Sec. 1302. Sense of Congress on United States defense posture in Europe
388 words·~2 min read·
/bill/117/hr/4350/eh/section-1302·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
It is the sense of Congress as follows: The United States is steadfastly committed to upholding and strengthening its defense alliances and partnerships in the European theater. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO)alliance is the bedrock of these relationships, which are central to deterring Russian aggression, upholding territorial integrity and sovereignty in Europe, countering malign efforts to undermine the rules-based international order and disrupt shared values, fostering international cooperation against collective challenges, and advancing shared national security objectives worldwide. United States allies in Europe have made substantial strides on responsibility-sharing and defense investment since the Wales Declaration in 2014 and should be commended for their ongoing efforts to increase complementary investments in NATO deterrence capacity. These efforts have provided an accumulated increase of more than $130,000,000,000 in foreign investments between 2016 and 2020 to strengthen trans-Atlantic security, and it is essential that the United States continue to press NATO allies to achieve their Wales Summit pledges and continue to make progress on greater complementary defense investments. The behavior of the Russian Government has not improved and has, in many aspects, become increasingly belligerent since the invasion of Ukraine in 2014, with respect to— military efforts to disrupt the territorial integrity of sovereign countries in Europe; threats against the United States, NATO, and other United States partners; intervention in allied democratic processes; efforts to disrupt United States alliances, partnerships, and values; acts such as assassination and the use of chemical weapons on the territory of other sovereign countries; and other high-risk, disruptive efforts. Continued commitment to enhancing the United States and allied force posture in Europe is indispensable for efforts to establish and sustain a credible deterrent against Russian aggression and long-term strategic competition by the Russian government. The Secretary of Defense must continue to— support the European Deterrence Initiative and other investments in a strengthened United States and allied force posture in Europe; support rotational deployments and robust exercises in the European theater; complete efforts to establish prepositioned stocks and effective staging infrastructure to maintain credible deterrence against Russian threats; invest effectively in multi-service, cyber, information, and air defense efforts to counter modern military challenges, enhance the survivability and flexibility of the United States force posture, logistics, and planning; and consider whether additional forward-positioned forces in Europe would reduce cost and strain, enhance credibility, and strengthen capabilities.