; Whereas, following the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, NATO invoked article 5 of the Washington Treaty for the first time, calling on the Alliance to provide for collective defense; Whereas Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, which were among the first Eastern European nations to declare independence from the Soviet Union, formally joined NATO in 2004 and have provided notable support for NATO operations, including— (1) operations in Iraq and Afghanistan; (2) operations that have been enhanced in response to increased threats; and (3) operations in response to the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation in February 2022; Whereas, in 2006, the Alliance agreed that each member country would commit at least 2 percent of their Gross Domestic Product to defense spending to ensure sustained readiness; Whereas the Alliance consists of 31 independent member countries, including Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States; Whereas, in response to the unprovoked and illegal war on Ukraine by the Russian Federation, Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2022; Whereas, during the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid, Spain, NATO formally extended an invitation to Finland and Sweden to join the Alliance; Whereas Finland formally ascended to the Alliance on April 4, 2023, as the most recent country to join NATO; Whereas the accession of Sweden into NATO awaits final ratification by Hungary and Turkiye; Whereas NATO— (1) leads operations in Kosovo and other countries in the Mediterranean region to maintain peace and stability; (2) supports operations around the world, including in Europe and the African Union, to advance priorities of the Alliance