,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bbhc  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #a1 #bjad 
,mr4 ,johnson of ,wisconsin 7for himself
 and ,mr4 ,murphy7 introduced the       
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,foreign 
,relations  ,a ,,bill  ,to encourage    
enhanced security cooperation with      
,european allies and continued          
enlargement of the ,north ,atlantic     
,treaty ,organization4  #a4  ,short     
title  ,this ,act may be cited as the   
,,nato ,alliance ,recognition and       
,promotion ,act4  #b4  ,findings        
,congress makes the following findings3 
7#a7 ,on ,march #ab1 #bjad1 the ,north  
,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7
 marked the #aeth anniversary of        
enlargement through the accession of #c 
,central ,european countries3 the ,czech
 ,republic1 ,poland1 and ,hungary4  7#b7
 ,on ,march #bi1 #bjad1 ,,nato marked   
the #ajth anniversary of enlargement    
through the accession of #g ,central    

,european countries3 ,bulgaria1         
,estonia1 ,latvia1 ,lithuania1 ,romania1
 ,slovakia1 and ,slovenia4  7#c7 ,on    
,april #a1 #bjad1 ,,nato marked the #eth
 anniversary of enlargement through the 
accession of ,albania and ,croatia4     
7#d7 ,the incorporation of these        
,european countries into ,,nato has     
contributed toward a vision of ,europe  
that is aimed at promoting stability and
 cooperation and building a ,europe     
whole and free1 united in peace1        
democracy1 and common values4  7#e7     
,since joining the ,alliance1 these #ab 
member states have contributed to       
numerous ,,nato-led peace and security  
and stability operations1 including the 
,international ,security ,assistance    
,force 7,,isaf7 mission in ,afghanistan4
  #c4  ,statement of ,congress          
,congress declares that--  7#a7 ,,nato  
has been the cornerstone of             
transatlantic security cooperation and  
an enduring instrument for promoting    
peace and stability in ,europe and      

around the world for over #fe years2    
7#b7 the incorporation of the ,czech    
,republic1 ,poland1 ,hungary1 ,bulgaria1
 ,estonia1 ,latvia1 ,lithuania1         
,romania1 ,slovakia1 ,slovenia1         
,albania1 and ,croatia has been         
essential to the success of ,,nato in   
this modern era and has strengthened the
 list of key ,european allies of the    
,united ,states2  7#c7 since joining    
,,nato1 these member states have        
remained committed to the collective    
defense of the ,alliance and have       
demonstrated their will and ability to  
contribute to transatlantic solidarity  
and assume increasingly more            
responsibility for efforts to promote   
international peace and security2  7#d7 
these ,,nato member states have become  
reliable partners and supporters of     
aspiring members1 and the ,united       
,states recognizes their continued      
efforts to aid in further ,,nato        
enlargement initiatives2  7#e7 recent   
regional aggression has highlighted the 

importance of a strong1 inclusive ,,nato
 alliance1 with robust defense          
capabilities2  7#f7 the commitment by   
these ,,nato members to ,alliance       
principles and active participation in  
,alliance initiatives demonstrates the  
success of ,,nato's ,open-,door ,policy2
  7#g7 the ,united ,states1 as a means  
of continuous and effective self-help   
and mutual aid1 will continue to work   
with allies to maintain and improve our 
individual and collective ,allied       
capacity2 and  7#h7 the ,united ,states 
will remain committed to enhancing      
security cooperation with ,european     
allies and maintaining a military       
presence in ,europe as a means of       
promoting ,allied interoperability and  
capabilities and providing visible      
assurance to ,,nato allies in the       
region4  #d4  ,sense of ,congress  ,it  
is the sense of ,congress--  7#a7 to    
reaffirm the commitment of the ,united  
,states to collective defense under     
,article #e of the ,,nato ,treaty2  7#b7

 that ,,nato members should review      
defense spending to ensure sufficient   
funding related to individual and       
collective capacity2 and  7#c7 that the 
,united ,states1 together with ,,nato   
allies1 should continue to pursue       
enlargement initiatives for aspirant    
countries4