Whereas, on April 4, 1949, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded with the ideals of democracy, individual liberty, and the desire for peaceful resolutions of disputes; Whereas for over six decades, NATO has been a successful intergovernmental political and military alliance; Whereas NATO’s collective defense acts as a deterrent to aggression where the alliance defends its Allied countries against external security threats; Whereas NATO strengthens the security of the United States by utilizing an integrated military coalition; Whereas Russia has continued to threaten the sovereignty of countries in Europe and exhibit threatening behavior toward our own military assets, NATO sends a clear collective message that the Alliance will not tolerate Russia's provocation; Whereas in respect to the changing threats against Europe and the United States since the end of the Cold War, NATO has evolved to take on new dangers including terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and cyber attacks; Whereas after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States, NATO invoked Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty for the first time in NATO’s history to deploy military resources to Afghanistan in support of the United States mission to combat a dangerous terrorist threat; Whereas NATO aided the United States military by leading the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan from August 2003 to 2014, working with Afghan authorities to respond to the terrorist insurgency and to provide effective security across the country; Whereas NATO continues a civilian-led presence in Afghanistan to strengthen Afghan security forces and institutions to ensure the country can rebuild its security operations and end safe haven for terrorists