Sec. 1653. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DETERRENCE AND DEFENSE POSTURE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION

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## SEC. 1653 SENSE OF CONGRESS ON DETERRENCE AND DEFENSE POSTURE OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION It is the sense of Congress that the United States reaffirms and remains committed to the policies enumerated by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in the Deterrence and Defense Posture Review, dated May 20, 2012, and the Wales Summit Declaration of September 2014, including the following statements: ####

(1)As stated in the Deterrence and Defense Posture Review: #####

(A)“The greatest responsibility of the Alliance is to protect and defend our territory and our populations against attack, as set out in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. The Alliance does not consider any country to be its adversary. However, no one should doubt NATO’s resolve if the security of any of its members were to be threatened. NATO will ensure that it maintains the full range of capabilities necessary to deter and defend against any threat to the safety and security of our populations, wherever it should arise. Allies’ goal is to bolster deterrence as a core element of our collective defense and contribute to the indivisible security of the Alliance.”. #####

(B)“Nuclear weapons are a core component of NATO’s overall capabilities for deterrence and defense alongside conventional and missile defense forces. The review has shown that the Alliance’s nuclear force posture currently meets the criteria for an effective deterrence and defense posture.”. #####

(C)“The circumstances in which any use of nuclear weapons might have to be contemplated are extremely remote. As long as nuclear weapons exist, NATO will remain a nuclear alliance. The supreme guarantee of the security of the Allies is provided by the strategic nuclear forces of the Alliance, particularly those of the United States; the independent strategic forces of the United Kingdom and France, which have a deterrent role of their own, contribute to the overall deterrence and security of the Allies.”. #####

(D)“NATO must have the full range of capabilities necessary to deter and defend against threats to the safety of its populations and the security of its territory, which is the Alliance’s greatest responsibility.”. #####

(E)“NATO is committed to maintaining an appropriate mix of nuclear, conventional, and missile defense capabilities for deterrence and defense to fulfill its commitments as set out in the Strategic Concept. These capabilities, underpinned by NATO’s Integrated Command Structure, offer the strongest guarantee of the Alliance’s security and will ensure that it is able to respond to a variety of challenges and unpredictable contingencies in a highly complex and evolving international security environment.”. ####

(2)As stated in the Wales Summit Declaration: #####

(A)“Deterrence, based on an appropriate mix of nuclear, conventional, and missile defence capabilities, remains a core element of our overall strategy.”. #####

(B)“Arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation continue to play an important role in the achievement of the Alliance’s security objectives. Both the success and failure of these efforts can have a direct impact on the threat environment of NATO. In this context, it is of paramount importance that disarmament and non-proliferation commitments under existing treaties are honoured, including the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces

(INF)Treaty, which is a crucial element of Euro-Atlantic security. In that regard, Allies call on Russia to preserve the viability of the INF Treaty through ensuring full and verifiable compliance.”. ## Subtitle E Missile Defense Programs