2001 NATO Article 5 contingency

On the morning of September 11, 2001, several civilian and military targets in the United States were damaged and destroyed by Al-Qaeda forces. At the time of the September 11 attacks, it was believed by some that the co-occurring 2001 anthrax attacks were also linked to Al-Qaeda. The United States is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Under the terms of Article 5 of NATO's Washington Treaty, attacks on the territory of signatory states north of the Tropic of Cancer authorize other member states to respond with self-defense actions "including the use of armed force". ==Timeline==

September 12 resolution On the evening of September 11, 2001, NATO's Secretary General, George Robertson, contacted United States Secretary of State Colin Powell with the suggestion that declaring an Article 5 contingency would be a useful political statement for the alliance to make in response to the attacks earlier that day. Powell indicated the United States had no interest in making such a request to the alliance, but would look favorably on such a declaration were NATO to independently initiate it. The Netherlands and Belgium sought to water down the language of the draft resolution being circulated, ultimately delaying its adoption by several hours. According to the final text of the declaration, "if it is determined that this attack was directed from abroad against the United States, it shall be regarded as an action covered by Article 5 of the Washington Treaty". Discussions on alliance action No action resulted from NATO's September 12 resolution. In one interagency meeting in which the option of tapping NATO forces for the planned U.S. military campaign was mentioned, U.S. Gen. Tommy Franks reportedly dismissed the idea by saying "I don't have the time to become an expert on the Danish Air Force". October 2 resolution Several weeks later, on October 2, 2001, the North Atlantic Council issued a further resolution affirming that the September 11 attack originated from outside the United States. • The second operation — Active Endeavour — was a naval operation in the Mediterranean intended to arrest the transit of potential weapons of mass destruction (WMD), but has been characterized as more of a symbolic gesture as there was no credible information of a threat to move WMDs through the Mediterranean in the first place. Six additional measures were also authorized, including permitting blanket overflight clearances of United States Air Force aircraft over the territory of NATO member states, and increasing local security around U.S. military bases located in NATO member states. ==Aftermath==

According to the RAND Corporation, NATO hoped that by invoking Article 5 the United States would invite NATO states to participate in its planned military response against Al Qaeda, though no such invitation ultimately materialized and "NATO did not contribute any of its collective assets to Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan". ISAF operated under a NATO flag but was composed primarily of U.S. forces and was at all times under operational command of American officers. It continued operations in Afghanistan until 2014, withdrawing seven years prior to the United States' 2021 retreat and the ensuing Taliban victory. ==Notes==