Article 4 of the NATO treaty states that the member countries will consult together whenever any of them believes their territorial integrity, political independence, or security is threatened. It allows a member state to formally request consultations with other NATO members when they feel threatened, but it does not automatically commit NATO to military action. Instead, such consultations can lead to a joint decision or action, which might be political, logistic, or military in nature. Article 4 is shorter and less known than Article 5, which commits members to consider an attack on one as an attack on all, but it serves as an important diplomatic tool to address emerging threats. Since NATO's founding, Article 4 has been invoked several times by members including Turkey, Poland, and Estonia in response to various security threats or aggressions such as incursions, military attacks, or political provocations. It is primarily a mechanism for dialogue and coordination within the alliance, allowing members to discuss threats and collectively decide on appropriate responses before potentially escalating to collective defense measures. A recent notable activation was by Poland in September 2025 after Russian drones breached its airspace, leading to consultations at NATO headquarters.