[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 152 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 152

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  States remains committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
                                (NATO).


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 10, 2009

   Mr. Tanner (for himself, Mr. Berman, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Wexler, Mr. 
 Gallegly, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. Moore of Kansas, Mr. Ross, Mrs. Tauscher, 
Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Chandler, Mr. Scott of Georgia, 
 Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, and Mr. Meek of 
Florida) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  States remains committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
                                (NATO).

Whereas for 60 years the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has served as 
        the preeminent organization to defend the territories of its member 
        states against all external threats;
Whereas NATO, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and 
        the rule of law, has proved an indispensable instrument for forging a 
        trans-Atlantic community of nations working together to safeguard the 
        freedom and common heritage of its peoples, and promoting stability in 
        the North Atlantic area;
Whereas NATO has acted to address new risks emerging from outside the treaty 
        area in the interests of preserving peace and security in the Euro-
        Atlantic area, and maintains a unique collective capability to address 
        these new challenges which may affect Allied interests and values;
Whereas such challenges to NATO Allied interests and values include the 
        potential for the re-emergence of unresolved historical disputes 
        confronting Europe, rogue states and non-state actors possessing 
        nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons and their means of delivery, 
        transnational terrorism and disruption of the flow of energy resources, 
        and conflicts outside the treaty area that affect vital security 
        interests;
Whereas the security of NATO member states is inseparably linked to that of the 
        whole of Europe, and the consolidation and strengthening of democratic 
        and free societies on the entire continent, in accordance with the 
        principles and commitments of the Organization for Security and 
        Cooperation in Europe, is of direct and material concern to the NATO 
        Alliance and its partners;
Whereas NATO enhances the security of the United States by providing an 
        integrated military structure and a framework for consultations on 
        political and security concerns of any member state;
Whereas NATO remains the embodiment of United States engagement in Europe and 
        therefore membership in NATO remains a vital national security interest 
        of the United States;
Whereas the impending membership of Albania and Croatia will add to NATO's 
        ability to perform the full range of NATO missions and bolster its 
        capability to integrate former communist countries into a community of 
        democracies;
Whereas the organization of NATO national parliamentarians, the NATO 
        Parliamentary Assembly (NPA), serves as a unique trans-Atlantic forum 
        for generating and maintaining legislative and public support for the 
        Alliance, and has played a key role in initiating constructive dialogue 
        between NATO parliamentarians and parliamentarians in associate and 
        observer states;
Whereas NPA activities, such as the Rose-Roth program, have played a pioneering 
        role in promoting democratic institutions and encouraging adherence with 
        the principles of the rule of law; and
Whereas the 60th anniversary NATO summit meeting, to be held on April 4, 2009, 
        in Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, offers the historic 
        opportunity to chart a course for NATO for the next decade: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is to be 
        commended for its pivotal role in preserving trans-Atlantic 
        peace and stability;
            (2) NATO continues to be the premier institution that 
        promotes a uniquely trans-Atlantic perspective and approach to 
        issues concerning the interests and security of North America 
        and Europe;
            (3) the NATO allies, at the Summit meeting to be held in 
        Strasbourg, France, and Kehl, Germany, in April 2009, should 
        articulate a concrete vision for the Alliance in the 21st 
        century, clearly setting out the continued importance of NATO 
        for the citizens of the Allied nations;
            (4) the Alliance should begin considering a new strategic 
        concept that takes into account the changing international 
        security environment, reaffirms the Alliance's functional and 
        symbolic purposes, and outlines how to develop its military 
        capabilities accordingly;
            (5) the Alliance, while maintaining collective defense as 
        its core function, should, as a fundamental Alliance task, 
        continue to identify and address new areas where it can provide 
        added value in tackling future threats outside the NATO treaty 
        area, based on case-by-case consensual Alliance decision;
            (6) the Alliance should make clear commitments to remedy 
        shortfalls in areas such as logistics, command, control, 
        communications, intelligence, ground surveillance, readiness, 
        deployability, mobility, sustainability, survivability, 
        armaments cooperation, and effective engagement;
            (7) the Alliance must ensure equitable sharing of 
        contributions to the NATO operations, common budgets, and 
        overall defense expenditure and capability building;
            (8) the Alliance must recognize and act upon the threat 
        posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and 
        terrorism by intensifying consultations among political and 
        military leaders, and consider alternative capabilities to 
        counter these threats to the international community;
            (9) the Alliance should pace the process of NATO 
        enlargement and remain prepared to extend invitations for 
        accession negotiations to any appropriate European democracy 
        meeting the criteria for NATO membership as established in the 
        Alliance's 1995 Study on NATO Enlargement;
            (10) while maintaining its unequivocal right to make its 
        own decisions, NATO should seek to strengthen its relations 
        with Russia as an essential partner in building long-term peace 
        in the Euro-Atlantic area; and
            (11) the Alliance should fully support the NPA's activities 
        in continuing to deepen cooperation within the Alliance to 
        forge strong links with associate and observer nations.
                                 <all>