IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 397 
Solemnly reaffirming the commitment of the United States to the North 
Atlantic Treaty Organization’s principle of collective defense as enumer-
ated in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 21, 2017 
Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin (for himself, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. MCCARTHY, Mr. 
HOYER, Mr. ROYCE of California, and Mr. ENGEL) submitted the fol-
lowing resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Af-
fairs 
RESOLUTION 
Solemnly reaffirming the commitment of the United States 
to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s principle 
of collective defense as enumerated in Article 5 of the 
North Atlantic Treaty. 
Whereas more than 250,000 Americans died in the Second 
World War to liberate Europe from the scourge of geno-
cidal fascism; 
Whereas in the wake of the cataclysm of the Second World 
War, the United States, Canada, and European partners 
founded the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) 
in Washington in 1949; 
Whereas the foundation of NATO is collective defense as enu-
merated in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty which 
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•HRES 397 IH 
states that, ‘‘The Parties agree that an armed attack 
against one or more of them in Europe or North America 
shall be considered an attack against them all.’’; 
Whereas NATO is one of the most successful military alli-
ances in history, deterring the outbreak of another world 
war, protecting the territorial integrity of its members, 
and seeing the Cold War through to a peaceful conclu-
sion; 
Whereas Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty has only been 
invoked once in history when alliance members came to 
the aid of the United States following the terrorist at-
tacks of September 11, 2001; 
Whereas NATO allies and partners, including Canada and 
countries in Central, Eastern, and Northern Europe, in-
cluding countries of the Western Balkans, and the former 
Soviet Union have stood alongside the United States in 
joint operations in the Western Balkans, Afghanistan, 
Iraq, and elsewhere around the globe; 
Whereas NATO remains the foundation of United States for-
eign policy of promoting a Europe that is whole, free, 
and at peace; 
Whereas at the Wales Summit in 2014, NATO leaders 
agreed that each alliance member would spend at least 
two percent of its nation’s gross domestic product on de-
fense by 2024; 
Whereas multiple Presidents have reaffirmed the commitment 
of the United States to the collective defense guarantees 
in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty; and 
Whereas the Constitution of the United States grants Con-
gress the sole power to declare war: Now, therefore, be 
it 
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•HRES 397 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) solemnly reaffirms the commitment of the 
United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organi-
zation’s principle of collective defense as enumerated 
in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty; 
(2) strongly supports the decision at the NATO 
Wales Summit in 2014 that each alliance member 
would spend at least two percent of its nation’s 
gross domestic product on defense by 2024; 
(3) condemns any threat to the sovereignty, ter-
ritorial integrity, freedom and democracy of any 
NATO ally; and 
(4) welcomes the Republic of Montenegro as the 
29th member of the NATO Alliance. 
Æ 
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