US Rescinds Afghanistan’s Designation as Major Non-NATO Ally

A White House statement stated that US President Joe Biden on Friday revoked the status of Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally, a designation granted by the then-US-President in 2012, Barack Obama.

According to the US President’s memorandum to the US Secretary of State, released by the White House, Joe Biden stated that “I hereby terminate the designation of Afghanistan as a Major Non-NATO Ally of the United States for the purposes of the Act and the Arms Export Control Act.”

In order to facilitate the now-collapsed Afghan government, which was a US ally at the time, acquiring American military equipment, as well as advancing bilateral defense ties, the US designated Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Afghanistan as a “major non-NATO ally” in 2012.

The US president, previously, in early July announced that he would terminate Afghanistan’s designation as a non-NATO ally of the US in a letter to the US House of Representatives and the US Senate.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid at that time said the Taliban’s leadership is unconcerned by the US decision to revoke Afghanistan’s designation as a major non-NATO ally, saying there were no perks to the membership.

Contrary to the US’s NATO allies, who are bound together by a joint defense agreement, a non-NATO ally is not protected by a mutual defense assurance.

Even after NATO forces had withdrawn, Afghanistan’s ally designation permitted expedited sales and leases of military equipment, as well as eligibility for military training and assistance.

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