During the Singapore Forum, Dialogue Shangri-LA, Rob Bauer, the head of the NATO Military Committee, announced that the alliance countries have agreed to invoke the 5th article of the Washington Collective Defense Treaty in the event of significant cyber attacks against them.
Bauer stated, “In NATO, all the allies and I agreed that in principle, cyber attacks could be the reason for the use of the 5th article” (source).
Article 5 of the Washington Treaty focuses on the collective defense of NATO countries, treating an attack on one member as an attack on all participating states.
Bauer emphasized that in order to utilize collective defense measures, it will be crucial to identify the direct perpetrators of the cyber attack, rather than just pinpointing the servers involved. The magnitude of the attack and its impact on critical infrastructure will also be assessed.
General Bauer stated, “If the essential services of our societies are endangered to a degree that hinders societal functioning, then we reach a point where we can respond in a manner akin to reacting to a physical attack.”
On May 25, Jens Stoltenberg cautioned that the North Atlantic Alliance could potentially implement the provisions of the Treaty on Collective Self-Defense as a response to significant cyber attacks, with NATO’s actions extending beyond the digital realm.