III 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 622 

Supporting renaming NATO Headquarters after the late United States 

Senator John Sidney McCain, III. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. FLAKE, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. 

YOUNG, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. KENNEDY, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Ms. COLLINS, 

Mr. MARKEY, Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. COONS, and Mr. 

BOOKER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting renaming NATO Headquarters after the late 

United States Senator John Sidney McCain, III. 

Whereas the late United States Senator John Sidney McCain, 

III, wrote on February 4, 2006, ‘‘We in the transatlantic 

community should dare to dream today of the future we 

might help build in Europe’s borderlands, in Central 

Asia, and throughout the Broader Middle East. As partners in a shared and historic endeavor that has already 

transformed the lives of millions, we should discount neither the power of our ideals nor the capacity of our democracies. In turning back the forces of tyranny and terror, and in helping to secure the blessings of liberty everywhere, we will embark on a project worthy of this 


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grand alliance. And in doing so, we will prevail, as we 

have prevailed before—together.’’; 

Whereas Senator McCain, as Chairman of the Committee on 

Armed Services of the Senate, said during his opening 

statement on March 23, 2017, ‘‘The price our NATO allies paid in blood fighting alongside us should never be 

diminished. And we must never forget that America is 

safer and more secure because it has allies that are willing to step up and share the burden of collective security.’’; 

Whereas Senator McCain stated on July 10, 2018, ‘‘As we 

face the most complex and dangerous security environment since the end of the Cold War, we must not forget 

that America is safer and more secure because we work 

with and through our allies. Throughout the past seven 

decades, the United States and its NATO allies have 

served together, fought together, and sacrificed together 

for a vision of the world based on freedom, democracy, 

human rights and rule of law. Our enduring alliance 

stands as an important safeguard in preserving this 

world order—and it is essential to securing our national 

interests.’’; 

Whereas Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom Tom 

Tugendhat, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in 

the House of Commons, has advocated for NATO to rename its headquarters after Senator McCain, saying that 

‘‘[f]ew argued more passionately for a shared commitment to each other’s security or understood better that 

we are all part of one great experiment in freedom’’; 

Whereas NATO has already stated that it would ‘‘carefully 

consider’’ renaming its headquarters building after Senator McCain; 


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•SRES 622 IS 

Whereas NATO’s new headquarters building was inaugurated 

on May 25, 2017, is the political and administrative center for NATO activities, is home to the North Atlantic 

Council and NATO’s international staff and international 

military staff, and hosts approximately 6,000 meetings a 

year; 

Whereas former NATO Secretaries General Anders Fogh 

Rasmussen, Lord George Robertson, and Javier Solana 

have urged NATO to rename its new headquarters after 

Senator McCain, writing that ‘‘few things symbolise this 

alliance, and the enduring benefits of American global 

leadership, more vividly than the life and work of John 

McCain’’ and that ‘‘[w]hether advancing the cause of 

freedom across the former Soviet states of eastern Europe or defending the multilateral international order at 

a time of skepticism, his work was a beacon for all of us 

who believe that transatlantic unity is the only means for 

ensuring peace’’; 

Whereas current NATO Secretary General Jans Stoltenberg 

wrote that Senator McCain ‘‘will be remembered both in 

Europe and North America for his courage and character, and as a strong supporter of NATO’’; and 

Whereas renaming NATO headquarters after Senator 

McCain would need the unanimous approval of all 29 

members of NATO: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes, as the late United States Sen3 ator John Sidney McCain, III, did, the immense 

4 benefits to the United States and the world of the 

5 NATO alliance; 


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1 (2) strongly supports the renaming of NATO 

2 headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, after Senator 

3 McCain; 

4 (3) calls on all NATO members to support re5 naming NATO headquarters after Senator McCain, 

6 in recognition of his long and ironclad support for 

7 NATO; and 

8 (4) urges the President to support renaming 

9 NATO headquarters after Senator McCain and to 

10 direct appropriate officials at the Department of 

11 State and the Department of Defense to advocate 

12 for their counterparts in NATO member states to 

13 support renaming NATO headquarters after Senator 

14 McCain. 

Æ 


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