Polish Defense Minister Calls NATO Article 5 ‘Sacred Commitment’

The fifth article of NATO provides that an armed attack by one or more of the countries of the Alliance will be considered an attack by all of them. According to this article, all members of the Alliance must agree to take action to help an ally under attack. However, in order to take action, the agreement of all NATO countries is required.

After visiting the country’s Dragon-24 exercise on Tuesday, W. Kosiniak-Kamysza said: “Article 5 is a sacred thing, a sacred commitment. If any NATO member state is attacked, regardless of where in the world we live and operate, we will defend our allies and that is what we expect from our allies.”

“These exercises are aimed at improving the capabilities, skills and qualifications for defense activities and all operations to be conducted by member states,” he said.

Exercise “Dragon-24” is part of NATO’s large maneuvers “Steadfast Defender-24”, in which 90,000 soldiers participate. troops from all 31 NATO allies, as well as Sweden, which is preparing to join this military bloc.

W. Kosiniaks-Kamysz added that although these exercises “carry out NATO’s deterrence mission and are not directed against anyone […]it is clear that given what is happening in the world today, we must be ready here and now, every day, to fulfill our commitments to allies.”

“Only the North Atlantic Alliance, as the largest security organization of its kind in the world, can defend our homeland. Of course, each country must be prepared on its own, but the Alliance is strengthening operational and defense capabilities,” he said.