‘NATO Plus Five’ Status

Context:

The U.S. Senate’s India Caucus Co-Chairs will introduce legislation to give India ‘NATO plus five’ defence status.

More on News:

The recommendation to include India was given by the U.S. House of Representatives committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The Congressional panel, called in short the China Committee, recommends that India should be the sixth member.

About ‘NATO plus five’:

NATO Plus’ is a grouping of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and five countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Israel, and South Korea.
It is aimed at boosting global defence cooperation.
Reasons stated to include India:
1. To build upon the US and India’s close partnership to strengthen global security and deter Chinese aggression.
2. To facilitate seamless intelligence sharing between these countries and India
3. To grant access to the latest military technology without much of a time lag.

Additional Information

About NATO:

Established during the Cold War, NATO is a transatlantic security alliance composed of thirty-one member countries, including the United States.
Underlying Principle:
- NATO is committed to the principle that an attack against one or several of its members is considered as an attack against all.
- This is the principle of collective defence, which is enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.

Membership criteria: NATO membership is open to “any other European state in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area.”

News Source: The Hindu