[…] The charter stipulates that member countries will assist the attacked party “by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.”
Importantly, each nation gets to determine how they will respond, Sloan says. It’s not an automatic commitment to do anything specific in terms of an attack.
And invoking Article 5 is not automatic.
After a country is attacked, they would come together with the other alliance members and see if all 30 member countries would agree to regard the situation as an Article 5 case. That human element ensures further protection that an accident or a mistake doesn’t result in a wider war. Läs artikel