[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 101 (Wednesday, June 14, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3494-S3495]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 240. Mr. GRAHAM (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. McCain, Mr. 
Blumenthal, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Reed, Mr. Tillis, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Casey, 
Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Coons, Mr. Portman, Mr. Corker, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. 
Cochran, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Young, Mr. Franken, Mr. Wicker, Mrs. Shaheen, 
Mr. Barrasso, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Warner, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Kaine, 
Mr. Murphy, Mr. Markey, Ms. Warren, Mr. Carper, Mr. Blunt, Mr. 
Sullivan, and Mr. Alexander) submitted an amendment intended to be 
proposed

[[Page S3495]]

by him to the bill S. 722, to impose sanctions with respect to Iran in 
relation to Iran's ballistic missile program, support for acts of 
international terrorism, and violations of human rights, and for other 
purposes; as follows:

       At the end, add the following:

     SEC. 13. SENSE OF SENATE ON THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF 
                   ARTICLE 5 OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY.

       (a) Findings.--The Senate makes the following findings:
       (1) The principle of collective defense of the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is immortalized in 
     Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty in which members 
     pledge that ``an armed attack against one or more of them in 
     Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against 
     them all''.
       (2) For almost 7 decades, the principle of collective 
     defense has effectively served as a strategic deterrent for 
     the member nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
     and provided stability throughout the world, strengthening 
     the security of the United States and all 28 other member 
     nations.
       (3) Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in 
     New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, the Alliance agreed 
     to invoke Article 5 for the first time, affirming its 
     commitment to collective defense.
       (4) Countries that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization have made historic contributions and sacrifices 
     while combating terrorism in Afghanistan through the 
     International Security Assistance Force and the Resolute 
     Support Mission.
       (5) The recent attacks in the United Kingdom underscore the 
     importance of an international alliance to combat hostile 
     nation states and terrorist groups.
       (6) At the 2014 NATO summit in Wales, the member countries 
     of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization decided that all 
     countries that are members of NATO would spend an amount 
     equal to 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense 
     by 2024.
       (7) Collective defense unites the 29 members of the North 
     Atlantic Treaty Organization, each committing to protecting 
     and supporting one another from external adversaries, which 
     bolsters the North Atlantic Alliance.
       (b) Sense of Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate--
       (1) to express the vital importance of Article 5 of the 
     North Atlantic Treaty, the charter of the North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization, as it continues to serve as a critical 
     deterrent to potential hostile nations and terrorist 
     organizations;
       (2) to remember the first and only invocation of Article 5 
     by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in support of the 
     United States after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 
     2001;
       (3) to affirm that the United States remains fully 
     committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and will 
     honor its obligations enshrined in Article 5; and
       (4) to condemn any threat to the sovereignty, territorial 
     integrity, freedom, or democracy of any country that is a 
     member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
                                 ______