III 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 495 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 12, 2023 Mr. Ricketts (for himself and Mrs. Fischer ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Honoring the 30th anniversary of the partnership between the State of Nebraska and the Czech Republic under the State Partnership Program.

Whereas Nebraska has the highest percentage of citizens with Czech ancestry of any State in the United States; Whereas the State Partnership Program was created in 1993 to link a State’s National Guard with a partner nation’s military, security forces, and disaster response organizations in a cooperative, mutually beneficial relationship; Whereas, in July 1993, the partnership between the State of Nebraska and the Czech Republic under the State Partnership Program was established; Whereas the State Partnership Program has fostered military-to-military cooperation and enhanced interoperability between units of the Nebraska National Guard and the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic; Whereas that cooperation has included joint training exercises, exchanges of personnel, and sharing of military expertise and practices; Whereas, since 1993, the Nebraska National Guard has executed more than 300 engagements with the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic and has engaged with more than 2,500 members of those forces; Whereas the State Partnership Program has been mutually beneficial for the Nebraska National Guard and the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic, strengthening diplomatic, military, and cultural ties and contributing to regional and international security and cooperation; Whereas the State Partnership Program has better prepared the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exercises, integration in NATO air mobility operations, cyber defense, and combined exercises with other State Partnership Program partners; Whereas the Czech Republic has been a trusted and valuable member of the NATO alliance since the Czech Republic joined the alliance in 1999; Whereas the Czech Republic has contributed to various NATO-led missions, including in Afghanistan, where 11,500 Czech soldiers were deployed and 14 were killed in action fighting the Taliban; Whereas the Czech Republic has provided significant military and humanitarian support to Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees in response to Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022; and Whereas the Czech Republic has been recognized with awards for joint military operations carried out in cooperation with the United States, NATO achievements, and acts of heroism and service: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1) recognizes the cooperation and beneficial relationship between the Czech Republic and the State of Nebraska and the steadfast partnership between the Czech Republic and the United States over the past 30 years; (2) expresses appreciation for the commitment of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic to the Nebraska National Guard in advancing peace, stability, and mutual understanding; (3) expresses continued support for the State Partnership Program between the State of Nebraska and the Czech Republic; (4) commends the Czech Republic for committing to meet the NATO target of spending at least two percent of its Gross Domestic Product on defense in 2024; and (5) commends the Czech Republic for increasing its cooperation with Taiwan, including collaboration that may enhance Taiwan’s defense posture.