Hoosier State Today

U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) in urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to address Hawaii’s exclusion from the North Atlantic Treaty as military threats in the Indo-Pacific grow. In a letter to Secretary Blinken, the senators raised concerns about the omission of Hawaii under Article 6 of the Treaty, meaning an armed attack on Hawaii would not be seen as an attack on all NATO countries and therefore 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, Hawaii 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 Hawaii become a U.S. state, but also, the importance of the Indo-Pacific to U.S. security has increased tremendously."

The senators noted that although NATO’s footprint has expanded from 12 founding members to 32 since 1949, it has not accounted for Hawaii's inclusion as a state or its strategic importance in deterring regional conflict.

In order to deter potential future conflict in the Indo-Pacific and protect Hawaii’s residents, as well as U.S. and allied interests, they called on the State Department to pursue diplomatic measures to address this issue, including potentially amending the North Atlantic 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 continued. "Silence on whether NATO allies would come to defend Hawaii undermines our strategy of deterring conflict in the Indo-Pacific."

In addition to Senators Young, Schatz, and Schmitt, other signatories included U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.).