This US state remains outside the NATO treaty. Should it reconsider?

Sweden recently joined NATO, becoming the newest member of the security alliance which includes 31 nations, including the United States. However, it is important to note that out of the 50 United States, Hawaii is not technically covered by the NATO pact.

If Hawaii were to be attacked by a foreign power, such as at Pearl Harbor or the headquarters of the Indo-Pacific Command, the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would not be required to come to Hawaii's defense.

David Santoro, president of the Pacific Forum think tank in Honolulu, finds it strange that even many Hawaii residents are unaware that their state is not part of the NATO alliance.

Sailors on the USS Decatur pay their respects as they sail past the USS Arizona Memorial and the sunken USS Arizona battleship during the 82nd Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony on December 7, 2023, at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Sailors aboard the the USS Decatur render honors while passing the USS Arizona Memorial and the sunken battleship the USS Arizona during the 82nd Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ceremony on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Mengshin Lin/AP

“People tend to assume Hawaii is part of the US and therefore it’s covered by NATO,” he says.

However, he admits that the clue is in the name of the alliance - North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Of course, Hawaii is located in the Pacific Ocean and unlike California, Colorado, or Alaska, the 50th state is not part of the continental US that borders the North Atlantic Ocean on its eastern coast.

Santoro explains that Hawaii is not considered part of North America, which is why some argue against including it. This exception is specified in the Washington Treaty, the agreement that formed NATO in 1949, before Hawaii gained statehood in the 1950s.

Article 5 of the treaty allows for collective self-defense if a member state is attacked militarily. However, Article 6 sets limitations on where this defense can take place.

According to Article 6, an armed attack on one or more Parties is considered an attack on any Party in Europe or North America. Additionally, it specifies that island territories must be located in the North Atlantic, north of the Tropic of Cancer.

A spokesperson from the US State Department clarified that Hawaii is not included in Article 5. However, they mentioned that Article 4, which states that members should consult when the territorial integrity, political independence, or security of any member is at risk, should apply to any situation that may impact Hawaii.

The spokesperson also mentioned that it is unlikely for there to be a treaty amendment to include Hawaii, as other members have territories beyond the limits set in Article 5.

NATO chose not to participate in the United Kingdom's conflict with Argentina in 1982 when Argentine troops invaded the Falkland Islands, which are a disputed British territory in the South Atlantic.

NATO has not provided any comments in response to a request from CNN.

Some experts believe that the current political situation in the Indo-Pacific region may necessitate a reassessment, as times have evolved since the signing of the Washington Treaty.

Hawaii, Guam, Taiwan, and North Korea are areas of interest in this discussion.

US military bases in Hawaii are important for countering North Korean aggression and supporting the defense of Taiwan.

China's ruling Communist Party considers Taiwan its territory, even though they have never governed it. Chinese leader Xi Jinping aims to reunite Taiwan with China as part of his goal to rejuvenate the nation by 2049.

Chinese leaders have expressed their desire to peacefully take control of Taiwan, but they have not ruled out using force. In recent years, they have increased military intimidation towards the island.

According to the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States is obligated to provide weapons for Taiwan's defense. President Joe Biden has indicated that US military personnel may be used to defend the island in case of a Chinese invasion. However, White House officials have stated that the US policy of leaving this question ambiguous remains unchanged.

A scenario in a 2022 wargame conducted by the Center for a New American Security depicted China launching an attack on US command and control facilities in Hawaii as a strategic move in their efforts to forcibly annex Taiwan.

Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China

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Two important military promotions within China's navy indicate President Xi's ambitions for territorial expansion, according to analysts. John Hemmings, who leads the Indo-Pacific Foreign and Security Policy Program at the Pacific Forum, highlights that Hawaii's absence from NATO weakens deterrence against a Chinese attack on Hawaii in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.

Leaving Hawaii out of NATO's defense strategy could signal to Beijing that European members have a way to avoid getting involved in defending US territory, according to Hemmings. He questions why NATO would not utilize this as a deterrent to prevent China from potentially invading Taiwan.

View of the USS West Virginia, USS Tennessee, and USS Arizona battleships being damaged during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Hawaii's strategic importance holds a significant place in US history. It was the site of the infamous Pearl Harbor attack, which drew the country into World War II. Additionally, this event played a crucial role in the US's decision to aid in liberating France.

Americans have a strong connection to this state due to our role in the Second World War and our contribution to the victory over the Axis powers (Nazi Germany, Japan, and Italy).

Hemmings advocates for Guam, a US Pacific island territory located 3,000 miles west of Hawaii, to be part of NATO's coverage.

Guam, an island that has been a target of North Korean threats, is home to Andersen Air Force Base. This base allows the US to deploy its B-1, B-2, and B-52 bombers in the Indo-Pacific region.

Hemmings compares Guam's situation to when the US excluded the Korean Peninsula from a line drawn across the Pacific in 1950 to prevent the spread of communism by the Soviet Union and China. The Korean War started five months after this line, known as the Acheson Line, was established.

Hemmings explains that when the adversary feels confident to engage in military conflict, it often leads to war.

Santoro from the Pacific Forum supports the idea that Guam should be considered part of the NATO alliance. He emphasizes that Guam holds greater strategic importance compared to Hawaii.

U.S. Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers from the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron preparing for takeoff at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. This was part of a regular Bomber Task Force mission on February 14, 2024.

Master Sgt. Amy Picard/U.S. Air Force

‘Coalition of the willing’

Some analysts believe that if there was a hypothetical attack on Hawaii or Guam, the strong connections between the US and its democratic allies would play a bigger role in countries' decision-making than technicalities in the NATO treaty.

According to Luis Simon, a director at the Research Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy in Belgium, in the event of an attack, the United States would likely form a coalition with regional allies to respond.

Simon highlights the alliance's quick and robust reaction following the 9/11 attacks. This was the first and only instance in NATO's 74-year history where the collective self-defense mechanism under Article 5 was activated.

NATO foreign ministers gather for the session to formally admit Montenegro during ministerial meetings at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels on December 2, 2015. JONATHAN ERNST/AFP/Getty Images

NATO foreign ministers met for a session at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels on December 2, 2015. The purpose of the meeting was to officially welcome Montenegro into the alliance. The session took place during ministerial meetings, where important discussions and decisions are made. The event was captured by photographer Jonathan Ernst/AFP/Getty Images.

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Washington decided to respond through a coalition of the willing instead of NATO Command, according to him. In the event of an attack on Guam or Hawaii, he believes the US would prefer to maintain complete military control and diplomatic flexibility in their response.

Simon notes that he does not observe any significant differences between NATO members in terms of their dedication to the US and the alliance.

NATO is a fundamental part of the transatlantic democratic community. The US and other NATO members have highlighted the remarkable unity within the alliance in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, NATO has strengthened its collective stance on China, committing to addressing the perceived "systemic challenges" posed by Beijing.

"I believe they would be prepared to offer various types of support in the event of an attack on US sovereign land, both independently and through organizations like the European Union or NATO," he mentions.

CNN’s Jennifer Hansler contributed to this report.

Editor's P/S:

The article highlights an intriguing anomaly in NATO's coverage, as Hawaii, despite being a US state, is not included in the alliance's defense pact. This exclusion stems from the treaty's focus on territories in the North Atlantic Ocean, excluding Hawaii's location in the Pacific. While some argue against including Hawaii due to its non-North American status, experts like John Hemmings emphasize the strategic importance of Hawaii and Guam in countering potential Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.

The article also points out that in the event of an attack on Hawaii or Guam, the US would likely form a coalition with its democratic allies to respond, rather than relying solely on NATO's collective self-defense mechanism. This underscores the strong bonds between the US and its allies and suggests that technicalities in the NATO treaty may not be the overriding factor in determining the response to an attack on US territories. US may prefer to maintain complete military control and diplomatic flexibility in such situations.