[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 630 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 630

 Supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and recognizing its 
                      75 years of accomplishments.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 9, 2024

  Mr. Risch (for himself, Mr. Cardin, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Ricketts) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and recognizing its 
                      75 years of accomplishments.

Whereas 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'';
Whereas 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;
Whereas NATO was originally founded to ensure the collective security of its 
        members, and stand against the Soviet threat to peace and acts 
        collectively to promote freedom, stability, and peace in the North 
        Atlantic region;
Whereas, since the formation of NATO, 10 rounds of enlargement have grown the 
        alliance from 12 members to 32;
Whereas NATO is the most successful political-military alliance in history and, 
        guided by a set of common values, provides collective defense to more 
        than 950,000,000 people living in its member nations;
Whereas the sustained commitment of NATO to mutual defense has contributed to 
        the democratic and economic transformation of Central and Eastern 
        Europe;
Whereas enlargement has strengthened NATO, and the Alliance remains open to 
        additional enlargement for European states that advance the principles 
        of the North Atlantic Treaty and contribute to the security of the North 
        Atlantic area, in line with article 10 of the Treaty;
Whereas the newest members of the alliance, Finland and Sweden, contribute 
        already interoperable militaries, including robust navies, powerful air 
        forces, strong cyber capabilities, and large numbers of active military 
        personnel and ready reservists to the alliance;
Whereas the allies invoked NATO's article 5 collective defense clause for the 
        first and only time to offer political and military assistance to the 
        United States in responding to the attacks of September 11, 2001;
Whereas NATO serves as a force multiplier, whose command structures, training 
        institutions, and multilateral exercises have generated multinational 
        contributions to United States national security priorities and enabled 
        European and Canadian soldiers to serve with members of the United 
        States Armed Forces in various missions;
Whereas NATO is currently involved in several operations benefitting United 
        States national security, including NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR), Standing 
        Naval Forces, Operation Sea Guardian, NATO Mission Iraq, and air 
        policing missions in Eastern Europe;
Whereas, through the Partnership for Peace and Enhanced Forward Presence, NATO 
        has extended opportunities for cooperation with non-NATO nations;
Whereas NATO members have stood against Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, 
        reinforced existing battlegroups and established new ones, supported 
        United States sanctions on the Russian Federation, and imposed their own 
        sanctions measures in coordination with the United States and other 
        allies;
Whereas the NATO Wales Summit Declaration of 2014 pledged, ``Allies currently 
        meeting the NATO guideline to spend a minimum of 2 percent 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 percent guideline within a decade with a view to meeting 
        their NATO Capability Targets and filling NATO's capability 
        shortfalls.'';
Whereas 22 NATO nations have increased their military spending since the Wales 
        Declaration of 2014;
Whereas, at the NATO Vilnius Summit in 2023, member countries affirmed their 
        commitment to spend ``at least'' 2 percent of GDP on defense, and noted 
        that ``in many cases, expenditure beyond 2 percent of GDP will be needed 
        in order to remedy existing shortfalls and meet the requirements across 
        all domains arising from a more contested security order'';
Whereas 20 NATO members still fall short of meeting their 2 percent commitment;
Whereas collective security demands real and sustained burden sharing;
Whereas NATO members that do not meet their 2 percent goal have a responsibility 
        to the other member states and should rapidly address their budget 
        shortfalls and prioritize defense spending;
Whereas NATO updated its Strategic Concept planning document in 2022 to 
        recognize emerging threats to the alliance, including from the People's 
        Republic of China, and begin the process of adapting our collective 
        approach to face them in the coming generation;
Whereas, at the NATO Vilnius Summit in 2023, NATO reaffirmed its commitment to 
        its core values and take decisive action to defend them against threats 
        across multiple domains;
Whereas nations must put defense spending in their base budgets to provide long-
        term certainty to NATO planners and their partners;
Whereas the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine marks the largest military 
        conflict in Europe since World War II, representing a dramatic shift for 
        European security and requiring NATO to change its policies to increase, 
        modernize, and enhance its force posture and to create more strategic 
        depth to adequately confront new challenges;
Whereas, in adapting to growing aggression by the People's Republic of China, 
        NATO has deepened its partnerships with Indo-Pacific allies, including 
        South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand; and
Whereas section 1250A of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
        2024 (Public Law 118-31) requires the advice and consent of the Senate 
        for any President of the United States to suspend, terminate, denounce, 
        or withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic treaty: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) lauds NATO for its 75-year maintenance of the alliance 
        and recognizes its foundational contributions to maintaining 
        the safety, security, and democratic systems of its members;
            (2) welcomes all NATO members and observers as the United 
        States hosts the 75th Annual Summit in July 2024, in 
        Washington, DC;
            (3) recognizes the key role NATO has played in enabling the 
        most peaceful and prosperous period in history for the North 
        Atlantic area and also that NATO does not only benefit the 
        defense of its own member states, but enhances security and 
        stability beyond its borders;
            (4) appreciates the burden and sacrifice made by each 
        member nation and each service member who has acted to maintain 
        the collective security of NATO;
            (5) reaffirms that NATO members join by free choice, not by 
        compulsion or coercion, and that sovereign nations should be 
        free to choose with whom they associate and enter into 
        alliances without fear of violent reprisal;
            (6) continues to affirm the importance of Article 5 of the 
        North Atlantic Treaty;
            (7) reaffirms the importance of nuclear deterrence in NATO 
        planning and supports the modernization and development of new 
        systems while continuing risk-reduction discussions with our 
        adversaries;
            (8) reaffirms that all NATO territory is equally under the 
        protection of its collective defense;
            (9) strongly calls on all NATO member states to immediately 
        meet their pledges and raise their defense levels above the 2 
        percent GDP target, and to more fully share the security burden 
        by focusing on meeting capabilities targets, enhancing 
        interoperability, improving readiness, and modernization to 
        respond to the threats that face the alliance on each of its 
        flanks;
            (10) urges all NATO member countries to meet their 
        commitments to the principles of democracy, individual liberty, 
        and the rule of law;
            (11) stands in robust support of those NATO members who 
        spend 2 percent or more of their GDPs on defense and 
        acknowledges the 8 countries that have met that goal since 
        2014;
            (12) welcomes the recent additions of Finland and Sweden to 
        the alliance;
            (13) recognizes that NATO, in its planning processes, must 
        take into account security threats to the alliance from around 
        the world, including the People's Republic of China;
            (14) encourages NATO to build closer ties with the Indo-
        Pacific to confront the challenges posed by the deepening 
        partnership and alignment between the Russian Federation and 
        the People's Republic of China;
            (15) urges all members to consider the value that Ukraine 
        will add to NATO's defense and stability for Europe ahead of 
        the Washington Summit in 2024; and
            (16) 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 should 
        continue to be a cornerstone of United States national 
        security.
                                 <all>