RALEIGH -- U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jim Risch (R-ID), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ron Johnson (R-WI), and Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced bipartisan legislation in support of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and in recognition of the great accomplishments the organization has made over the past 70 years.

“Over the last 70 years, NATO has been vital to ensuring mutual security and maintaining peace and stability throughout the world,” said Senator Tillis. “It is an honor to serve as the co-chair of the bipartisan Senate NATO Observer Group and work with my colleagues to strengthen the alliance between America and member states.

The resolution establishes that the Senate: lauds NATO for its 70-year maintenance of the alliance and recognizes its singular contributions to maintaining the safety, security, and democratic systems of its members;

Calls on NATO member states to continue to fully meet their Wales pledges, more fully share the security burden by increasing their defense spending with a focus on meeting capabilities targets, enhancing interoperability, improving readiness, and modernization to respond to the threats that face the alliance on each of its flanks;

Stands in robust support of those NATO members who spend two percent or more of their GDPs on defense, acknowledges the four countries that have met that goal since 2014, and strongly encourages the remainder to strive to quickly reach that goal;

Affirms that the Senate stands ready to consider, if all applicable criteria are satisfied, the Republic of North Macedonia’s application to join NATO;

Backs the White House’s 2017 affirmation that the United States ‘‘stand[s] firmly behind Article 5’’ of the NATO Treaty;

Welcomes former Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ efforts to encourage significant NATO reforms, especially regarding modernization, readiness, command structure adaptation, military mobility, and improving NATO’s speed of decision- making to ensure the alliance remains fit for purpose; and

reaffirms the commitment of the United States to NATO’s mission, and its belief that NATO is the most successful security alliance in our Nation’s history and one that will continue to be a cornerstone of United States security.