[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 739 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 739

 Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to the North Atlantic 
                      Treaty Organization (NATO).


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 18, 2016

 Mr. Delaney (for himself, Mr. Kinzinger of Illinois, Mr. Moulton, Mr. 
   Schiff, Mr. David Scott of Georgia, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. 
  Carson of Indiana, Mr. Cicilline, Mr. Gallego, Mr. Perlmutter, Ms. 
     Clarke of New York, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Kilmer, Mrs. Torres, Mr. 
Cartwright, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Costa, 
 and Mr. Beyer) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
                  to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Reaffirming the commitment of the United States to the North Atlantic 
                      Treaty Organization (NATO).

Whereas, on April 4, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was 
        founded with the ideals of democracy, individual liberty, and the desire 
        for peaceful resolutions of disputes;
Whereas for over six decades, NATO has been a successful intergovernmental 
        political and military alliance;
Whereas NATO's collective defense acts as a deterrent to aggression where the 
        alliance defends its Allied countries against external security threats;
Whereas NATO strengthens the security of the United States by utilizing an 
        integrated military coalition;
Whereas Russia has continued to threaten the sovereignty of countries in Europe 
        and exhibit threatening behavior toward our own military assets, NATO 
        sends a clear collective message that the Alliance will not tolerate 
        Russia's provocation;
Whereas in respect to the changing threats against Europe and the United States 
        since the end of the Cold War, NATO has evolved to take on new dangers 
        including terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and 
        cyber attacks;
Whereas after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, 
        NATO invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty for the first time 
        in NATO's history to deploy military resources to Afghanistan in support 
        of the United States mission to combat a dangerous insurgency and 
        terrorist threat;
Whereas NATO aided the United States military by leading the International 
        Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from August 2003 to 2014, 
        working with Afghan authorities to respond to the terrorist insurgency 
        and to provide effective security across the country;
Whereas NATO continues a civilian-led presence in Afghanistan to strengthen 
        Afghan security forces and institutions to ensure the country can 
        rebuild its security operations and end safe haven for terrorists;
Whereas in November 2002 at the Prague Summit, NATO leaders adopted a Prague 
        package to adapt NATO to the challenge of combating terrorism which 
        included a Military Concept for Defense against Terrorism, a Partnership 
        Action Plan against Terrorism, missile defense, cyber defense, and 
        enhanced intelligence sharing;
Whereas in November 2006 at the Riga Summit, NATO declared that ``terrorism, 
        increasingly global in scope and lethal in results, and the spread of 
        weapons of mass destruction are likely to be the principal threats to 
        the Alliance over the next 10 to 15 years''; and
Whereas the attacks in Paris, France, and Brussels, Belgium, home of the NATO 
        Headquarters, shows the importance of an international alliance to 
        combat terrorist groups: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the United States reaffirms its commitment to the North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as the foundation of 
        transatlantic security and defense;
            (2) NATO serves as a critical coalition in preserving peace 
        and stability in the transatlantic region; and
            (3) NATO's continued effort to develop new capabilities and 
        technologies to combat terrorism and a changing international 
        security environment are crucial to enhancing national security 
        and strengthening the United States ability to combat evolving 
        security threats.
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