[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 108 (Wednesday, July 6, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4836-S4837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE IN SUPPORT OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC
TREATY ORGANIZATION AND THE NATO SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN WARSAW, POLAND
FROM JULY 8-9, 2016
Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 529, S. Res. 506.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 506) expressing the sense of the
Senate in support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
and the NATO summit to be held in Warsaw, Poland from July 8-
9, 2016, and in support of committing NATO to a security
posture capable of deterring threats to the Alliance.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign
Relations, with amendments and an amendment to the preamble, as
follows:
(The parts intended to be stricken are shown in boldface brackets and
the parts intended to be inserted are shown in italics.)
S. Res. 506
Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty, signed April 4, 1949, in
Washington, District of Columbia, which created the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (``NATO''), proclaims:
``[Members] are determined to safeguard the freedom, common
heritage and civilisation of their peoples, founded on the
principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of
law. They seek to promote stability and well-being in the
North Atlantic area. They are resolved to unite their efforts
for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and
security.'';
Whereas NATO has been the backbone of the European security
architecture for 67 years, evolving to meet the changing
transatlantic geopolitical and security environment;
Whereas NATO continues its mission in Afghanistan following
the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States;
Whereas NATO, through its contributions to the common
defense, including its invocation of Article 5 after the
attacks of September 11, 2001, has significantly contributed
to the security of the United States and has served as a
force multiplier for the United States;
Whereas at the NATO Wales Summit in September 2014, NATO
reaffirmed the Alliance's role in transatlantic security and
its ability to respond to emerging security threats and
challenges;
Whereas Alliance members at the NATO Wales Summit defined
the new security paradigm when they stated, ``Russia's
aggressive actions against Ukraine have fundamentally
challenged our vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace.
Growing instability in our southern neighborhood, from the
Middle East to North Africa, as well as transnational and
multi-dimensional threats, are also challenging our security.
These can all have long-term consequences for peace and
security in the Euro-Atlantic region and stability across the
globe.'';
Whereas at the 2014 NATO Wales Summit, Alliance members
addressed this changed security environment by committing to
enhancing readiness and collective defense; increasing
defense spending and boosting military capabilities; and
improving NATO support for partner countries through the
Defense Capacity Building Initiative;
Whereas although Article 14 of the Wales Declaration calls
on all members of the alliance to spend a minimum of 2
percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense
within a decade, currently only five members are achieving
that target;
Whereas, after the 2014 Wales Summit, the Russian military
invaded Ukraine, adding Crimea to the list of areas illegally
controlled by Moscow, including Georgia's Abkhazia and South
Ossetia regions;
Whereas Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine
continue to destabilize the region with support from the
Government of the Russian Federation;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation continues
to undertake provocative, unprofessional, and dangerous
actions towards NATO air and naval forces and continues to
exercise hybrid warfare capabilities against member and
nonmember states along its western borders;
Whereas Poland and the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia,
and Lithuania are on the frontlines of renewed Russian
aggression and hybrid warfare, including disinformation
campaigns, cyber threats, and snap military exercises along
the Alliance's eastern flank;
Whereas President Barack Obama proposed a quadrupling of
the European Reassurance Initiative in fiscal year 2017 to
$3,400,000,000 in order to enhance the United States
commitment to NATO, to support Europe's defense, and to deter
further Russian aggression;
Whereas the cornerstone of NATO's collective defense
initiative is the Readiness Action Plan, intended to enable a
continuous NATO military presence on the Alliance's
periphery, especially its easternmost states, which includes
enhanced troop rotations, military exercises, and the
establishment of a Very High Readiness Task Force;
Whereas, in follow-up to commitments made at the NATO Wales
Summit, NATO and the Government of Georgia agreed on a
``Substantial Package'' of cooperation and defense reform
initiatives to strengthen Georgia's resilience and self-
defense capabilities and develop closer security cooperation
and interoperability with NATO members, including through the
establishment of the Joint Training and Evaluation Center,
which was inaugurated in 2015;
Whereas the threat of transnational terrorism has resulted
in attacks in Turkey, France, Belgium, and the United States,
and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continues
to pose a real and evolving threat to member states, other
countries in Europe, and the broader international community;
Whereas the migration crisis from the Syrian civil war, the
conflict in Afghanistan, and economic and humanitarian crises
in Africa have placed a great strain on member states;
Whereas the NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland, is an
opportunity to enhance and more deeply entrench those
principles and build on our collective security, which
continue to bind the Alliance together and guide our efforts
today; and
Whereas, on May 19, 2016, Foreign Ministers of NATO member
states signed an Accession Protocol to officially endorse and
legally move forward Montenegro's membership in the Alliance,
which, consistent with NATO's ``Open Door policy'', would
indeed further the principles of the North Atlantic Treaty
and contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) 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;
(2) encourages Alliance members at the NATO Warsaw Summit
to promote unity and solidarity, and to ensure a robust
security posture capable of deterring any potential
adversary, in the face of the complex and changing security
environment confronting the Alliance on its eastern,
northern, and southern fronts;
(3) urges all NATO members to invest at least two percent
of GDP in defense spending and carry an equitable burden in
supporting the resource requirements and [defense
capabilities of the Alliance;] defense capabilities of the
Alliance, including an increased forward defense posture in
NATO frontline states;
(4) reaffirms its commitment to NATO's collective security
as guaranteed by Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty;
(5) welcomes the progress of NATO's ballistic missile
defense mission, adopted at the 2010 Lisbon Summit, and the
achievement of recent United States milestones in this area
through the partnership of allies, including Romania and
Poland;
[(5)](6) recognizes Georgia's troop contributions to
missions abroad, its robust defense spending, and its ongoing
efforts to strengthen its democratic and military
institutions for NATO accession; and
[(6)](7) recognizes the ongoing work of NATO's Resolute
Support Mission in Afghanistan, with 12,000 troops advising
and assisting Afghanistan's security ministries, and army and
police [commands across the country] commands across the
country, and the significant commitment NATO allies and
coalition partners have dedicated to Afghanistan since 2001,
including at least 1,134 troops from NATO allies and
coalition partners of the United States who lost their lives
in that conflict.
Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
committee-reported amendments be agreed to, the resolution, as amended,
be agreed to, the committee-reported 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 amendments were agreed to.
The resolution (S. Res. 506), as amended, was agreed to.
The committee-reported amendment to the preamble was agreed to.
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as
follows:
S. Res. 506
Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty, signed April 4, 1949, in
Washington, District of Columbia, which created the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (``NATO''), proclaims:
``[Members] are determined to safeguard the freedom, common
heritage and civilisation of their peoples, founded on the
principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of
law. They seek to promote stability and well-being in the
North Atlantic area. They are resolved to unite their efforts
for collective defence and for the preservation of peace and
security.'';
[[Page S4837]]
Whereas NATO has been the backbone of the European security
architecture for 67 years, evolving to meet the changing
transatlantic geopolitical and security environment;
Whereas NATO continues its mission in Afghanistan following
the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States;
Whereas NATO, through its contributions to the common
defense, including its invocation of Article 5 after the
attacks of September 11, 2001, has significantly contributed
to the security of the United States and has served as a
force multiplier for the United States;
Whereas at the NATO Wales Summit in September 2014, NATO
reaffirmed the Alliance's role in transatlantic security and
its ability to respond to emerging security threats and
challenges;
Whereas Alliance members at the NATO Wales Summit defined
the new security paradigm when they stated, ``Russia's
aggressive actions against Ukraine have fundamentally
challenged our vision of a Europe whole, free, and at peace.
Growing instability in our southern neighborhood, from the
Middle East to North Africa, as well as transnational and
multi-dimensional threats, are also challenging our security.
These can all have long-term consequences for peace and
security in the Euro-Atlantic region and stability across the
globe.'';
Whereas at the 2014 NATO Wales Summit, Alliance members
addressed this changed security environment by committing to
enhancing readiness and collective defense; increasing
defense spending and boosting military capabilities; and
improving NATO support for partner countries through the
Defense Capacity Building Initiative;
Whereas although Article 14 of the Wales Declaration calls
on all members of the alliance to spend a minimum of 2
percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defense
within a decade, currently only five members are achieving
that target;
Whereas after the 2014 Wales Summit, the Russian military
invaded Ukraine, adding Crimea to the list of areas illegally
controlled by Moscow, including Georgia's Abkhazia and South
Ossetia regions;
Whereas Russian-backed separatists in Eastern Ukraine
continue to destabilize the region with support from the
Government of the Russian Federation;
Whereas the Government of the Russian Federation continues
to undertake provocative, unprofessional, and dangerous
actions towards NATO air and naval forces and continues to
exercise hybrid warfare capabilities against member and
nonmember states along its western borders;
Whereas Poland and the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia,
and Lithuania are on the frontlines of renewed Russian
aggression and hybrid warfare, including disinformation
campaigns, cyber threats, and snap military exercises along
the Alliance's eastern flank;
Whereas President Barack Obama proposed a quadrupling of
the European Reassurance Initiative in fiscal year 2017 to
$3,400,000,000 in order to enhance the United States
commitment to NATO, to support Europe's defense, and to deter
further Russian aggression;
Whereas the cornerstone of NATO's collective defense
initiative is the Readiness Action Plan, intended to enable a
continuous NATO military presence on the Alliance's
periphery, especially its easternmost states, which includes
enhanced troop rotations, military exercises, and the
establishment of a Very High Readiness Task Force;
Whereas in follow-up to commitments made at the NATO Wales
Summit, NATO and the Government of Georgia agreed on a
``Substantial Package'' of cooperation and defense reform
initiatives to strengthen Georgia's resilience and self-
defense capabilities and develop closer security cooperation
and interoperability with NATO members, including through the
establishment of the Joint Training and Evaluation Center,
which was inaugurated in 2015;
Whereas the threat of transnational terrorism has resulted
in attacks in Turkey, France, Belgium, and the United States,
and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) continues
to pose a real and evolving threat to member states, other
countries in Europe, and the broader international community;
Whereas the migration crisis from the Syrian civil war, the
conflict in Afghanistan, and economic and humanitarian crises
in Africa have placed a great strain on member states;
Whereas the NATO summit in Warsaw, Poland, is an
opportunity to enhance and more deeply entrench those
principles and build on our collective security, which
continue to bind the Alliance together and guide our efforts
today; and
Whereas, on May 19, 2016, Foreign Ministers of NATO member
states signed an Accession Protocol to officially endorse and
legally move forward Montenegro's membership in the Alliance,
which, consistent with NATO's ``Open Door policy'', would
indeed further the principles of the North Atlantic Treaty
and contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) 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;
(2) encourages Alliance members at the NATO Warsaw Summit
to promote unity and solidarity, and to ensure a robust
security posture capable of deterring any potential
adversary, in the face of the complex and changing security
environment confronting the Alliance on its eastern,
northern, and southern fronts;
(3) urges all NATO members to invest at least two percent
of GDP in defense spending and carry an equitable burden in
supporting the resource requirements and defense capabilities
of the Alliance, including an increased forward defense
posture in NATO frontline states;
(4) reaffirms its commitment to NATO's collective security
as guaranteed by Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty;
(5) welcomes the progress of NATO's ballistic missile
defense mission, adopted at the 2010 Lisbon Summit, and the
achievement of recent United States milestones in this area
through the partnership of allies, including Romania and
Poland;
(6) recognizes Georgia's troop contributions to missions
abroad, its robust defense spending, and its ongoing efforts
to strengthen its democratic and military institutions for
NATO accession; and
(7) recognizes the ongoing work of NATO's Resolute Support
Mission in Afghanistan, with 12,000 troops advising and
assisting Afghanistan's security ministries, and army and
police commands across the country, and the significant
commitment NATO allies and coalition partners have dedicated
to Afghanistan since 2001, including at least 1,134 troops
from NATO allies and coalition partners of the United States
who lost their lives in that conflict.
____________________