Sec. 1283. Sense of Congress on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
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Congress finds the following: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)has been the cornerstone of transatlantic security cooperation and an enduring instrument for promoting stability in Europe and around the world for over 65 years. NATO currently faces a range of security challenges, including Russian aggression in Eastern Europe and instability and conflict in the Middle East and North Africa. In light of these and other threats, NATO must have a credible deterrence to defend NATO members, if necessary, against adversaries or threats. Since the 2014 NATO summit in Wales and the 2016 summit in Warsaw, NATO has made progress in implementing a Readiness Action Plan to enhance allied readiness and collective defense in response to Russian aggression. However, much work remains to be done. NATO’s solidarity is strengthened by bolstering its conventional and nuclear deterrence, increasing defense spending by NATO members, and continuing the enlargement of NATO. It is the sense of Congress that— NATO members should— continue to advance the NATO Open-Door Policy and build on the successes of previous enlargement initiatives; continue to work with countries that are seeking to join NATO to prepare for entry; commend Montenegro’s final accession to NATO; seek a Dayton II agreement to resolve the constitutional issues faced by Bosnia and Herzegovina; work with the Republic of Kosovo to prepare the country for entrance into the NATO Partnership for Peace program; continue support for the NATO Membership Action Plan for Georgia; implement specific plans to ensure that sufficient investments are made to meet NATO responsibilities, including by allocating at least 2 percent of each member’s gross domestic product to defense spending, 20 percent of which should be dedicated to major equipment procurement, as agreed at the 2014 Wales Summit and reaffirmed at the 2016 Warsaw Summit; continue to build on efforts to identify and address, through consensus, the security threats facing the alliance, such as by enhancing counterterrorism activities; continue to bolster deterrence efforts and promote the Enhanced Forward Presence in Eastern Europe; as decided at the 2016 Warsaw Summit, use the new rotational deployments of four multinational combat battalions in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to promote stability in that region as well as to deter Russian aggression; and invest in infrastructure projects necessary to guarantee free and efficient movement throughout the territories of NATO members; and the United States should commit to maintaining a robust military presence in Europe as a means of promoting allied interoperability, providing visible assurance to NATO allies, and deterring Russian aggression in the region.