WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, on Tuesday in introducing a resolution to commemorate the 15th anniversary of NATO’s invocation of Article V in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks against the United States.  Article V enshrines the principle of collective defense, meaning that an attack against one NATO ally is considered as an attack against all NATO allies. The resolution recommits the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty, affirms that the United States remains fully prepared, capable, and willing to honor its commitments under Article V, and encourages all NATO allies to continue their valuable contributions to the Alliance, including by investing at least two percent of gross domestic product in national defense spending.

“For over half a century, NATO has protected the rights and interests of the United States and our allies,” said Murphy. “At a time when some political leaders have threatened our commitment to our NATO allies, we honor them for being there in our country’s greatest hour of need and commit to redoubling our support for this important transatlantic partnership.”

“This resolution underscores Democratic support for NATO’s Article V, a bipartisan foreign policy consensus for nearly seven decades,” said Coons. “The principle of collective defense is a critical reason that NATO is the most successful military alliance in history.  Our NATO allies stood with the United States in the dark days after 9/11, and the United States must reassure our European partners that we will come to their defense.  Our commitment is even more important after Russia’s aggression in Eastern Europe and Donald Trump’s recent compliments of Vladimir Putin and his questioning of America’s commitments to our NATO allies.”