IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 291 Recognizing that contributions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are vital to United States national security. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 4, 2019 Ms. FRANKEL (for herself, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. DEUTCH, Mr. KEATING, Mr. SUOZZI, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. BERA, Mr. GALLEGO, Ms. SHALALA, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. BUSTOS, Mr. COSTA, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. RUSH, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. CROW, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. SIRES, Mr. CLEAVER, Ms. HILL of California, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. LIPIN- SKI, Mr. VELA, Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. SPEIER, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Ms. NORTON, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. HIMES, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. SLOTKIN, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. SMITH of Washington, and Mr. MALINOWSKI) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Recognizing that contributions of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are vital to United States national security. Whereas, on April 4, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Orga- nization (NATO) was founded as a defensive alliance to enhance security cooperation between member states and deter a military attack on the allies; VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:40 Apr 04, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR291.IH HR291 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 291 IH Whereas the United States military presence in Europe has deterred the outbreak of another world war and protects the territorial integrity of NATO allies; Whereas the 2017 National Security Strategy of the United States of America reaffirms that NATO is ‘‘one of our great advantages over our competitors, and the United States remains committed to Article 5 [of the North At- lantic Treaty]’’; Whereas 29 countries have joined NATO, including most re- cently the Republic of Montenegro, which was admitted in 2017; Whereas, on February 9, 2019, NATO member states signed an accession protocol with the Republic of North Mac- edonia, which officially launches the process to make North Macedonia the 30th member of the alliance; Whereas continued NATO enlargement has promoted peace- ful democratic transitions and stability in Central and Eastern Europe, key United States interests; Whereas NATO provides a deployable and integrated multi- lateral military capability, enabling the United States to rapidly shape and lead coalitions to address security threats; Whereas joint NATO planning, training, and exercises boost United States military readiness and ensure interoper- ability, defined in this context ‘‘as the ability for [NATO] allies to act together coherently, effectively and efficiently to achieve tactical, operational and strategic objectives’’; Whereas NATO has played a critical role in securing stability in the Balkans, including through its current deployment of approximately 3,210 non-United States troops in Kosovo as part of NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR), an VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:40 Apr 04, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR291.IH HR291 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 291 IH international peacekeeping mission in existence since 1999; Whereas NATO invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Trea- ty, its collective defense clause, for the first and only time in response to the terrorist attacks on the United States that occurred on September 11, 2001; Whereas NATO has deployed thousands of troops to Afghani- stan, where more than 1,100 non-United States NATO ally and partner forces have been killed; Whereas Admiral James Stavridis, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, testified that, ‘‘I signed, sadly, thou- sands of letters of condolence to Europeans who died fighting because the United States had been attacked’’; Whereas in 2001, NATO agreed on eight measures to sup- port the United States on counter-terrorism, including enhancing intelligence-sharing and providing blanket overflight clearances and access for the United States to ports and airfields for operations against terrorism; Whereas NATO allies are reinforcing NATO’s eastern flank by leading three of the four battlegroups of NATO’s En- hanced Forward Presence in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland; Whereas NATO is a member of the Global Coalition to De- feat ISIS and supports it through a non-combat training and capacity building mission in Iraq and with the de- ployment of aircraft to provide intelligence and greater situational awareness; Whereas the Russian Federation continues to undermine transatlantic unity and security, including through its in- vasions of Georgia and Ukraine, noncompliance with its arms control commitments, support for the Assad regime VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:40 Apr 04, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR291.IH HR291 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 291 IH and destabilizing role in Syria, interference in democratic elections, downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in Ukraine on July 17, 2014, and its use of a nerve agent in Salisbury, United Kingdom on March 4, 2018; Whereas NATO carries out disaster relief operations and missions to protect populations against natural or hu- manitarian disasters, and has adopted anti-piracy respon- sibilities to ensure freedom of the seas; Whereas NATO enhances United States cybersecurity, in- cluding through the Cyber Operations Center, which in- corporates cyber warfare into the alliance’s defense oper- ations, and the Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Ex- cellence, which supports its member states with cyber defence expertise; Whereas NATO member states have participated in economic sanctions and reduced trade activity with Russia and Iran following the imposition of United States sanctions; Whereas at the 2014 Wales Summit Declaration, all NATO member states aimed to allocate 2 percent of their gross domestic product toward defense spending and 20 per- cent of their annual defense spending on major new equipment, including related research and development by 2024; Whereas NATO members, not including the United States, have increased defense spending for 4 consecutive years, and more than half of NATO member states now spend more than 20 percent of their annual defense expendi- tures on major new equipment; and Whereas, on April 3, 2019, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed a joint meeting of Congress to VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:40 Apr 04, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR291.IH HR291 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 291 IH mark the seventieth anniversary of the Alliance: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) reaffirms the enduring commitment of the 2 United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organi- 3 zation (NATO) as the bedrock of transatlantic secu- 4 rity and stability; 5 (2) appreciates the many contributions that 6 NATO member states have made to support and ad- 7 vance vital United States security interests; and 8 (3) recognizes that continued United States 9 leadership in NATO is essential to addressing evolv- 10 ing threats to national security and to fulfilling 11 NATO’s three core tasks: collective defense, crisis 12 management, and cooperative security. 13 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:40 Apr 04, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR291.IH HR291 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS