Nato: Guam is not subject to any duty of assistance

In the case of a North Korean attack on the American island of Guam in the Pacific, NATO countries are not required to provide military assistance to the Americans.

It would therefore be a purely political decision by the Allies to invoke the island of the island of 2000 kilometers east of the Philippines to invoke the mutual assistance clause under Article 5. In Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, the Allies have stated that 'armed attack on one or more NATO countries is considered an attack on all'.

However, Article 6 contains an area limitation. For example, an armed attack based on Article 5 is considered to be any attack on the territory of NATO countries in Europe or North America, as well as the territory of Turkey, or the territorial jurisdiction of one of the islands in the North Atlantic region north of the lobster chain.

As the island of Guam lies south of the lobster chain, it is beyond this definition. But in NATO circles it is emphasized that it is unlikely that allies on the basis of these formulations will deny the United States military support.