occurs, each of them in the exercise of its right of self-defence, individual or collective, recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, shall assist the party or parties so attacked by immediately adopting, individually and jointly with the other parties, such measures as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force , to restore and maintain security in the North Atlantic region. Any armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall be immediately brought to the attention of the Security Council. These measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the necessary measures to restore and maintain international peace and security”.