[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 27, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S2055]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





      SENATE RESOLUTION 123--SUPPORTING THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY 
      ORGANIZATION AND RECOGNIZING ITS 70 YEARS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  Mr. RISCH (for himself, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Tillis, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. 
Johnson, and Mr. Murphy) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 123

       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       The Senate makes the following findings:
       (1) 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''.
       (2) 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.
       (3) NATO is a community of democracies that acts 
     collectively to promote freedom, stability, and peace around 
     the globe.
       (4) NATO has continued to welcome into its membership those 
     nations that have evinced a desire to partake in the 
     alliance's commitment to settle international disputes 
     peaceably, strengthen their free institutions, promote 
     conditions of stability and well-being, and seek to eliminate 
     conflict in their international economic policies, and which 
     are dedicated to maintaining and developing their capacity to 
     resist armed attack.
       (5) The sustained commitment of NATO to mutual defense has 
     made possible the democratic and economic transformation of 
     Central and Eastern Europe.
       (6) Lasting stability and security in Europe requires the 
     further military, economic, and political integration of 
     emerging democracies into existing European and transatlantic 
     structures.
       (7) NATO serves as a force multiplier, whose command 
     structures, training institutions, and multilateral exercises 
     have generated unprecedented multinational contributions to 
     United States national security priorities and enabled 
     European and Canadian soldiers to fight side-by-side with 
     members of the United States Armed Forces.
       (8) The allies invoked NATO's Article 5 collective defense 
     clause and offered military assistance to the United States 
     in responding to the attacks of September 11, 2001.
       (9) NATO member nations stood in support of the United 
     States after it was attacked on September 11, 2001, sending 
     tens of thousands troops to fight alongside American soldiers 
     in Afghanistan.
       (10) NATO is currently involved in several operations 
     benefiting United States national security, including 
     Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan, NATO's Kosovo 
     Force (KFOR), Operation Sea Guardian in the Mediterranean Sea 
     (maritime situational awareness, counter-terrorism at sea, 
     and support to capacity-building), the capacity-building NATO 
     Mission Iraq, support for African Union missions, and air 
     policing missions in the member and nonmember nations of 
     Eastern Europe.
       (11) NATO members have stood against Russian aggression in 
     Eastern Europe, have supported United States sanctions on 
     that country and imposed their own, have responded, as noted 
     in the NATO Brussels Summit Declaration of 2018, ``to the 
     deteriorated security environment by enhancing our deterrence 
     and defence posture, including by a forward presence in the 
     eastern part of the Alliance,'' and have asserted that 
     ``there can be no return to `business as usual' until there 
     is a clear, constructive change in Russia's actions that 
     demonstrates compliance with international law and its 
     international obligations and responsibilities''.
       (12) The NATO Wales Summit Declaration of 2014 pledged, 
     ``Allies currently meeting the NATO guideline to spend a 
     minimum of 2% 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% guideline within a decade with a view 
     to meeting their NATO Capability Targets and filling NATO's 
     capability shortfalls.''.
       (13) Twenty-two NATO nations have increased their military 
     spending since the Wales Declaration of 2014.
       (14) The NATO Brussels Summit Declaration of 2018 stated, 
     ``We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to all aspects of the 
     Defence Investment Pledge agreed at the 2014 Wales Summit, 
     and to submit credible national plans on its implementation, 
     including the spending guidelines for 2024, planned 
     capabilities, and contributions. Fair burden sharing 
     underpins the Alliance's cohesion, solidarity, credibility, 
     and ability to fulfil our Article 3 and Article 5 
     commitments. We welcome the considerable progress made since 
     the Wales Summit with four consecutive years of real growth 
     in non-US defence expenditure. All Allies have started to 
     increase the amount they spend on defence in real terms and 
     some two-thirds of Allies have national plans in place to 
     spend 2% of their Gross Domestic Product on defence by 2024. 
     More than half of Allies are spending more than 20% of their 
     defence expenditures on major equipment, including related 
     research and development, and, according to their national 
     plans, 24 Allies will meet the 20% guideline by 2024. Allies 
     are delivering more of the heavier, high-end capabilities we 
     require and are improving the readiness, deployability, 
     sustainability, and interoperability of their forces.''.
       (15) NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated, 
     ``By the end of next year, NATO allies will add . . . 100 
     billion extra U.S. dollars toward defense.''.
       (16) Allies who have recently acceded to NATO are amongst 
     the highest per capita contributors to NATO missions.
       (17) At the Bucharest Summit of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization in April 2008, the Heads of State and Government 
     of the member countries of NATO declared, ``NATO's ongoing 
     enlargement process has been an historic success in advancing 
     stability and cooperation and bringing us closer to our 
     common goal of a Europe whole and free, united in peace, 
     democracy and common values. NATO's door will remain open to 
     European democracies willing and able to assume the 
     responsibilities and obligations of membership, in accordance 
     with Article 10 of the Washington Treaty. We reiterate that 
     decisions on enlargement are for NATO itself to make.''.
       (18) Vice President Mike Pence in June 2017 reiterated that 
     the United States ``commitment [to NATO] is unwavering'' and 
     that ``NATO's open door must always remain so''.
       (19) The Governments, leaders, and parliaments of Greece 
     and the Republic of North Macedonia have ended their dispute 
     and ratified the Prespa Agreement, resolving a long-standing 
     bilateral dispute and establishing a strategic partnership 
     between the two countries and clearing the way for North 
     Macedonia's accession to NATO.

     SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE.

       The Senate--
       (1) lauds NATO for its 70-year maintenance of the alliance 
     and recognizes its singular contributions to maintaining the 
     safety, security, and democratic systems of its members;
       (2) calls on NATO member states to continue to fully meet 
     their Wales pledges, more fully share the security burden by 
     increasing their defense spending with a focus on meeting 
     capabilities targets, enhancing interoperability, improving 
     readiness, and modernization to respond to the threats that 
     face the alliance on each of its flanks;
       (3) stands in robust support of those NATO members who 
     spend two percent or more of their GDPs on defense, 
     acknowledges the four countries that have met that goal since 
     2014, and strongly encourages the remainder to strive to 
     quickly reach that goal;
       (4) affirms that the Senate stands ready to consider, if 
     all applicable criteria are satisfied, the Republic of North 
     Macedonia's application to join NATO;
       (5) backs the White House's 2017 affirmation that the 
     United States ``stand[s] firmly behind Article 5'' of the 
     NATO Treaty;
       (6) welcomes former Secretary of Defense James Mattis' 
     efforts to encourage significant NATO reforms, especially 
     regarding modernization, readiness, command structure 
     adaptation, military mobility, and improving NATO's speed of 
     decisionmaking to ensure the alliance remains fit for 
     purpose; and
       (7) 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 will 
     continue to be a cornerstone of United States security.

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