,,iv #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #bia ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,april #d1 #bjai,ms4 ,frankel 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,engel1 ,mr4 ,cicilline1 ,mr4 ,deutch1 ,mr4 ,keating1 ,mr4 ,suozzi1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,mr4 ,garamendi1 ,mr4 ,bera1 ,mr4 ,gallego1 ,ms4 ,shalala1 ,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois1 ,ms4 ,houlahan1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,mrs4 ,bustos1 ,mr4 ,costa1 ,mr4 ,pallone1 ,mr4 ,danny ,k4 ,davis of ,illinois1 ,mrs4 ,davis of ,california1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,vargas1 ,mr4 ,crow1 ,ms4 ,kaptur1 ,mr4 ,meeks1 ,mr4 ,sires1 ,mr4 ,cleaver1 ,ms4 ,hill of ,california1 ,mr4 ,panetta1 ,ms4 ,adams1 ,mr4 ,lipinski1 ,mr4 ,vela1 ,mr4 ,krishnamoorthi1 ,ms4 ,speier1 ,ms4 ,wasserman ,schultz1 ,mr4 ,ted ,lieu of ,california1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,ms4 ,sewell of ,alabama1 ,mr4 ,himes1 ,mr4 ,hastings1 ,ms4 ,slotkin1 ,mr4 ,schiff1 ,mr4 ,pascrell1 ,mr4 ,espaillat1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,washington1 and ,mr4 ,malinowski7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,,resolution ,recognizing that contributions of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization are vital to ,united ,states national security4 ,whereas1 on ,april #d1 #aidi1 the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7 was founded as a defensive alliance to enhance security cooperation between member states and deter a military attack on the allies2 ,whereas the ,united ,states military presence in ,europe has deterred the outbreak of another world war and protects the territorial integrity of ,,nato allies2 ,whereas the #bjag ,national ,security ,strategy of the ,united ,states of ,america reaffirms that ,,nato is one of our great advantages over our competitors1 and the ,united ,states remains committed to ,article #e of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty2 ,whereas #bi countries have joined ,,nato1 including most recently the ,republic of ,montenegro1 which was admitted in #bjag2 ,whereas1 on ,february #i1 #bjai1 ,,nato member states signed an accession protocol with the ,republic of ,north ,macedonia1 which officially launches the process to make ,north ,macedonia the #cjth member of the alliance2 ,whereas continued ,,nato enlargement has promoted peaceful democratic transitions and stability in ,central and ,eastern ,europe1 key ,united ,states interests2 ,whereas ,,nato provides a deployable and integrated multilateral military capability1 enabling the ,united ,states to rapidly shape and lead coalitions to address security threats2 ,whereas joint ,,nato planning1 training1 and exercises boost ,united ,states military readiness and ensure interoperability1 defined in this context as the ability for ,,nato allies to act together coherently1 effectively and efficiently to achieve tactical1 operational and strategic objectives2 ,whereas ,,nato has played a critical role in securing stability in the ,balkans1 including through its current deployment of approximately #c1baj non-,united ,states troops in ,kosovo as part of ,,nato's ,kosovo ,force 7,,kfor71 an international peacekeeping mission in existence since #aiii2 ,whereas ,,nato invoked ,article #e of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty1 its collective defense clause1 for the first and only time in response to the terrorist attacks on the ,united ,states that occurred on ,september #aa1 #bjja2 ,whereas ,,nato has deployed thousands of troops to ,afghanistan1 where more than #a1ajj non-,united ,states ,,nato ally and partner forces have been killed2 ,whereas ,admiral ,james ,stavridis1 a former ,,nato ,supreme ,allied ,commander1 testified that1 ,i signed1 sadly1 thousands of letters of condolence to ,europeans who died fighting because the ,united ,states had been attacked2 ,whereas in #bjja1 ,,nato agreed on eight measures to support the ,united ,states on counter-terrorism1 including enhancing intelligence-sharing and providing blanket overflight clearances and access for the ,united ,states to ports and airfields for operations against terrorism2 ,whereas ,,nato allies are reinforcing ,,nato's eastern flank by leading three of the four battlegroups of ,,nato's ,enhanced ,forward ,presence in ,estonia1 ,latvia1 ,lithuania1 and ,poland2 ,whereas ,,nato is a member of the ,global ,coalition to ,defeat ,,isis and supports it through a non-combat training and capacity building mission in ,iraq and with the deployment of aircraft to provide intelligence and greater situational awareness2 ,whereas the ,russian ,federation continues to undermine transatlantic unity and security1 including through its invasions of ,georgia and ,ukraine1 noncompliance with its arms control commitments1 support for the ,assad regime and destabilizing role in ,syria1 interference in democratic elections1 downing of ,malaysia ,airlines ,flight ,,mh#ag in ,ukraine on ,july #ag1 #bjad1 and its use of a nerve agent in ,salisbury1 ,united ,kingdom on ,march #d1 #bjah2 ,whereas ,,nato carries out disaster relief operations and missions to protect populations against natural or humanitarian disasters1 and has adopted anti-piracy responsibilities to ensure freedom of the seas2 ,whereas ,,nato enhances ,united ,states cybersecurity1 including through the ,cyber ,operations ,center1 which incorporates cyber warfare into the alliance's defense operations1 and the ,cooperative ,cyber ,defence ,centre of ,excellence1 which supports its member states with cyber defence expertise2 ,whereas ,,nato member states have participated in economic sanctions and reduced trade activity with ,russia and ,iran following the imposition of ,united ,states sanctions2 ,whereas at the #bjad ,wales ,summit ,declaration1 all ,,nato member states aimed to allocate #b percent of their gross domestic product toward defense spending and #bj percent of their annual defense spending on major new equipment1 including related research and development by #bjbd2 ,whereas ,,nato members1 not including the ,united ,states1 have increased defense spending for #d consecutive years1 and more than half of ,,nato member states now spend more than #bj percent of their annual defense expenditures on major new equipment2 and ,whereas1 on ,april #c1 #bjai1 ,,nato ,secretary ,general ,jens ,stoltenberg addressed a joint meeting of ,congress to mark the seventieth anniversary of the ,alliance3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 reaffirms the enduring commitment of the ,united ,states to the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7 as the bedrock of transatlantic security and stability2 7#b7 appreciates the many contributions that ,,nato member states have made to support and advance vital ,united ,states security interests2 and 7#c7 recognizes that continued ,united ,states leadership in ,,nato is essential to addressing evolving threats to national security and to fulfilling ,,nato's three core tasks3 collective defense1 crisis management1 and cooperative security4