	Overview and Context

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) 2014 summit was held in Newport, Wales, United Kingdom (UK), on September 4-5. Accordingly, summit deliberations centered largely on the appropriate NATO response to Russian aggression and the extent to which the alliance should alter its longer-term strategic approach and defense posture toward Russia. The formal summit agenda focused on three main areas: 
Enhancing allied readiness and strengthening collective defense and military capabilities, including through increased troop rotations and military exercises in Central and Eastern Europe; Marking the conclusion of NATO's decade-long mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014 and launching a planned follow-on training mission; and Enhancing NATO's support of partner countries outside the alliance, including through a new "Defense Capacity Building Initiative." However, although NATO condemned ISIL and noted significant security concerns in the region, the alliance as a whole did not commit to a substantive response beyond saying that it would consider any future request from the Iraqi government for assistance in training Iraqi security forces. After more than a decade of war in Afghanistan and against the backdrop of a resurgent Russia, allies such as Poland and the Baltic states have called for a renewed NATO focus on collective defense and deterring Russia. Among other things, they have advocated a permanent eastward shift in NATO's defense posture. In Wales, the allies committed to halting any further cuts in national defense spending and agreed to aim to meet NATO's target of spending 2% of GDP on defense within a decade. Obama Administration officials outlined several key objectives for the Wales summit, including securing additional European contributions to reassurance and military readiness initiatives in Central and Eastern Europe and pledges to increase defense spending and enhance military capabilities. The allies also agreed to establish a new Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), capable of deploying within "a few days" to respond to any threat against an ally, particularly on NATO's periphery. In 2013, total defense spending by NATO European allies as a percentage of GDP was about 1.6%; just four NATO allies (Estonia, Greece, the UK, and the United States) met the alliance's goal of spending 2% of GDP on defense (see Appendix for more allied defense spending figures). These pledges were widely viewed as falling well short of the shorter-term, binding commitments thought to be sought by NATO officials and the U.S. Administration. Transition in Afghanistan

The Wales summit was NATO's last before the planned transfer at the end of 2014 of full responsibility for security in Afghanistan to Afghan forces—marking the end of the longest and most extensive combat mission in NATO's history. A second Administration priority at the summit was to reassure European allies, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, that the United States remains fully prepared, capable, and willing to honor its collective defense commitments in Europe. Against the backdrop of escalating violence in Iraq and Syria, President Obama also sought to secure commitments from fellow allies to join U.S.-led efforts to fight ISIL. The Administration has moved to adjust its force posture in Europe in response to Russian actions in Ukraine. In addition, the Administration is seeking congressional approval for $925 million to fund a European Reassurance Initiative, intended to reassure allies in Central and Eastern Europe and bolster the security and defense capabilities of allies and partner countries in the region (see text box below). Congressional Views

Members of Congress have expressed deep concern over Russian aggression in Ukraine, with many calling for a robust NATO and U.S. military response, and others advocating stronger European contributions to collective defense measures in Europe. Congress could also take an increasingly active role in determining U.S. policy toward NATO and in guiding discussions about NATO's future more broadly. The prospects for further NATO enlargement, especially to the east, have been of particular interest to many Members of Congress, who argue that continued enlargement would send an important signal to aspiring members that NATO's "open door" policy will not be scaled back in the face of Russian opposition. The proposed Forging Peace through Strength in Ukraine and the Transatlantic Alliance Act ( H.R. 4433 ) also calls for immediate NATO membership for Montenegro and the granting of a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Georgia. These might include: 
Addressing whether the alliance should adopt a new strategic concept that better reflects views of the security threat posed by Russia (NATO's current strategic concept was adopted in 2010); Examining NATO's capacity and willingness to address other security threats to the Euro-Atlantic region, including from the Middle East and North Africa; More seriously addressing the possible consequences of member states' failure to meet agreed defense spending targets; Assessing U.S. force posture in Europe and the willingness of European allies to contribute to U.S. defense initiatives in Europe such as the ballistic missile defense program and the proposed European Reassurance Initiative; and Revisiting the allies' commitment to NATO's stated "open door" policy on enlargement.
On September 4-5, the leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO's) 28 member states met in Wales for the alliance's 2014 summit. This was their first meeting since Russia began providing large-scale military support to separatist forces fighting in Ukraine, and their last before the planned completion by the end of 2014 of NATO's mission in Afghanistan, the longest and most ambitious operation in NATO history. As such, some analysts portrayed the summit as an opportunity to consider a possible strategic shift for NATO, away from the broad, "out of area" focus embodied by the Afghanistan mission, toward a more narrow focus on territorial defense and deterrence, largely in response to a resurgent Russia. Although the allies did not make such decisive declarations, summit deliberations did center largely on responding to Russian aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere in the region.
Summit outcomes centered on three main areas: (1) enhancing allied readiness and collective defense in response to Russian aggression; (2) increasing defense spending and boosting military capabilities; and (3) boosting NATO support for partner countries outside the alliance, including through a new "Defense Capacity Building Initiative." The allies also marked the planned withdrawal at the end of 2014 of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan and discussed a non-combat security sector training mission in the country expected to begin in 2015.
The cornerstone of NATO's new collective defense initiative is a "Readiness Action Plan" intended to enable a continuous NATO military presence on the alliance's periphery, including in its easternmost member states. This includes enhanced troop rotations and military exercises in Central and Eastern Europe and establishment of a high readiness force able to deploy within a few days. Although NATO leaders have characterized the envisioned rotational troop deployments in Central and Eastern Europe as continuous, they say the deployments will not amount to a permanent NATO military presence. Some allied governments in the region, including Poland and the Baltic states, have called for larger, permanent NATO deployments. These are opposed by member states concerned about the possible negative consequences of longer-lasting militarization in the region.
In Wales, the allies also sought to address widespread concerns regarding a long and ongoing decline in European defense spending—in 2013, only four allies met the alliance's target to spend 2% of GDP on defense. NATO leaders committed to halting any further decline in defense spending and pledged to aim to reach the 2% target within a decade. These declarations fell short of the shorter-term, binding commitments reportedly sought by the United States and the NATO Secretary General.
A top U.S. Administration priority for the summit was to secure allied commitments to increase defense spending, enhance military capabilities, and boost contributions to NATO defense initiatives in Europe. In addition, President Obama sought to reassure European allies, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, that the United States remains prepared, capable, and willing to honor its collective defense commitments in Europe. The Administration also used the summit to gain commitments from other governments to join ongoing efforts to fight the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Although a group of allies agreed to join these efforts, all ruled out deploying ground forces, and NATO as a whole did not commit to any new, substantive engagement in the region.
Congress can continue to play an important role in guiding the U.S. and NATO response to Russian aggression in Ukraine and in addressing broader concerns regarding NATO's future. This includes consideration of the Administration's request for $925 million to fund a proposed European Reassurance Initiative. Many Members of Congress have consistently called on NATO's European allies to enhance their contributions to NATO collective defense efforts. They have also advocated a more proactive NATO enlargement policy, which they argue would send an important signal to aspiring members that NATO's "open door" policy will not be scaled back in the face of Russian opposition. The proposed Forging Peace through Strength in Ukraine and the Transatlantic Alliance Act (H.R. 4433), for example, calls for additional NATO and U.S. military assistance to Ukraine and calls for immediate NATO membership for Montenegro and the granting of a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Georgia.
This report provides an overview of the summit's main agenda items and outcomes, highlighting key challenges, U.S. policy priorities, and potential issues for Congress. For more on the situation in Ukraine and NATO's response, see CRS Report R43478, NATO: Response to the Crisis in Ukraine and Security Concerns in Central and Eastern Europe, coordinated by [author name scrubbed]; and CRS Report RL33460, Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy, by [author name scrubbed].