,,iii #aadth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #eeb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #ab1 #bjaf ,mr4 ,coons 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,cardin1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mrs4 ,boxer1 ,mr4 ,murphy1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 and ,mr4 ,menendez7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,commemorating the fifteenth anniversary of ,,nato's invocation of ,article ,v to defend the ,united ,states following the terrorist attacks of ,september #aa1 #bjja4 ,whereas the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato71 the world's most effective1 strongest international political-military alliance1 was established in #aidi by the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty2 ,whereas the principle of collective defense1 whereby ,,nato member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by an external party1 is at the very heart of ,,nato's founding treaty2 ,whereas ,,nato's commitment to collective defense is enshrined in ,article ,v of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty1 which states that an armed attack against one ,,nato member shall be considered an attack against them all2 ,whereas1 on ,september #aa1 #bjja1 the ,united ,states was attacked by the al ,qaeda terrorist network1 headed by ,osama bin ,laden and protected by the ,taliban regime in ,afghanistan2 ,whereas1 on ,september #ab1 #bjja1 less than #bd hours after the attacks1 ,,nato invoked ,article ,v for the first time in history2 ,whereas1 in ,october #bjja1 ,,nato launched its first ever counterterrorism operation1 ,operation ,active ,endeavor1 to support the ,united ,states and safeguard all allies2 ,whereas1 from ,october #bjja to ,may #bjjb1 as part of ,operation ,active ,endeavor1 ,,nato deployed seven ,,nato ,airborne ,warning ,and ,control ,system 7,,awacs7 ,surveillance aircraft to help patrol the skies over the ,united ,states2 ,whereas #hcj crew members from #ac ,,nato countries flew more than #cfj sorties to support ,operation ,eagle ,assist to protect the ,united ,states from further attack2 ,whereas ,,nato activities under ,operation ,active ,endeavor also included ,,nato ships patrolling the ,mediterranean and monitoring shipping to help deter1 defend1 disrupt1 and protect against terrorist activity2 ,whereas1 from #bjjc until #bjad1 ,,nato commanded the ,international ,security ,assistance ,force 7,,isaf7 in ,afghanistan1 tasked with conducting security operations throughout the country and helping to build the ,afghan ,national ,defense and ,security ,forces2 ,whereas ,,isaf was the longest1 largest1 and most challenging combat mission in ,,nato's history and at its height comprised more than #acj1jjj troops from #ea ,,nato and partner countries1 including at least #dj1jjj from countries other than the ,united ,states2 ,whereas at least #c1eai ,,nato troops1 including #b1chc ,united ,states troops and more than #a1jjj from ,,nato allies and partners1 have died fighting in ,afghanistan2 ,whereas1 in ,january #bjae1 in a sign of continued solidarity1 ,,nato launched a new mission in ,afghanistan1 ,operation ,resolute ,support1 to advise and assist ,afghan security forces2 ,whereas1 as of ,june #bjaf1 approximately #ab1jjj ,,nato personnel were contributing to the ,resolute ,support ,mission1 #g1jjj of whom are from the ,united ,states2 ,whereas1 on ,july #h and #i1 #bjaf1 ,heads of ,state and ,government of the #bh ,,nato allies met in ,warsaw1 ,poland1 to ensure that the ,alliance remains an unparalleled community of freedom1 peace1 security1 and shared values1 including individual liberty1 human rights1 democracy1 and the rule of law2 ,whereas leaders at the ,warsaw ,summit decided to-- 7#a7 strengthen the ,alliance's military presence in ,eastern ,europe with four battalions in ,poland1 ,estonia1 ,latvia1 and ,lithuania on a rotational basis starting in #bjag2 7#b7 develop a tailored forward presence in southeastern ,europe2 7#c7 strengthen cyber defenses2 7#d7 train and build capacity inside ,iraq in support of the global coalition to defeat the so-called ,islamic ,state1 including by providing a ,,nato ,,awacs ,surveillance plane and to expand maritime presence in the ,mediterranean ,sea2 7#e7 continue contributions to ,,nato's ,resolute ,support ,mission in ,afghanistan beyond #bjaf and confirm funding commitments to #bjbj2 7#f7 welcome ,ukraine's plans for reform and endorse a ,comprehensive ,assistance ,package for ,ukraine2 7#g7 welcome the vital progress made in implementing the ,substantial ,,nato-,georgia ,package and activating the ,joint ,training and ,evaluation ,center to strengthen ,georgia's self-defense and resilience capabilities2 and 7#h7 reiterate support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of both ,ukraine and ,georgia within their internationally recognized borders2 ,whereas the ,,nato alliance has served the interests of the ,united ,states and its transatlantic allies for more than seven decades2 ,whereas1 on ,april #f1 #bjaf1 ,,nato ,secretary ,general ,jens ,stoltenberg stated1 ,,nato is a powerful tool in which all our nations have made great investments4 ,for almost seventy years1 ,,nato has brought ,europe and ,north ,america together4 ,providing security for both sides of the ,atlantic4 ,i know that ,i can count on the continued leadership of the ,united ,states4 ,i also know that the mutual interests of ,europe and the ,united ,states are best served by a strong ,north ,atlantic ,alliance4 ,because the security of ,europe and ,north ,america is indivisible4 ,and only by standing together will we remain safe and secure42 and ,whereas1 on ,july #i1 #bjaf1 following the ,warsaw ,summit1 ,president ,barack ,obama stated1 ,,nato is as strong1 as nimble1 and as ready as ever ''' ,nobody should ever doubt the resolve of this ,alliance to stay united and focused on the future4 ,and just as our nations have stood together over the past hundred years1 ,i know that we'll stay united and grow even stronger for another hundred more43 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate-- 7#a7 commemorates the fifteenth anniversary of ,,nato's invocation of ,article ,v to defend the ,united ,states after the terrorist attacks of ,september #aa1 #bjja2 7#b7 commends the contributions of our ,,nato allies and partners in our common fight against terrorism and in pursuit of international security2 7#c7 honors those men and women who have died for the cause of common defense of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty allies2 7#d7 recommits the ,united ,states to the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty1 especially to common defense of ,treaty allies1 and affirms that the ,united ,states remains fully prepared1 capable1 and willing to honor its commitments under ,article ,v2 7#e7 encourages all ,,nato allies to continue their valuable contributions to the ,alliance1 including by investing at least two percent of gross domestic product in national defense spending2 7#f7 commends the ,,nato ,alliance for decisions taken at the ,july #bjaf ,warsaw ,summit and the ,president for investing in the ,european ,reassurance ,initiative to enhance deterrence and project international stability beyond ,,nato2 and 7#g7 reaffirms the commitment of the ,united ,states to deterring those who seek to destabilize the ,euro-,atlantic area1 and to maintaining an ,open ,door policy on welcoming new members1 and welcomes the ,alliance's invitation to ,montenegro4