What is Article 5 of the Nato treaty?
ARTICLE 5 of the Nato treaty is at the very heart of the defense organization.
The article has been a part of the Nato treaty ever since its inception on April 4, 1949, in Washington DC, and people want to know what it entails.
What is Article 5 of the Nato treaty?
Article 5 - also known as collective defense - commits members of the treaty organization to protect each other.
It means that an attack against one ally is considered an attack against all members.
According to the treaty clause on the defense alliance's website, Article 5 states, "Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all."
It continues: "And consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area."
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It adds that with any armed attack, Nato's response will be immediately reported to the UN's Security Council.
It adds: "Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security."
When has Article 5 been invoked?
Article 5 was invoked for the first time after the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the US.
Less than 24 hours after the attack, all allies invoked Article 5 in a show of solidarity.
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Article 5 hasn't been invoked since but the alliance has worked together to introduce measures against Russia in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine - regardless of the fact that Ukraine is not a Nato country.
What other articles are in the Nato treaty?
There are 14 articles in the Nato treaty.
Articles 1 to 14 look at the Alliance's establishment and how each member state should uphold the treaty's rules.
Article 4 says that members should consult with each other if any of them feel their territorial integrity or political independence of security feels threatened.