S.Amdt. 1813

SA 1813. Mr. GRAHAM submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of subtitle D of title XII, add the following:

SEC. 1242. SENSE OF SENATE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF GERMANY TO
THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION ALLIANCE
AND THE UNITED STATES AND ON THE CRITICAL
REQUIREMENTS TO MAINTAIN ROBUST UNITED STATES
MILITARY FORCES IN GERMANY.

(a) Findings.--The Senate makes the following findings:
(1) The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance
is a groundbreaking political and military alliance that
ensures freedom and democracy through shared values for all
30 member states of the alliance.
(2) NATO continues to expand, with its newest member, North
Macedonia, joining in 2020, showing the continued desire by
European nations to join the alliance.
(3) Germany is a longtime member and a strong ally within
NATO and a great friend to the United States.
(4) While all NATO member nations contribute critical
capabilities to the alliance, the Senate encourages all
allies within NATO to reach the goal of spending a minimum of
2.0 percent of their Gross Domestic Product on defense
spending as soon as possible to strengthen the alliance even
more.
(5) Germany currently spends roughly 1.54 percent of its
Gross Domestic Product on defense. As the strongest economy
in Europe, the Senate urges Germany to expedite its timeline
to meet the 2.0 percent NATO goal.
(6) On March 15, 1967, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany, was
selected as the permanent location for the headquarters of
the United States European Command.
(7) Since its inception, the United States European Command
has supported more than 200 named operations and has deployed
forces in support of operations and training throughout
Europe, Southwest Asia, and Israel.
(8) On October 1, 2008, the United States established the
United States Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany.
(9) The United States has approximately 35,000 troops
stationed within Germany supporting operations for two United
States combatant commands and the NATO alliance.
(10) The presence of United States military forces in
Germany is a strong deterrent against Russian aggression in
Europe and strengthens the capability of NATO.
(11) Germany is one of the Unites States' closest and
strongest European allies with both countries sharing common
trading partners, institutions, and friendships.
(b) Sense of Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that
Germany--
(1) continues to be a strong ally to the NATO alliance and
a great friend to the United States;
(2) serves as a strategic location for United States
military forces that serve as a strong deterrent against
Russian military aggression and expansion within Europe; and
(3) remains a vital political, economic, and security
partner which is critical to our continued prosperity and
stability.
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