It states that a military attack on any country of the alliance is considered an aggression against all its members
BRUSSELS, June 14. /TASS/. Attacks carried out in outer space can lead to the application of article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty on Collective Defense, which states that a military attack on any country of the alliance is considered aggression against all its members. This is stated in the final statement of the NATO summit published on Monday.
"We support international efforts to promote responsible behavior in space. We believe that attacks in, from, or within outer space represent a clear challenge to the security of the alliance, the consequences of which can threaten national and Euro-Atlantic prosperity, security, and stability, and can cause as much damage to modern society as a conventional attack. Such attacks can lead to the application of article 5 [of the North Atlantic Treaty], " the document says.
"The decision on when such attacks will trigger the application of Article 5 will be made by the North Atlantic Council on a case - by-case basis," the statement said.
NATO member states " recognize the growing importance of outer space for the security and prosperity of countries, as well as for deterrence and defense." They also agreed to " accelerate work to deepen and expand the use of space as an operational space." The statement welcomes "the upcoming establishment of the Space Center of Excellence in France."
"We will increase NATO's awareness of outer space and better integrate outer space into our activities, including training and exercises, sustainability and innovation efforts," the document says. It also states that "NATO's approach to outer space will continue to be fully consistent with international law."
Earlier, before the summit, the organization's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance intends to extend Article 5 to space and equate attacks on satellites of member countries with an attack on the entire alliance. He left open the question in which particular case this article could be applied. According to him, the decision not to specify this is part of the strategy of deterring a potential enemy. At the same time, he assured that the alliance does not seek to build up weapons in outer space.
