[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 611 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 611
Expressing the sense of Congress that the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) continues to make an invaluable
contribution to the United States and international security, and
recognizing that the United States will seek a successful Ninth Review
Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 3, 2022
Mr. Menendez submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress that the Treaty on the Non-
Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) continues to make an invaluable
contribution to the United States and international security, and
recognizing that the United States will seek a successful Ninth Review
Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons.
Whereas the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) opened for
signature 53 years ago on July 1, 1968, and entered into force in 1970;
Whereas the NPT is a cornerstone of the global nuclear nonproliferation regime
and has grown to include 191 States Parties;
Whereas the United States remains committed to upholding the three pillars of
the NPT, which include--
(1) non-proliferation;
(2) disarmament; and
(3) the peaceful use of nuclear energy;
Whereas Article III of the NPT obligates each nonnuclear weapon state to the NPT
to conclude a Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) to verify treaty compliance, 174 of which are
Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements crafted to detect the diversion of
nuclear materials from peaceful to non-peaceful uses;
Whereas the IAEA strengthens the global nuclear and security framework and helps
promote international nuclear cooperation, and IAEA safeguards are a
requirement for United States bilateral nuclear cooperation;
Whereas the United States was the first country to conclude a safeguards
agreement with the IAEA;
Whereas the 2018 Department of Defense Nuclear Posture Review affirms, ``The
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a cornerstone of the nuclear
nonproliferation regime. It plays a positive role in building consensus
for non-proliferation and enhances international efforts to impose costs
on those that would pursue nuclear weapons outside the Treaty.'';
Whereas the success of the NPT has and will continue to depend upon the full
implementation by all States Parties of the NPT's three mutually
reinforcing pillars;
Whereas, over the past half century, the United States has exhibited leadership
in strengthening each of the NPT's three pillars for the global good,
including--
(1) reducing its nuclear weapons stockpile by 88 percent from its
maximum in 1967 of 31,225 in parallel with equally massive reductions of
the Russian Federation's stockpile through bilateral coordination;
(2) cooperating with former Soviet States to facilitate the surrender
of nuclear weapons on their soil after the fall of the Soviet Union;
(3) providing voluntary contributions to the IAEA to promote peaceful
nuclear activities exceeding $378,000,000 since 2010, including activities
that help in the treatment of cancer and other life-saving applications;
and
(4) extending deterrence to United States allies in the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO), Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Australia,
which is an unmistakable demonstration of the United States commitment to
collective security;
Whereas the United States calls on the Islamic Republic of Iran to comply with
its obligations under the NPT, which it ratified in 1970, abide by its
1974 comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA, and fully and
permanently implement the Additional Protocol to its IAEA safeguards
agreement in refraining to obtain or produce nuclear weapons;
Whereas heightened geopolitical tensions in recent years have made cooperation
on nonproliferation and arms control issues with the Russian Federation
and the People's Republic of China more challenging;
Whereas recent harmful actions by the Government of the Russian Federation have
led to a further a deterioration in bilateral relations with the United
States, including Russia's illegal occupation of Crimea, its 2014
invasion of Eastern Ukraine, and its 2022 invasion into all of Ukraine,
its brazen interference in the 2016 and 2020 United States presidential
elections, its violation of the Treaty between the United States of
America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination
of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, signed at
Washington December 8, 1987, and entered into force June 1, 1988
(commonly referred to as the ``INF Treaty''), its use of chemical nerve
agents in assassination attempts in the United Kingdom and against
Aleksei A. Navalny, and its destabilizing actions in Syria;
Whereas concerning actions by the People's Republic of China have also strained
bilateral relations with the United States, including a sustained build-
up of nuclear forces, threatening military activities toward Taiwan, and
the transfer by Chinese entities of proliferation and missile technology
transfers to States such as the Islamic Republic of Iran, North Korea,
Syria, and Pakistan;
Whereas, despite these challenges, the United States remains committed to a
stable strategic relationship with the Governments of the Russian
Federation and the People's Republic of China and especially in the
field of nonproliferation and arms control;
Whereas United States efforts to reduce dangers associated with nuclear arsenals
through ambitious arms control agreements with both the Russian
Federation and the People's Republic of China would advance United
States and global security, adding to the benefits of stability and
transparency provided by existing agreements;
Whereas President Joseph R. Biden's decision to extend the New START Treaty
between the United States and the Russian Federation for five years
places verifiable legally binding limits on Russian ICBMs, SLBMs, and
heavy bombers until February 5, 2026;
Whereas the Bilateral Consultative Commission (BCC) continues to be the
appropriate forum for the Parties to engage constructively on any New
START Treaty implementation issues that arise;
Whereas the Ninth Review Conference of the States Parties to the NPT will take
place in August of 2022 in New York, having been rescheduled due to
restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic; and
Whereas the Ninth Review Conference presents an opportunity to refocus States
Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons on the
danger that the spread of nuclear weapons poses, to discuss potential
ways to deal with countries that continue to pose a nuclear security
threat, and to find common solutions so as to further reduce the number
of nuclear weapons in the world and enable increased use of nuclear
energy while improving safeguards to ensure that illicit nuclear
programs are not occurring: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the United States should continue to encourage all
States Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons (NPT) to comply fully with the terms and the
spirit of the Treaty;
(2) the United States should--
(A) maintain support for the IAEA through its
assessed and voluntary contributions and seek to pay
its dues at the beginning of the IAEA's fiscal year and
through advocating for all countries to enter into the
Additional Protocols with the IAEA;
(B) pursue a verifiable and comprehensive arms
control agreement with the Russian Federation and the
People's Republic of China to capture strategic and
nonstrategic nuclear weapons capabilities, which would
enhance United States and global security by building
upon other treaties, agreements, and transparency
measures that reduce nuclear risk;
(C) continue to encourage opportunities with other
nuclear weapon-possessing States to reduce the reliance
upon, role, and number of nuclear weapons in their
national military strategies; and
(D) advance critical United States security
partnerships like the one among Australia, the United
Kingdom, and the United States (commonly known as
``AUKUS'') consistent with IAEA safeguards, to provide
Australia with naval nuclear propulsion technology to
better deter against military aggression in the Indo-
Pacific; and
(3) the President is encouraged to work with other States
Parties to the NPT to strengthen compliance and enforcement
mechanisms and develop collective responses in the United
Nations Security Council and in any other relevant multilateral
fora to any notification of withdrawal from the Treaty.
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