Security & defenceThe post-9/11 partnership
Pakistan becomes a major non-NATO ally
Announced by Colin Powell in Islamabad in March and formalised by President Bush in June, the designation was a symbolic reward for Pakistan’s role after 2001.
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Presidential Determination
Major Non-NATO Ally
No. 2004-37
Presidential Determination
Major Non-NATO Ally
No. 2004-37
Background
Major non-NATO ally status is a designation under US law that gives a partner certain privileges - eligibility for some military loans, leases and stockpiles, cooperative defence research and faster consideration of equipment transfers - without a mutual defence commitment. By 2004 the designation had been extended to a small group of countries including Egypt, Israel, Japan and Australia.
What happened
Secretary of State Colin Powell announced the decision during a visit to Islamabad on 18 March 2004, telling interviewers it would give Pakistan access to more material than it might otherwise have2,3. Under the law the designation takes effect thirty days after the president notifies Congress. President Bush signed the presidential determination designating the Islamic Republic of Pakistan a major non-NATO ally on 16 June 2004, citing section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act; it was published in the Federal Register on 29 June1,4.
Reactions
Pakistan welcomed the step as recognition of its sacrifices since 2001. In India, which had been building its own new relationship with Washington, the announcement was received with surprise and concern; Indian officials said they had not been consulted beforehand5. Some members of Congress also objected6.
Why it mattered
The designation carried more symbolic than practical weight: it did not oblige the United States to defend Pakistan and did not by itself unlock large arms sales. But it formalised the partnership of the post-9/11 years, eased approvals for equipment such as the F-16s later agreed in 2005–06, and signalled that Washington intended to keep Pakistan close even as it moved towards a strategic partnership with India.
Legacy
Pakistan has retained the status since 2004. Its continuation has periodically been questioned in Congress during low points in relations, including after 2011 and in 2017–18, but it has not been revoked.
Sources
- Memorandum on Designation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as a Major Non-NATO Ally, The American Presidency Project, UC Santa Barbara, 16 June 2004 · Primary document
- Powell announces Pakistan to be designated major non-NATO ally (Washington File, 18 March 2004), GlobalSecurity.org (US State Department Washington File), 18 March 2004 · Official
- Pakistan made ‘major non-NATO ally’, Al Jazeera, 17 June 2004 · Press
- Presidential Determination No. 2004-37 of June 16, 2004, Federal Register (govinfo), 29 June 2004 · Primary document
- Ally badge for Pak, India stunned, Siddharth Varadarajan (The Hindu, archived on author’s site), 18 March 2004 · Press
- Pallone opposes US designation of Pakistan as major non-NATO ally, Office of Rep. Frank Pallone, 2004 · Official
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