,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cfbd  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,january #ac1  
#bjbf,mrs4 ,shaheen 7for herself and    
,ms4 ,murkowski7 introduced the         
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,foreign 
,relations  ,a ,,bill  ,to limit the use
 of funds to assert control over the    
sovereign territory of a ,,nato member  
state1 and for other purposes4  #a4     
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,,nato ,unity ,protection ,act or   
the ,,nato ,,up ,act4  #b4 ,findings    
,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the
 unified strength of the ,north         
,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7
 is critical to the national security   
and foreign policy of the ,united       
,states4  7#b7 ,any occupation or       
takeover of the sovereign territory of a
 ,,nato ally would violate the ,charter 
of the ,united ,nations and numerous    
articles of the ,north ,atlantic        
,treaty1 done at ,washington ,april #d1 

#aidi1 and approved for ratification by 
the ,united ,states ,senate on ,july    
#ba1 #aidi 7also known as the           
,washington ,treaty74  7#c7 ,occupation 
or similar actions against the sovereign
 territory of a ,,nato ally by the      
,united ,states in circumstances other  
than to repel a foreign invasion by a   
non-,,nato-member state would put the   
,united ,states in a conflict with      
,,nato and ,,nato member states1        
possibly weakening ,,nato to the point  
of it ceasing to be an effective        
collective security alliance4  7#d7     
,such an outcome would serve the        
strategic interests of the ,russian     
,federation and the ,people's ,republic 
of ,china while significantly           
undermining the national security and   
foreign policy objectives of the ,united
 ,states4  #c4 ,limitation on use of    
,department of ,defense funds ,none of  
the funds appropriated or otherwise made
 available for any fiscal year for the  
,department of ,defense may be used to  

blockade1 occupy1 annex1 conduct        
military operations against1 or         
otherwise assert control over the       
sovereign territory of a ,,nato member  
state1 other than as authorized by that 
,,nato member state or the ,north       
,atlantic ,council4  #d4 ,limitation on 
use of ,department of ,state funds ,none
 of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
made available for any fiscal year for  
the ,department of ,state may be used to
 develop1 support1 or implement any plan
 for the ,united ,states to blockade1   
occupy1 annex1 conduct military         
operations against1 or otherwise assert 
control over the sovereign territory of 
a ,,nato member state1 other than as    
authorized by that ,,nato member state  
or the ,north ,atlantic ,council4  #e4  
,rule of construction ,nothing in this  
,act shall be construed to prevent the  
,united ,states from defending itself or
 an ally from an armed attack or from a 
credible threat of an imminent armed    
attack4