We are launching the Enhanced PFP and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, which will bring NATO and its Partners even closer together with more intensive military exercises, planning, consultations and other activities. These outreach programs also pave the way for further NATO enlargement and offer a role for European democracies that do not seek formal membership in the Alliance. We also have made great progress in changing NATO's internal structure to create a stronger European defense identity. Last month in a speech to the US Military Academy at West Point, President Clinton outlined the four key reasons why NATO enlargement is crucial to European security. First, NATO enlargement will strengthen the Alliance in meeting the security challenges of the 21st Century.
Collective defense is better than going it alone.
Enlarging NATO will enlarge the circle of like-minded nations able to protect one another from threats of the new world, including ethnic conflict, regional aggression, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Some have asked whether adding new members will dilute NATO's military strength. Every new member of NATO will be a contributor of security, not just a consumer. That means their forces will be able to fight alongside NATO's and help protect NATO territory. The second reason to enlarge NATO is that it will help secure the historic gains of democracy in Europe.