[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 202 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 202

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2017

 Mr. Delaney (for himself, Mr. Coffman, Mrs. Davis of California, Mrs. 
 Wagner, Mr. Cole, Mr. Moulton, Mrs. Hartzler, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. 
 Yoho, Mr. Cartwright, Mr. LaMalfa, Mr. Carson of Indiana, Mr. Lance, 
  Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Moolenaar, Mrs. Torres, Mr. Harris, and Mr. Peters) 
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 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'';
Whereas in July 2016 at the Warsaw Summit, NATO leaders agreed to strengthen the 
        Alliance's military presence in Eastern Europe, declared Initial 
        Operational Capability of NATO's Ballistic Missile Defense to strengthen 
        the defense of Allied countries against ballistic missiles, and 
        recognized cyberspace as a new operational domain; and
Whereas the attacks in Paris, France; Berlin, Germany; Istanbul, Turkey; 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;
            (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; and
            (4) the United States encourages each NATO member country 
        to meet or exceed the commitment to spend two percent of its 
        Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense.
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