The Senate has unanimously passed a resolution reaffirming the United States’ commitment to NATO, amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive funding requests from NATO member nations.
The resolution, tied to the Iran sanctions bill, states that the U.S. is committed to Article 5 of the treaty and will fulfill any obligations associated with that section of the treaty, which enshrines the concept that an attack against one NATO member is an attack against all members of the alliance.
Also in the resolution is a reminder that the only time Article 5 has ever been invoked was in support of the U.S. in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack.
Graham called the vote a “historic moment for US-NATO relationship.”
The overall Iran/Russia sanctions bill passed by 98-2.
“Article 5 states that an attack on one NATO nation is an attack on all,” Graham said in a statement. “This is an important founding principle of NATO and the concept of ‘collective defense.’ Today’s overwhelming vote should reassure our allies and give notice to our enemies that America stands firmly in support of NATO and our Article 5 commitment.”
“For almost seven decades, the principle of ‘collective defense’ has helped protected the security of the United States as well as our NATO allies,” Graham added.
Graham, a member of the Senate Committee on Armed Services, has been a strong proponent of NATO, even as the status of the alliance has experienced some amount of turbulence because of President Donald Trump’s conflicting statements. However, it seems that Trump has mostly settled into the idea that while the alliance is necessary, other members should spend their fair share on defense, which many of them have been avoiding for years.
Trump wants allies part of NATO to spend not just 2 percent of GDP on defense, but three percent.
Although Trump in May refused to explicitly commit to Article 5 while at NATO headquarters, at a recent press conference, he explicitly backed the provision.
“Yes, absolutely I would be committed to Article 5,” he said.
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