Donald Trump’s national security adviser told Reuters on Tuesday that he would push for changes to NATO if the former president is returned to power, which could lead to the loss of protection for some member states from outside attack, Reuters reported.

Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general and former chief of staff for the former president’s National Security Council, said in an interview that unless a member of the 31-nation alliance spends at least 2 percent of its gross domestic product on defense as promised, he would support repeal. protection of this country under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.

Article 5 states that an attack on one member of the alliance will be considered an attack on all, and the members of the alliance must respond accordingly. Without these safeguards, a member country will have no guarantee that other NATO members will come to its aid.

“Where I come from, alliances matter,” said Kellogg, who served as national security adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence. “But if you’re going to be part of the alliance, contribute to the alliance, be part of the alliance.”

Democratic President Joe Biden and Western officials reacted sharply when Trump said at a rally last weekend that he would not defend NATO allies who did not spend on defense as promised and would even encourage Russia to attack them.

Kellogg proposes a “multi-level NATO alliance” in which some members enjoy greater protection

Kellogg declined to say whether he had discussed his proposal with Trump, though he said the two have often discussed the future of NATO. Trump is close to winning the Republican presidential nomination in the Nov. 5 general election.

Kellogg said that if Trump wins, he will likely propose holding a NATO meeting in June 2025 to discuss the future of the alliance. He said that NATO could eventually become a “multi-tiered alliance” where some members enjoy greater protection based on their adherence to NATO’s founding articles.

Trump’s campaign team did not respond to a request for comment, but previously identified Kellogg as a political adviser who could play a role in his administration.

Trump and his allies have increasingly signaled plans to revise America’s commitments to NATO and have long complained that European members of the alliance are not paying their fair share.

In addition to losing Article 5 protection, Kellogg said, other, less severe sanctions are possible, such as losing access to training or sharing equipment. Member countries, he added, should boldly withdraw from NATO.

“If President Trump is reelected, after the election is over, I would give everybody what we call a warning. I would probably say that’s where we’re going to go to give them a chance to prepare so we can talk in June,” Kellogg said.

“I think it’s a very grown-up conversation, and it’s one of the many national security conversations that needs to be had.”

NATO defense should not be automatic

Kellogg said that if Article 3 of the North Atlantic Treaty is not followed, the protection provided by Article 5 should not be considered automatic.

Article 3 states that NATO member states must make reasonable efforts to develop their individual defense capabilities. Although Article 3 does not state that countries must spend at least 2% of their GDP on defence, member states pledged at a 2014 summit in Wales to reach this figure within ten years.

According to NATO estimates last July, 11 of the 31 would allocate at least 2% of GDP to defense spending in 2023, including the United States, Great Britain and several Eastern European countries close to or bordering Russia.

These are Poland, USA, Greece, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Great Britain and Slovakia.

“Everybody understands Article 5 — an attack on one is an attack on all — but they forget about all the other articles that are built under or before it,” Kellogg said.

“One of them is Article 3.”

In December, Robert O’Brien, Trump’s national security adviser from 2019 to 2021, who still discusses foreign policy with the former president, told Reuters that imposing trade tariffs on NATO countries unless they spend at least 2% of GDP on defense is likely. , will be among Donald Trump’s policies if he wins a second term.

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