A resolution supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and recognizing its 75 years of accomplishments.

Bill: 118-sres-630
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]
Introduced: 2024-04-09
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2024-04-09
text: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2024-04-09
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>This resolution lauds NATO for its 75-year maintenance of the alliance and recognizes its foundational contributions to maintaining the safety, security, and democratic systems of its members.</p><p>The resolution also (1) recognizes the key role NATO has played in enabling the most peaceful and prosperous period in history for the North Atlantic area, (2) calls on NATO member states to immediately meet their pledges and raise their defense spending levels above the target of two percent of their gross domestic product, and (3) welcomes the recent additions of Finland and Sweden to the alliance.</p>

tv_txt: III 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 630 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES April 9, 2024 Mr. Risch (for himself, Mr. Cardin , Mrs. Shaheen , and Mr. Ricketts ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Supporting the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and recognizing its 75 years of accomplishments.

Whereas the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded on April 4, 1949, to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilisation of [its] peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law ; Whereas the United States Senate approved the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949 on July 21, 1949, and the United States Government acceded to membership in NATO on August 24, 1949; Whereas NATO was originally founded to ensure the collective security of its members, and stand against the Soviet threat to peace and acts collectively to promote freedom, stability, and peace in the North Atlantic region; Whereas, since the formation of NATO, 10 rounds of enlargement have grown the alliance from 12 members to 32; Whereas NATO is the most successful political-military alliance in history and, guided by a set of common values, provides collective defense to more than 950,000,000 people living in its member nations; Whereas the sustained commitment of NATO to mutual defense has contributed to the democratic and economic transformation of Central and Eastern Europe; Whereas enlargement has strengthened NATO, and the Alliance remains open to additional enlargement for European states that advance the principles of the North Atlantic Treaty and contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area, in line with article 10 of the Treaty; Whereas the newest members of the alliance, Finland and Sweden, contribute already interoperable militaries, including robust navies, powerful air forces, strong cyber capabilities, and large numbers of active military personnel and ready reservists to the alliance; Whereas the allies invoked NATO’s article 5 collective defense clause for the first and only time to offer political and military assistance to the United States in responding to the attacks of September 11, 2001; Whereas NATO serves as a force multiplier, whose command structures, training institutions, and multilateral exercises have generated multinational contributions to United States national security priorities and enabled European and Canadian soldiers to serve with members of the United States Armed Forces in various missions; Whereas NATO is currently involved in several operations benefitting United States national security, including NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR), Standing Naval Forces, Operation Sea Guardian, NATO Mission Iraq, and air policing missions in Eastern Europe; Whereas, through the Partnership for Peace and Enhanced Forward Presence, NATO has extended opportunities for cooperation with non-NATO nations; Whereas NATO members have stood against Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, reinforced existing battlegroups and established new ones, supported United States sanctions on the Russian Federation, and imposed their own sanctions measures in coordination with the United States and other allies; Whereas the NATO Wales Summit Declaration of 2014 pledged, Allies currently meeting the NATO guideline to spend a minimum of 2 percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on defence will aim to continue to do so … Allies whose current proportion of GDP spent on defence is below this level will: halt any decline in defence expenditure; aim to increase defence expenditure in real terms as GDP grows; aim to move towards the 2 percent guideline within a decade with a view to meeting their NATO Capability Targets and filling NATO's capability shortfalls. ; Whereas 22 NATO nations have increased their military spending since the Wales Declaration of 2014; Whereas, at the NATO Vilnius Summit in 2023, member countries affirmed their commitment to spend at least 2 percent of GDP on defense, and noted that in many cases, expenditure beyond 2 percent of GDP will be needed in order to remedy existing shortfalls and meet the requirements across all domains arising from a more contested security order ; Whereas 20 NATO members still fall short of meeting their 2 percent commitment; Whereas collective security demands real and sustained burden sharing; Whereas NATO members that do not meet their 2 percent goal have a responsibility to the other member states and should rapidly address their budget shortfalls and prioritize defense spending; Whereas NATO updated its Strategic Concept planning document in 2022 to recognize emerging threats to the alliance, including from the People's Republic of China, and begin the process of adapting our collective approach to face them in the coming generation; Whereas, at the NATO Vilnius Summit in 2023, NATO reaffirmed its commitment to its core values and take decisive action to defend them against threats across multiple domains; Whereas nations must put defense spending in their base budgets to provide long-term certainty to NATO planners and their partners; Whereas the Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine marks the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II, representing a dramatic shift for European security and requiring NATO to change its policies to increase, modernize, and enhance its force posture and to create more strategic depth to adequately confront new challenges; Whereas, in adapting to growing aggression by the People’s Republic of China, NATO has deepened its partnerships with Indo-Pacific allies, including South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand; and Whereas section 1250A of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 ( Public Law 118–31 ) requires the advice and consent of the Senate for any President of the United States to suspend, terminate, denounce, or withdraw the United States from the North Atlantic treaty: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1) lauds NATO for its 75-year maintenance of the alliance and recognizes its foundational contributions to maintaining the safety, security, and democratic systems of its members; (2) welcomes all NATO members and observers as the United States hosts the 75th Annual Summit in July 2024, in Washington, DC; (3) recognizes the key role NATO has played in enabling the most peaceful and prosperous period in history for the North Atlantic area and also that NATO does not only benefit the defense of its own member states, but enhances security and stability beyond its borders; (4) appreciates the burden and sacrifice made by each member nation and each service member who has acted to maintain the collective security of NATO; (5) reaffirms that NATO members join by free choice, not by compulsion or coercion, and that sovereign nations should be free to choose with whom they associate and enter into alliances without fear of violent reprisal; (6) continues to affirm the importance of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty; (7) reaffirms the importance of nuclear deterrence in NATO planning and supports the modernization and development of new systems while continuing risk-reduction discussions with our adversaries; (8) reaffirms that all NATO territory is equally under the protection of its collective defense; (9) strongly calls on all NATO member states to immediately meet their pledges and raise their defense levels above the 2 percent GDP target, and to more fully share the security burden by focusing on meeting capabilities targets, enhancing interoperability, improving readiness, and modernization to respond to the threats that face the alliance on each of its flanks; (10) urges all NATO member countries to meet their commitments to the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law; (11) stands in robust support of those NATO members who spend 2 percent or more of their GDPs on defense and acknowledges the 8 countries that have met that goal since 2014; (12) welcomes the recent additions of Finland and Sweden to the alliance; (13) recognizes that NATO, in its planning processes, must take into account security threats to the alliance from around the world, including the People’s Republic of China; (14) encourages NATO to build closer ties with the Indo-Pacific to confront the challenges posed by the deepening partnership and alignment between the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China; (15) urges all members to consider the value that Ukraine will add to NATO’s defense and stability for Europe ahead of the Washington Summit in 2024; and (16) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to NATO’s mission, and its belief that NATO is the most successful security alliance in our Nation’s history and one that should continue to be a cornerstone of United States national security.