Why Hawaii Is Not Protected by NATO

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — NATO celebrated its 75th anniversary this month with a summit of world leaders in Washington, DC, but not every state in the U.S. is protected by the treaty.

The military agreement between 32 countries states that an attack on one country is an attack on all countries. Hawaii is not included in this agreement.

“This is really a formality on paper,” said Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii).

Congresswoman Jill Tokuda of Hawaii says it’s because Hawaii is south of the NATO border, the Tropic of Cancer, and it became a state 10 years after NATO was signed, which was 75 years ago.

“We don’t live in the world of 1949 anymore,” said Rep. Ed Case (D-Hawaii).

Hawaii Congressman Ed Case says current threats from China and Russia warrant protection from the alliance, so he wrote a letter to the Secretary of State in May asking for Hawaii to be formally added.

“You don’t want to wait until that time to find out whether other countries also consider themselves bound by a mutual defense obligation,” Case said.

The State Department wrote back that an attack “would almost certainly provoke an allied response,” but said an amendment would be “unlikely” because the U.S. is not the only ally with territory outside the treaty area.

Tokuda said the US military presence and frequent exercises with other countries make the exclusion less of a concern for voters.

“Because in our community they often see the presence of other countries so actively,” Tokuda said.

She says there should be more focus on strengthening ties in the Indo-Pacific region.

Case says it’s worth pursuing. He said he’s considering legislation to urge the State Department to support an amendment, or he could go directly to NATO’s secretary general.

“I don’t think it’s cause for huge panic,” Case said. “But it’s nice to have some confirmation.”

Case isn’t the only lawmaker who wants Hawaii included in NATO. Twelve senators wrote their own letter to the secretary of state earlier this month calling for the change.