; 65 Stat. 373). However, the United States has not provided similar assistance to new NATO allies following the end of the Cold War. (5) Given the return of great power competition and an aggressive Russia, there is a pressing need to assist NATO allies to modernize their forces and replace their obsolete Soviet military equipment. (6) The United States does provide some military equipment to NATO allies through the foreign military financing program and other grant assistance, but that assistance is insufficient to meet allies’ needs. (7) To supplement existing grant assistance, providing foreign military financing loans to allies—at rates competitive with those already available on commercial markets—to purchase NATO interoperable military equipment supports allies’ modernization requirements. (8) As described in Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty, in addition to providing security to allies, NATO was established to promote democratic institutions and values by strengthening their free institutions, by bringing about a better understanding of the principles upon which these institutions are founded, and by promoting conditions of stability and well-being . 3. Statement of Policy It is the policy of the United States to— (1) deter aggression against North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies by Russia or any other adversary; (2) assist NATO allies in acquiring and deploying modern, NATO interoperable military equipment and reducing their dependence on Russian or former Soviet-era defense articles; (3) ensure that NATO allies meet alliance defense commitments, including through adequate investments in national defense