Two US lawmakers, Republican Congressman Ted Poe and Democrat Congressman Rick Nolan, have introduced a bipartisan bill in Congress, on 23rd June seeking to revoke Pakistan’s status as a major non-Nato ally (MNNA).
The movers also argue that since Pakistan has failed to effectively fight terrorism, it no longer deserves US economic and military assistance.
The focus of the bill, however, is on revoking the MNNA status, which was granted to Pakistan in 2004 by then President George W. Bush to encourage Islamabad to help the United States fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban. If passed, the legislation will greatly hurt military to military relations between the two countries.
MNNA status was first created in 1989 when section 2350a, otherwise known as the Nunn Amendment, was added to Title 10 (Armed Forces) of the United States Code by Congress.
A Major Non-NATO Ally is any country not a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and designated as a major non-NATO ally under Section 2350a(f)(2) of Title 10, United States Code. The MNNA is a designation given by the U.S. government to exceptionally close allies who have strong strategic working relationships with American forces but are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. “Major Non-NATO Ally,” is a title of uncertain distinction; they have become eligible for certain kinds of military assistance, including purchasing excess defense articles and participating in cooperative defense research and development projects.
Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) Status does not entail the same mutual defense and security guarantees afforded to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members. However, designation as an MNNA represents an affirmation of the importance the US places on the relationship. US legislation creates two categories of MNNA status. The first category is under Title 10 U.S Code Section 2350a (Nunn Amendment of 1987). The Second is under Section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (FAA) (title 22, USC Section 2321k).
Title 10 U.S. Code Section 2350a authorizes the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to designate MNNAs for purposes of participating with the Department of Defense (DOD) in cooperative research and development programs. Israel, Egypt, Japan, Australia, and the Republic of Korea were given MNNA designation under Title 10 in 1987, followed by Jordan (1996), Argentina (1998), New Zealand and Bahrain (2002), and the Philippines and Thailand (2003). The Departments of State and Defense had notified Congress of the intent to designate Thailand in early October 2003. In June 2004 the U.S. President officially notified the designation of Pakistan as a Major non-NATO Ally (MNNA).