[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 131 (Thursday, August 4, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S4048]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 747--EXPRESSING THE SENATE'S SUPPORT FOR TAKING 
     INTERIM STEPS TO STRENGTHEN THE MILITARY INTEROPERABILITY AND 
  RESILIENCY OF THE MILITARIES OF FINLAND AND SWEDEN WITH RESPECT TO 
 THEIR ANTICIPATED ACCESSION TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION 
                                ALLIANCE

  Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. Inhofe, Mrs. Blackburn, Ms. Ernst, Mr. 
Wicker, and Mr. Rounds) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 747

       Whereas North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 
     ambassadors signed the Accession Protocols for Finland and 
     Sweden on July 5, 2022;
       Whereas the Senate agreed to the resolution of advice and 
     consent to ratification of the Protocols to the North 
     Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on the Accession of the Republic of 
     Finland and the Kingdom of Sweden (Treaty Doc. 117-3) on 
     August 3, 2022;
       Whereas the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO will 
     strengthen the capabilities, geostrategic position, and 
     deterrence posture of the alliance in the Baltic Sea region 
     and the North Atlantic from that day forward; and
       Whereas the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO will 
     reduce each current member nation's respective burden share 
     as a percentage of the total alliance's deterrence and 
     defense posture: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate, in accordance with its support 
     for NATO's collective security commitment and for maximizing 
     the combined defense capabilities of United States allies and 
     partners through NATO coordination and cooperation, and with 
     anticipation for the accession of Finland and Sweden to the 
     alliance--
       (1) recognizes the steps taken by the United States to 
     build upon years of joint and multilateral engagement, 
     training, and exercises; and
       (2) encourages the President to further advance the efforts 
     of the United States with respect to--
       (A) enhancing the interoperability of the militaries of 
     Finland and Sweden with the United States, including via--
       (i) exercises and training across all domains, including a 
     focus on critical capabilities such as--

       (I) command, control, and communications;
       (II) logistics;
       (III) planning; and
       (IV) integrated and resilient operations across Northern 
     Europe and the Arctic;

       (ii) bomber task forces;
       (iii) freedom of navigation operations in the territorial 
     waters of these nations and of NATO allies in the Baltic Sea;
       (iv) personnel and professional military education program 
     exchanges;
       (v) United States foreign military sales;
       (vi) joint development of emerging technologies, including 
     cybersecurity and telecommunications components; and
       (vii) coordination on critical infrastructure, including 
     dual-use infrastructure such as telecommunications 
     infrastructure and port facilities;
       (B) trilateral cooperation between Finland and Sweden with 
     the United States, including the military activities 
     described in clauses (i) through (vii) of subparagraph (A) 
     and through the trilateral statement of intent signed by all 
     three nations in 2018;
       (C) multilateral interoperability between Finland, Sweden, 
     and all NATO partners, including military activities 
     described in clauses (i) through (vii) of subparagraph (A); 
     and
       (D) countering disinformation campaigns that seek to 
     diminish the relevancy and cohesion of NATO or otherwise 
     undermine or delay the collective accession process of NATO 
     members; and
       (3) calls on all NATO members to take similar, respective 
     actions as provided in paragraph (2) to further advance the 
     interoperability of the militaries of Finland and Sweden with 
     NATO forces and bolster European security, in conjunction 
     with the rapid completion of their respective ratification 
     processes.

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