[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 123 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 123
Supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and recognizing its
70 years of accomplishments.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 27, 2019
Mr. Risch (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Tillis, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr.
Johnson, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Romney, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. Udall, Mr. Coons,
Mr. Rubio, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Graham, Mr. Markey, Mr. Kaine,
Mr. Cruz, Mr. Young, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Portman, Ms. Ernst, and Mr. Casey)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Relations
April 3, 2019
Reported by Mr. Risch, without amendment
April 4, 2019
Considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and recognizing its
70 years of accomplishments.
Resolved,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Senate makes the following findings:
(1) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was
founded on April 4, 1949, to ``safeguard the freedom, common
heritage and civilisation of [its] peoples, founded on the
principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of
law''.
(2) The United States Senate approved the North Atlantic
Treaty of 1949 on July 21, 1949, and the United States
Government acceded to membership in NATO on August 24, 1949.
(3) NATO is a community of democracies that acts
collectively to promote freedom, stability, and peace around
the globe.
(4) NATO has continued to welcome into its membership those
nations that have evinced a desire to partake in the alliance's
commitment to settle international disputes peaceably,
strengthen their free institutions, promote conditions of
stability and well-being, and seek to eliminate conflict in
their international economic policies, and which are dedicated
to maintaining and developing their capacity to resist armed
attack.
(5) The sustained commitment of NATO to mutual defense has
made possible the democratic and economic transformation of
Central and Eastern Europe.
(6) Lasting stability and security in Europe requires the
further military, economic, and political integration of
emerging democracies into existing European and transatlantic
structures.
(7) NATO serves as a force multiplier, whose command
structures, training institutions, and multilateral exercises
have generated unprecedented multinational contributions to
United States national security priorities and enabled European
and Canadian soldiers to fight side-by-side with members of the
United States Armed Forces.
(8) The allies invoked NATO's Article 5 collective defense
clause and offered military assistance to the United States in
responding to the attacks of September 11, 2001.
(9) NATO member nations stood in support of the United
States after it was attacked on September 11, 2001, sending
tens of thousands troops to fight alongside American soldiers
in Afghanistan.
(10) NATO is currently involved in several operations
benefiting United States national security, including Operation
Resolute Support in Afghanistan, NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR),
Operation Sea Guardian in the Mediterranean Sea (maritime
situational awareness, counter-terrorism at sea, and support to
capacity-building), the capacity-building NATO Mission Iraq,
support for African Union missions, and air policing missions
in the member and nonmember nations of Eastern Europe.
(11) NATO members have stood against Russian aggression in
Eastern Europe, have supported United States sanctions on that
country and imposed their own, have responded, as noted in the
NATO Brussels Summit Declaration of 2018, ``to the deteriorated
security environment by enhancing our deterrence and defence
posture, including by a forward presence in the eastern part of
the Alliance,'' and have asserted that ``there can be no return
to `business as usual' until there is a clear, constructive
change in Russia's actions that demonstrates compliance with
international law and its international obligations and
responsibilities''.
(12) The NATO Wales Summit Declaration of 2014 pledged,
``Allies currently meeting the NATO guideline to spend a
minimum of 2% of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defence
will aim to continue to do so . . . Allies whose current
proportion of GDP spent on defence is below this level will:
halt any decline in defence expenditure; aim to increase
defence expenditure in real terms as GDP grows; aim to move
towards the 2% guideline within a decade with a view to meeting
their NATO Capability Targets and filling NATO's capability
shortfalls.''.
(13) Twenty-two NATO nations have increased their military
spending since the Wales Declaration of 2014.
(14) The NATO Brussels Summit Declaration of 2018 stated,
``We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to all aspects of the
Defence Investment Pledge agreed at the 2014 Wales Summit, and
to submit credible national plans on its implementation,
including the spending guidelines for 2024, planned
capabilities, and contributions. Fair burden sharing underpins
the Alliance's cohesion, solidarity, credibility, and ability
to fulfil our Article 3 and Article 5 commitments. We welcome
the considerable progress made since the Wales Summit with four
consecutive years of real growth in non-US defence expenditure.
All Allies have started to increase the amount they spend on
defence in real terms and some two-thirds of Allies have
national plans in place to spend 2% of their Gross Domestic
Product on defence by 2024. More than half of Allies are
spending more than 20% of their defence expenditures on major
equipment, including related research and development, and,
according to their national plans, 24 Allies will meet the 20%
guideline by 2024. Allies are delivering more of the heavier,
high-end capabilities we require and are improving the
readiness, deployability, sustainability, and interoperability
of their forces.''.
(15) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated,
``By the end of next year, NATO allies will add . . . 100
billion extra U.S. dollars toward defense.''.
(16) Allies who have recently acceded to NATO are amongst
the highest per capita contributors to NATO missions.
(17) At the Bucharest Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization in April 2008, the Heads of State and Government
of the member countries of NATO declared, ``NATO's ongoing
enlargement process has been an historic success in advancing
stability and cooperation and bringing us closer to our common
goal of a Europe whole and free, united in peace, democracy and
common values. NATO's door will remain open to European
democracies willing and able to assume the responsibilities and
obligations of membership, in accordance with Article 10 of the
Washington Treaty. We reiterate that decisions on enlargement
are for NATO itself to make.''.
(18) Vice President Mike Pence in June 2017 reiterated that
the United States ``commitment [to NATO] is unwavering'' and
that ``NATO's open door must always remain so''.
(19) The governments, leaders, and parliaments of Greece
and the Republic of North Macedonia have ended their dispute
and ratified the Prespa Agreement, resolving a long-standing
bilateral dispute and establishing a strategic partnership
between the two countries and clearing the way for North
Macedonia's accession to NATO.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE.
The Senate--
(1) lauds NATO for its 70-year maintenance of the alliance
and recognizes its singular contributions to maintaining the
safety, security, and democratic systems of its members;
(2) calls on NATO member states to continue to fully meet
their Wales pledges, more fully share the security burden by
increasing their defense spending with a focus on meeting
capabilities targets, enhancing interoperability, improving
readiness, and modernization to respond to the threats that
face the alliance on each of its flanks;
(3) stands in robust support of those NATO members who
spend two percent or more of their GDPs on defense,
acknowledges the four countries that have met that goal since
2014, and strongly encourages the remainder to strive to
quickly reach that goal;
(4) affirms that the Senate stands ready to consider, if
all applicable criteria are satisfied, the Republic of North
Macedonia's application to join NATO;
(5) backs the White House's 2017 affirmation that the
United States ``stand[s] firmly behind Article 5'' of the NATO
Treaty;
(6) welcomes former Secretary of Defense James Mattis'
efforts to encourage significant NATO reforms, especially
regarding modernization, readiness, command structure
adaptation, military mobility, and improving NATO's speed of
decisionmaking to ensure the alliance remains fit for purpose;
and
(7) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to NATO's
mission, and its belief that NATO is the most successful
security alliance in our Nation's history and one that will
continue to be a cornerstone of United States security.
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