,,iii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 ,,res4 #abc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #bg1 #bjai,mr4 ,risch 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,menendez1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1 ,mr4 ,johnson1 and ,mr4 ,murphy7 submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,,resolution ,supporting the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization and recognizing its #gj years of accomplishments4 #a4 ,findings ,the ,senate makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7 was founded on ,april #d1 #aidi1 to safeguard the freedom1 common heritage and civilisation of its peoples1 founded on the principles of democracy1 individual liberty and the rule of law4 7#b7 ,the ,united ,states ,senate approved the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty of #aidi on ,july #ba1 #aidi1 and the ,united ,states ,government acceded to membership in ,,nato on ,august #bd1 #aidi4 7#c7 ,,nato is a community of democracies that acts collectively to promote freedom1 stability1 and peace around the globe4 7#d7 ,,nato has continued to welcome into its membership those nations that have evinced a desire to partake in the alliance's commitment to settle international disputes peaceably1 strengthen their free institutions1 promote conditions of stability and well-being1 and seek to eliminate conflict in their international economic policies1 and which are dedicated to maintaining and developing their capacity to resist armed attack4 7#e7 ,the sustained commitment of ,,nato to mutual defense has made possible the democratic and economic transformation of ,central and ,eastern ,europe4 7#f7 ,lasting stability and security in ,europe requires the further military1 economic1 and political integration of emerging democracies into existing ,european and transatlantic structures4 7#g7 ,,nato serves as a force multiplier1 whose command structures1 training institutions1 and multilateral exercises have generated unprecedented multinational contributions to ,united ,states national security priorities and enabled ,european and ,canadian soldiers to fight side-by-side with members of the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces4 7#h7 ,the allies invoked ,,nato's ,article #e collective defense clause and offered military assistance to the ,united ,states in responding to the attacks of ,september #aa1 #bjja4 7#i7 ,,nato member nations stood in support of the ,united ,states after it was attacked on ,september #aa1 #bjja1 sending tens of thousands troops to fight alongside ,american soldiers in ,afghanistan4 7#aj7 ,,nato is currently involved in several operations benefiting ,united ,states national security1 including ,operation ,resolute ,support in ,afghanistan1 ,,nato's ,kosovo ,force 7,,kfor71 ,operation ,sea ,guardian in the ,mediterranean ,sea 7maritime situational awareness1 counter-terrorism at sea1 and support to capacity-building71 the capacity-building ,,nato ,mission ,iraq1 support for ,african ,union missions1 and air policing missions in the member and nonmember nations of ,eastern ,europe4 7#aa7 ,,nato members have stood against ,russian aggression in ,eastern ,europe1 have supported ,united ,states sanctions on that country and imposed their own1 have responded1 as noted in the ,,nato ,brussels ,summit ,declaration of #bjah1 to the deteriorated security environment by enhancing our deterrence and defence posture1 including by a forward presence in the eastern part of the ,alliance1 and have asserted that there can be no return to #8business as usual' until there is a clear1 constructive change in ,russia's actions that demonstrates compliance with international law and its international obligations and responsibilities4 7#ab7 ,the ,,nato ,wales ,summit ,declaration of #bjad pledged1 ,allies currently meeting the ,,nato guideline to spend a minimum of #b of their ,gross ,domestic ,product 7,,gdp7 on defence will aim to continue to do so ''' ,allies whose current proportion of ,,gdp spent on defence is below this level will3 halt any decline in defence expenditure2 aim to increase defence expenditure in real terms as ,,gdp grows2 aim to move towards the #b guideline within a decade with a view to meeting their ,,nato ,capability ,targets and filling ,,nato's capability shortfalls44 7#ac7 ,twenty-two ,,nato nations have increased their military spending since the ,wales ,declaration of #bjad4 7#ad7 ,the ,,nato ,brussels ,summit ,declaration of #bjah stated1 ,we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to all aspects of the ,defence ,investment ,pledge agreed at the #bjad ,wales ,summit1 and to submit credible national plans on its implementation1 including the spending guidelines for #bjbd1 planned capabilities1 and contributions4 ,fair burden sharing underpins the ,alliance's cohesion1 solidarity1 credibility1 and ability to fulfil our ,article #c and ,article #e commitments4 ,we welcome the considerable progress made since the ,wales ,summit with four consecutive years of real growth in non-,,us defence expenditure4 ,all ,allies have started to increase the amount they spend on defence in real terms and some two-thirds of ,allies have national plans in place to spend #b of their ,gross ,domestic ,product on defence by #bjbd4 ,more than half of ,allies are spending more than #bj of their defence expenditures on major equipment1 including related research and development1 and1 according to their national plans1 #bd ,allies will meet the #bj guideline by #bjbd4 ,allies are delivering more of the heavier1 high-end capabilities we require and are improving the readiness1 deployability1 sustainability1 and interoperability of their forces44 7#ae7 ,,nato ,secretary ,general ,jens ,stoltenberg has stated1 ,by the end of next year1 ,,nato allies will add ''' #ajj billion extra ,u4,s4 dollars toward defense44 7#af7 ,allies who have recently acceded to ,,nato are amongst the highest per capita contributors to ,,nato missions4 7#ag7 ,at the ,bucharest ,summit of the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization in ,april #bjjh1 the ,heads of ,state and ,government of the member countries of ,,nato declared1 ,,nato's ongoing enlargement process has been an historic success in advancing stability and cooperation and bringing us closer to our common goal of a ,europe whole and free1 united in peace1 democracy and common values4 ,,nato's door will remain open to ,european democracies willing and able to assume the responsibilities and obligations of membership1 in accordance with ,article #aj of the ,washington ,treaty4 ,we reiterate that decisions on enlargement are for ,,nato itself to make44 7#ah7 ,vice ,president ,mike ,pence in ,june #bjag reiterated that the ,united ,states commitment to ,,nato is unwavering and that ,,nato's open door must always remain so4 7#ai7 ,the governments1 leaders1 and parliaments of ,greece and the ,republic of ,north ,macedonia have ended their dispute and ratified the ,prespa ,agreement1 resolving a long-standing bilateral dispute and establishing a strategic partnership between the two countries and clearing the way for ,north ,macedonia's accession to ,,nato4 #b4 ,sense of the ,senate ,the ,senate-- 7#a7 lauds ,,nato for its #gj-year maintenance of the alliance and recognizes its singular contributions to maintaining the safety1 security1 and democratic systems of its members2 7#b7 calls on ,,nato member states to continue to fully meet their ,wales pledges1 more fully share the security burden by increasing their defense spending with a focus on meeting capabilities targets1 enhancing interoperability1 improving readiness1 and modernization to respond to the threats that face the alliance on each of its flanks2 7#c7 stands in robust support of those ,,nato members who spend two percent or more of their ,g,d,ps on defense1 acknowledges the four countries that have met that goal since #bjad1 and strongly encourages the remainder to strive to quickly reach that goal2 7#d7 affirms that the ,senate stands ready to consider1 if all applicable criteria are satisfied1 the ,republic of ,north ,macedonia's application to join ,,nato2 7#e7 backs the ,white ,house's #bjag affirmation that the ,united ,states stands firmly behind ,article #e of the ,,nato ,treaty2 7#f7 welcomes former ,secretary of ,defense ,james ,mattis' efforts to encourage significant ,,nato reforms1 especially regarding modernization1 readiness1 command structure adaptation1 military mobility1 and improving ,,nato's speed of decisionmaking to ensure the alliance remains fit for purpose2 and 7#g7 reaffirms the commitment of the ,united ,states to ,,nato's mission1 and its belief that ,,nato is the most successful security alliance in our ,nation's history and one that will continue to be a cornerstone of ,united ,states security4