,,iii  #aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session 
,s4 ,,res4 #eeg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate    
,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,june #bg1
 #bjah,mr4 ,wicker 7for himself1 ,mr4   
,cardin1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 and ,mrs4        
,shaheen7 submitted the following       
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,relations       
,,resolution  ,expressing the sense of  
the ,senate regarding the strategic     
importance of ,,nato to the collective  
security of the transatlantic region and
 urging its member states to work       
together at the upcoming summit to      
strengthen the alliance4  ,whereas the  
,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization  
7referred to in this ,resolution as     
,,nato7 will hold its next ,summit      
meeting ,july #aa-ab1 #bjah1 in         
,brussels1 ,belgium2 ,whereas the       
security of the ,united ,states remains 
inextricably linked to the security of  
,europe and ,,nato's founding purpose   
remains as valid today as it has been   
since ,,nato was created2 ,whereas our  

,,nato allies have contributed          
significantly to military operations led
 by the ,united ,states around the      
world1 and actively contribute to       
current ,alliance missions1 including   
the reinforcement of ,,nato's eastern   
flank by leading #c of the #d           
battlegroups of ,,nato's ,enhanced      
,forward ,presence2 ,whereas while an   
increasing number of ,,nato member      
states are fulfilling their pledges at  
the #bjad ,,nato summit in ,wales to    
allocate #b percent of their gross      
domestic product towards defense        
spending1 all ,,nato member states      
should be urged to meet the #b percent  
target and to allocate #bj percent of   
their annual defense spending on major  
new equipment1 including related        
research and development1 in order to   
more fairly share the burden of         
transatlantic defense2 ,whereas ,united 
,states force deployments to ,europe as 
part of the ,european ,deterrence       
,initiative1 and the corresponding      

measures by ,,nato member states in the 
,enhanced ,forward ,presence1 are       
contributing to enhanced security on    
,,nato's eastern flank2 ,whereas the    
,russian ,federation's aggression       
towards its neighbors1 its breach of    
international norms1 and its            
noncompliance with its arms control     
commitments have severely impacted      
,european security and will continue to 
pose a security threat for the          
foreseeable future2 ,whereas            
administrative and logistical obstacles 
to the mobility of military assets      
across ,europe1 and the potential       
mismatch between the speed of           
,,nato-level decision making and the    
speed of a crisis1 have been shown to   
constitute potential challenges to the  
successful defense of ,,nato's          
territorial integrity2 ,whereas the     
cyber domain is a crucial aspect of     
,,nato operations and a key tool at     
potential adversaries' disposal2        
,whereas ,,nato member states           

collectively face a continued and       
persistent threat from terrorism and our
 ,,nato allies are making significant   
commitments in keeping terrorist        
networks from interfering in any ,,nato 
territory2 ,whereas ,,nato member       
states-- 7#a7 have collectively         
identified corruption and poor          
governance1 including within member     
states1 as security challenges which    
undermine democracy1 the rule of law1   
and economic development2 and  7#b7 in  
recognition of this challenge1 adopted a
 ,building ,integrity ,policy1 which is 
intended to support transparent and     
accountable defense institutions under  
democratic control2  ,whereas ,,nato's  
enlargement has delivered enhanced      
security and stability to all ,,nato    
member states1 including ,montenegro    
7the newest ,,nato member71 while       
remaining incomplete and underlining the
 need for ,,nato's ,open ,door ,policy  
to remain in effect for all aspiring    
countries and for invitations to join   

,,nato to be issued as soon as an       
aspirant country has met the conditions 
for membership2 ,whereas the first of   
#aj ,principles ,guiding ,relations     
between ,participating ,states contained
 in the ,final ,act of the ,conference  
on ,security and ,cooperation in        
,europe1 done at ,helsinki ,august #a1  
#aige 7commonly known as the ,helsinki  
,final ,act71 recognizes the right to be
 or not to be a party to treaties of    
alliance as a right inherent in         
sovereignty to be respected on an equal 
basis among the signatory states2 and   
,whereas the commitment made by ,,nato  
in the ,founding ,act on ,mutual        
,relations1 ,cooperation and ,security  
,between ,,nato and the ,russian        
,federation1 done at ,paris ,may #bg1   
#aiig 7commonly known as the            
,,nato-,russia ,founding ,act71 to carry
 out its collective defence and other   
missions by ensuring the necessary      
interoperability1 integration1 and      
capability for reinforcement rather than

 by additional permanent stationing of  
substantial combat forces was predicated
 on the current and foreseeable security
 environment that existed in #aiig1     
which has been fundamentally altered by 
the aggression directed by the leaders  
of the ,russian ,federation3 ,now1      
therefore1 be it ,that the ,senate--    
7#a7 reaffirms the enduring commitment  
of the ,united ,states to ,,nato's      
collective defense1 enshrined in        
,article #e of the ,north ,atlantic     
,treaty1 done at ,washington ,april #d1 
#aidi 7commonly known as the ,washington
 ,treaty72  7#b7 emphasizes the need for
 all ,,nato member states to be prepared
 to meet their respective obligations   
under ,article #e of the ,washington    
,treaty2  7#c7 pledges its support for  
all appropriate measures collectively   
taken to deter and defend against1 if   
necessary1 ,russian aggression against  
the territory of any ,,nato member      
state1 including the explicit aim of the
 leaders of the ,russian ,federation to 

fracture the unity between ,,nato member
 states2  7#d7 emphasizes its commitment
 to a ,north ,atlantic alliance based on
 shared values1 including the rule of   
law1 to prevent internal forces from    
eroding ,,nato's foundation2  7#e7      
encourages all ,,nato member states to  
clearly commit to further enlargement of
 the alliance1 including extending      
invitations to any aspirant country     
which has met the conditions required to
 join ,,nato2 and  7#f7 urges leaders   
who will be meeting at the #bjah ,,nato 
summit in ,brussels1 ,belgium to ensure 
that ,,nato-- 7,a7 meets urgent security
 threats2  7,b7 continues to transform  
to counter emerging and evolving        
challenges1 including hybrid warfare1   
terrorism1 cyberattacks1 and renewed    
challenges to sea lines of communication
 between ,north ,america and ,europe2   
and  7,c7 adopts a rapid reinforcement  
plan that-- 7i7 expedites political     
decision making2  7ii7 reinvigorates the
 ,,nato command structure2  7iii7       

streamlines the capacity to mobilize    
forces across national borders2 and     
7iv7 improves joint readiness goals4