In the News

Today, Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA), Chairman of the U.S. Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and Congressman Michael Turner (R-OH), former President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, introduced a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States remains committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The bipartisan resolution reaffirms the United States’ commitment to NATO and its Article 5 collective defense commitment, calls for continued support of democratic institutions, supports maintained progress towards commitments made at the Wales Summit, and recommits U.S. participation in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

“NATO has proven to be a durable and effective tool both of diplomacy and of military deterrence,” said Chairman Connolly. “In its seventy-year history, NATO has helped us avoid another global conflict, especially one that engulfs all of Europe. It’s mission is just as critical today as when it was born, and it is important that Congress make absolutely clear to the international community that the United States stands in strong support of this alliance.”

“NATO uniquely unites its member states on the common ground of shared values, which is why it has been able to endure and remain critical to international security for 70 years,” said Turner. “This resolution is a clear signal of the United States’s steadfast commitment to NATO. Together, the 29, soon to be 30, members of NATO represent the most powerful military and diplomatic alliance in history, and our unity ensures our shared success.”

Full text of the resolution follows and is available here.



Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States remains committed to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Whereas for 70 years, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has served as the world’s preeminent political and military alliance committed to the collective defense of its members and dedicated to ensuring the peace, security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic area;

Whereas NATO was founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law.

Whereas the security of the United States is inseparable from the participation and leadership of the United States in NATO;

Whereas NATO continues to promote a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace;

Whereas since the end of the Cold War, NATO has continued to redefine and transform itself and take on new missions and confront emerging threats such as terrorism, hybrid warfare, instability caused by failed states, cyber attacks, piracy, and threats to global energy security;

Whereas after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington on April 4, 1949, was invoked for the first time in the history of the organization;

Whereas NATO members subsequently deployed tens-of-thousands of troops to Afghanistan to respond to a dangerous terrorist threat;

Whereas European allies and Canada suffered approximately one-third of all fatalities suffered by NATO forces in Afghanistan;

Whereas NATO has worked to deter Russian aggression including responding to the illegal invasions and occupations of Georgia and Ukraine by the Russian Federation;

Whereas the United States recognizes the significant increases in allied national defense budgets following the Wales Summit in 2014 and continues to recognize allied burden-sharing as a critical component of collective defense;

Whereas NATO continues to support an open-door membership policy of admitting any European state that can contribute to the promotion and protection of freedom, democracy, stability, and peace throughout Europe;

Whereas NATO continues to enhance the security of Europe and the world by strengthening partnerships with countries around the world; and

Whereas Congress recognizes its commitment to the alliance by actively participating in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and fulfilling its statutory commitment to the assembly in order to facilitate legislative awareness and understanding of critical security issues affecting the alliance;

Now, therefore, be it Resolved,

That the House of Representatives--
(1) Reaffirms its unequivocal support for NATO and its cornerstone Article 5 collective defense commitment;
(2) Calls on allies to uphold the founding principles of the alliance by strengthening democratic institutions, respecting individual liberty, and reinforcing the rule of law;
(3) Supports continued progress by all Allies towards the fair burden sharing commitments made at the Wales Summit;
(4) Supports the statutory mandates regarding U.S. participation in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
(5) Recognizes the success of NATO as a triumph for liberal democracy and a rules-based international order.