[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 31, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6137-S6138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NATO ALLIED COMMAND TRANSFORMATION
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 146, S.
Res. 156.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
[[Page S6138]]
A resolution (S. Res. 156) expressing the sense of the
Senate on the 10-year anniversary of NATO Allied Command
Transformation.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign
Relations, with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble, as
follows:
(Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part
printed in italic.)
(Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic.)
Whereas, on June 19, 2003, NATO's Allied Command
Transformation (ACT), was formally established to increase
military effectiveness and prepare the Alliance for future
security challenges;
Whereas, on June 19, 2013, the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) will celebrate the 10-year anniversary of
the establishment of NATO ACT;
Whereas the security of the United States and its NATO
allies have been enhanced by the establishment and continued
work of NATO ACT;
Whereas, for the past 10 years, ACT has been leading NATO's
military transformation, and providing relevant and timely
support to NATO operations, while developing partnerships
around the globe to adapt to the changing global security
environment;
Whereas ACT is the only NATO headquarters in the United
States, and the only permanent NATO headquarters outside of
Europe;
Whereas ACT provides state of the art education, training,
and application of best practices and lessons learned from
past operations, and equips Alliance troops with the tools
they need to win today's wars;
Whereas ACT improves NATO's defense planning and develops
compatible equipment and common standards necessary to keep
Alliance capabilities aligned;
Whereas NATO ACT has been integral to a NATO mission of
promoting a Europe that is whole, undivided, free, and at
peace;
Whereas NATO ACT strengthened the ability of NATO to
perform a full range of missions throughout the world;
Whereas NATO ACT has provided crucial support and
participation in the NATO International Security Assistance
Force in Afghanistan, as NATO endeavors to help the people of
Afghanistan create the conditions necessary for security and
successful development and reconstruction;
Whereas ACT employs personnel from 26 of the 28 NATO member
nations and six of the 41 NATO Partner nations and
contributes more than $100,000,000 annually to the local
economy;
Whereas NATO has been the cornerstone of transatlantic
security cooperation and an enduring instrument for promoting
stability in Europe and throughout the world for over 60
years, representing the vital transatlantic bond of
solidarity between the United States and Europe, as NATO
nations share similar values and interests and are committed
to the maintenance of democratic principles;
Whereas the Chicago Summit Communique affirms that all NATO
members ``are determined that NATO will continue to play its
unique and essential role in ensuring our common defense and
security'' and that NATO ``continues to be effective in a
changing world, against new threats, with new capabilities
and new partners'';
Whereas, through the Alliance, the United States and Europe
are effective and steadfast partners in security, and ACT is
well positioned to contribute to the strength of the Alliance
on both continents;
Whereas NATO ACT has done much to help NATO meet the global
challenges of the 21st century, including the threat of
terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction,
instability caused by failed states, and threats to global
energy security; and
Whereas the 10th anniversary of NATO ACT is an opportunity
to enhance and more deeply entrench those principles, which
continue to bind the alliance together and guide our efforts
today: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) celebrates the 10th anniversary of the establishment of
NATO Allied Command Transformation (NATO ACT);
(2) recognizes NATO ACT's leading role in transforming
Alliance forces and capabilities, using new concepts such as
the NATO Response Force and new doctrines in order to improve
the Alliance's military effectiveness;
(3) expresses appreciation for the continuing and close
partnership between the United States Government and NATO to
transform the Alliance;
(4) remembers the 64 years NATO has served to ensure peace,
security, and stability in Europe throughout the world, and
urges the United States Government to continue to seek new
ways to deepen and expand its important relationships with
NATO;
(5) recognizes the service of the brave men and women who
have served to safeguard the freedom and security of the
United States and the whole of the transatlantic alliance;
(6) honors the sacrifices of United States personnel,
allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and
partners in Afghanistan;
(7) recognizes the outstanding partnership between the
local community in Norfolk, Virginia and NATO personnel
assigned to ACT;
(8) reaffirms that NATO, through the new Strategic Concept,
is committed to helping the Alliance adapt and prepare for
the complex and demanding future security;
(9) urges all NATO members to take concrete steps to
implement the Strategic Concept and to utilize the taskings
from the 2012 NATO summit in Chicago, Illinois, to address
current NATO operations, future capabilities and burden-
sharing issues, and strengthen the relationship between NATO
and partners around the world;
(10) calls upon the President to use the momentum of the
occasion of the 10th anniversary of NATO ACT--
(A) to engage each of the member states of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization in a dialogue about the long-
term health of the Alliance, and strongly encourage each of
the member states to make a serious effort to protect defense
budgets from further reductions, better allocate and
coordinate the resources presently available, and recommit to
spending at least 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP)
on defense; and
(B) to examine and report to Congress on recommendations
that will lead to a stronger Alliance in terms of military
capability and readiness across the 28 member states, with
particular focus on the smaller member states; and
(11) conveys appreciation for the steadfast partnership
between NATO and the United States.
Mr. WHITEHOUSE. I further ask unanimous consent that the committee-
reported substitute be agreed to; the resolution, as amended, be agreed
to; the amendment to the preamble be agreed to; the preamble, as
amended, be agreed to; and the motions to reconsider be considered made
and laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported substitute was agreed to.
The resolution (S. Res. 156), as amended, was agreed to.
The amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
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