Sec. 1338. Sense of the Senate on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization
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/bill/118/s/2226/pap/section-1338·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
It is the sense of the Senate that— the success of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is critical to advancing United States national security objectives in Europe, the Indo-Pacific region, and around the world; the North Atlantic Treaty Organization remains the strongest and most successful military alliance in the world, founded on a commitment by its members to uphold the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law; the United States reaffirms its ironclad commitment— to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as the foundation of transatlantic security; and to upholding its obligations under the North Atlantic Treaty, including Article 5; the unprovoked and illegal invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation has upended security in Europe and requires the full attention of the transatlantic alliance; welcoming Finland as the 31st member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has made the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Alliance stronger and the remaining North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries should swiftly ratify the accession protocols of Sweden so as to bolster the collective security of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization by increasing the security and stability of the Baltic Sea region and Northern Europe; the North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries that have not yet met the two-percent defense spending pledge, as agreed to at the 2014 Wales Summit, should endeavor to meet the timeline as expeditiously as possible, but certainly within the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act; the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies and partners should continue efforts to identify, synchronize, and deliver needed assistance to Ukraine as Ukraine continues the fight against the illegal and unjust war of the Russian Federation; the Strategic Concept, agreed to by all North Atlantic Treaty Organization member countries at the Madrid Summit in 2022, outlined the focus of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the upcoming decade, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies should continue to implement the strategies outlined, including by making efforts to address the challenges posed by the coercive policies of the People's Republic of China that undermine the interests, security, and shared values of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Alliance; the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies should continue long-term efforts— to improve interoperability among the military forces of member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization so as to enhance collective operations, including the divestment of Soviet-era capabilities; to enhance security sector cooperation and explore opportunities to reinforce civil sector preparedness and resilience measures that may be likely targets of malign influence campaigns; to mitigate the impact of hybrid warfare operations, particularly those in the information and cyber domains; and to expand joint research and development initiatives with a focus on emerging technologies such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, including through the work of the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic initiative (commonly known as DIANA ); the European Deterrence Initiative remains critically important and has demonstrated its unique value to the United States and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies during the current Russian Federation-created war against Ukraine; the United States should continue to work with North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, and other allies and partners, to build permanent mechanisms to strengthen supply chains, enhance supply chain security, and fill supply chain gaps; the United States should prioritize collaboration with North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies to secure enduring and robust critical munitions supply chains so as to increase military readiness; the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should expand cooperation efforts on cybersecurity issues to prevent adversaries and criminals from compromising critical systems and infrastructure; and it is in the interest of the United States that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization adopt a robust strategy toward the Black Sea, and the United States should also consider working with interested partner countries to advance a coordinated strategy inclusive of diverse elements of transatlantic security architecture in the Black Sea region.