525 
SEC. 1251. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE CONFLICT IN 
SYRIA. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The conflict in Syria began in March 2011. 
(2) As of February 2013, the United Nations 
High Commissioner for Human Rights estimated that 
approximately 70,000 Syrians have been killed dur-
ing the conflict. 
(3) According to the United Nations High Com-
missioner for Refugees, over 1,200,000 Syrians are 
registered refugees or persons of concern including, 
over 66,000 in Egypt, over 145,000 in Iraq, over 
461,000 in Jordan, over 462,000 in Lebanon, and 
over 329,000 in Turkey. 
(4) Jabhat al-Nusra, a group located in Syria 
and categorized as an affiliate of al-Qaeda by the in-
telligence community, presents a direct threat to the 
interests of the United States and could present a di-
rect threat to the United States. 
(5) On August 19, 2011, President Obama stat-
ed: ‘‘The future of Syria must be determined by its 
people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in 
their way. We have consistently said that President 
Assad must lead a democratic transition or get out of 
the way. He has not led. For the sake of the Syrian 
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people, the time has come for President Assad to step 
aside.’’. 
(6) The United States is deploying 200 military 
personnel from the headquarters of the 1st Armored 
Division to Jordan in order to ‘‘improve readiness 
and prepare for a number of scenarios’’. 
(7) In a letter from Miguel Rodriguez, the Assist-
ant to the President for Legislative Affairs, to Sen-
ators McCain and Levin, dated April 25, 2013, it 
stated that ‘‘our intelligence community does assess 
with varying degrees of confidence that the Syrian re-
gime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in 
Syria, specifically, the chemical agent sarin. . .We do 
believe that any use of chemical weapons in Syria 
would very likely have originated with the Assad re-
gime. . .the President has made it clear that the use 
of chemical weapons—or the transfer of chemical 
weapons to terrorist groups—is a red line for the 
United States of America’’. 
(8) In a press conference with Israel Prime Min-
ister, Benjamin Netanyahu, President Obama stated: 
‘‘I have made clear that the use of chemical weapons 
is a game-changer’’. 
(9) In August 2012, during a White House press 
conference, President Obama stated: ‘‘We have been 
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very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other play-
ers on the ground, that a redline for us is we start 
seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving 
around or being utilized.’’. 
(10) It is a threat to the vital national security 
interest of the United States if terrorist groups, such 
as al-Qaeda, obtain chemical or biological material or 
weapons in Syria. 
(11) At a Pentagon press conference on May 2, 
2013, Secretary Hagel confirmed that the Obama Ad-
ministration is re-thinking its opposition to arming 
the rebels. 
(12) On April 11, 2013, responding to a question 
about the need for a supplemental funding request for 
any potential United States military effort in Syria, 
Secretary Hagel stated: ‘‘Yes, I think it is pretty clear 
that a supplemental would be required.’’. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) President Obama should have a comprehen-
sive policy and should ensure robust contingency 
planning to secure United States’ interests in Syria; 
(2) President Obama should fully consider all 
courses of action to remove President Bashar al-Assad 
from power; 
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(3) the conflict in Syria threatens the vital na-
tional security interests of Israel, which should be suf-
ficiently weighed by the President when considering 
policy approaches towards the conflict in Syria; 
(4) the President should fully consider all courses 
of action to reinforce his stated ‘‘redline’’ regarding 
the use of weapons of mass destruction by the Assad 
regime in Syria, which could threaten the credibility 
of the United States with its allies in the region and 
embolden the Assad regime; 
(5) the United States should continue to conduct 
rigorous planning and operational preparation to 
support any efforts to secure the chemical and biologi-
cal stockpiles and associated weapons; 
(6) the United States should have a policy that 
supports the stability of countries on Syria’s border, 
including Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Israel; 
(7) the United States should continue to support 
Syrian opposition forces with non-lethal aid; 
(8) the President, the Department of Defense, the 
Department of State, and the intelligence community, 
in cooperation with European and regional allies, 
should ensure that the risks of all courses of action or 
inaction regarding Syria are fully explored and un-
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derstood and that Congress is kept fully informed of 
such risks; 
(9) the President should fully consider, and the 
Department of Defense should conduct prudent plan-
ning for, the provision of lethal aid and relevant 
operational training to vetted Syrian opposition 
forces, including an analysis of the risks of the provi-
sion of such aid and training; and 
(10) should the President decide to employ any 
military assets in Syria, the President should provide 
a supplemental budget request to Congress. 
SEC. 1252. REVISION OF STATUTORY REFERENCES TO 
FORMER NATO SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS 
AND RELATED NATO AGREEMENTS. 
(a) TITLE 10, UNITED STATES CODE.—Section 2350d 
of title 10, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘NATO Maintenance and Supply 
Organization’’ each place it appears and inserting 
‘‘NATO Support Organization and its executive agen-
cies’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)(1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Weapon System Partner-
ship Agreements’’ and inserting ‘‘Support Part-
nership Agreements’’; and 
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