IV 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 21 

Reaffirming a strong commitment to the United States-Australia alliance 

relationship. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 6, 2017 

Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. ISSA, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. KEATING, Mrs. 

NAPOLITANO, Ms. GABBARD, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. BERA, Mr. TED LIEU of 

California, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. 

MEEKS, Mrs. TORRES, Mr. SIRES, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. CONNOLLY, Ms. HANABUSA, Ms. BORDALLO, Mr. 

HASTINGS, Mr. EVANS, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. 

COURTNEY, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. HIMES, Mr. SCHNEIDER, Ms. TITUS, Mr. 

COHEN, and Mr. MCGOVERN) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Reaffirming a strong commitment to the United StatesAustralia alliance relationship. 

Whereas Australia is a vital partner of the United States; 

Whereas the United States and Australia share core values 

as well as deep cultural, security, and people-to-people 

ties; 

Whereas Australia has been a treaty ally of the United States 

since the signing of the Australia-New Zealand-United 

States (ANZUS) Treaty in 1951; 


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Whereas an alliance bond is a sacred vow of friendship and 

trust, and Australia has always been a faithful and reliable partner to the United States; 

Whereas United States-Australia defense and intelligence ties 

and cooperation are exceptionally close, and Australian 

forces have fought together with the United States military in every significant conflict since World War I and 

over 100,000 Australian servicemembers have paid the 

highest price in the course of their service alongside 

American allies; 

Whereas Australia was one of the first countries to commit 

troops to United States military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq after September 11, 2001; 

Whereas Australia is a close partner of the United States, 

sharing information essential to the defense and security 

of the two countries, including through the Five Eyes intelligence community; 

Whereas the United States-Australia alliance is an anchor for 

peace and stability in the Indo-Asia Pacific region and 

around the world; 

Whereas Australia has welcomed proposals to reposition 

United States Marines to maintain Marine forces in the 

western Pacific and improve the United States strategic 

posture in the Indo-Asia Pacific region; 

Whereas the United States Air Force and the Australian Air 

Force have expanded cooperation and training to enhance 

the interoperability of the militaries of the two countries; 

Whereas Australia has led peacekeeping efforts in the IndoAsia Pacific region, including in Timor-Leste and the 

Solomon Islands; 


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Whereas Australia and the United States share strategic interests in the Indo-Asia Pacific region and globally, and 

have worked together to promote these shared goals and 

objectives; 

Whereas the United States and Australia have been free 

trade agreement partners since 2005, and the United 

States has a positive trade balance with Australia; 

Whereas robust United States-Australia defense cooperation 

contributes not only to the mutual defense of the two 

countries but also to American jobs; 

Whereas more than 300,000 U.S. jobs are supported by 

United States exports to Australia and nearly 9,000 Australian companies sell or operate in the United States; 

Whereas the United States and Australia work closely in the 

numerous global and regional fora, including the World 

Trade Organization and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum; 

Whereas Australia shares many of the United States concerns in the struggle against Islamist militancy in Southeast Asia and beyond, and is part of the global coalition 

to defeat the ‘‘so-called Islamic State (IS)’’; and 

Whereas the United States and Australia have enjoyed a 

close relationship over many successive Republican and 

Democratic administrations: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That the House of Representatives— 

3 (1) reaffirms the strong alliance relationship be4 tween Australia and the United States; 


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1 (2) supports continued diplomatic, military, and 

2 economic cooperation between Australia and the 

3 United States; and 

4 (3) reaffirms the importance of a United 

5 States-Australia relationship based on mutual re6 spect and befitting a close and longstanding United 

7 States alliance partner crucial to the preservation of 

8 United States national interests in the Indo-Asia Pa9 cific region and around the world. 

Æ 


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