Nato

Floor Speech

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Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, today, I rise and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden to join NATO. This is probably one of the easiest votes I will ever make in the U.S. Senate.

I have listened to arguments about Asia, somehow that it comes in here. Look, we can walk and chew gum at the same time. Certainly, we need to look at what is going on in Asia, pay attention to what is going on in Asia, but what we are talking about here is the defense of the North Atlantic.

This organization was put together many years ago. It has grown over those years to be 30-strong. And now we are going to add two more.

I have characterized NATO as the most successful political and military alliance in the history of the world; certainly the most powerful alliance in the history of the world. And today we have the opportunity to expand the alliance by including Finland and Sweden.

Over the years, we have added various countries, and debates could be had about those countries as to whether or not they are sufficient to join NATO and be part of the article 5 ``an attack on one is an attack on all'' alliance. But on Finland and Sweden, there really is little, if any, argument. These are two very successful countries.

This accession process is an important chance for the United States to demonstrate leadership in NATO--we have over the years, and we will continue to do so--and the United States' commitment to its modernization and to its future.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has carefully consulted and coordinated with our NATO allies, the Governments of Sweden and Finland, and with the administration to ensure this process could move as efficiently as possible. I can tell you that, personally--and others have done the same over recent years and particularly over recent months, have pressed Finland and Sweden to change their view as to whether or not they should remain neutral and instead move into the NATO alliance.

On February 24, we all know the world shook. Things changed dramatically. After Putin's unprovoked attack on Ukraine, Sweden and Finland, I am sure, woke up and said: You know, that could be us next, but it won't be us if we join NATO. So their polling in their country changed dramatically on February 24 as to whether or not NATO membership was appropriate for them. They have now enthusiastically said that NATO is appropriate for them, and we have shown in this body bipartisan support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO.

Finland and Sweden will make model members of the NATO alliance. Both have strong and capable militaries in place now and are already net contributors to the security alliance. As was pointed out earlier by Senator Collins here, they have been very active in NATO, even though they are not members of NATO, by participating in various drills that have taken place and also by participating in the duties that NATO does strengthening the eastern flank of NATO. They have also demonstrated interoperability with NATO, which is extremely important, and the commitment necessary to join the alliance.

I would say that today, with what is going on in Ukraine, Finland and Sweden joining the alliance is even more important. When the shooting is over in Ukraine, it won't be over. NATO is going to reexamine what they need to do to strengthen themselves, and certainly one of those will be an examination of hardening the eastern flank. Finland and Sweden, obviously, are on the eastern flank and will add considerably to that. Not only that, it is going to cost more to defend the eastern flank simply because of what Russia has done. Finland and Sweden will be a contributor, as will everybody.

Adding these two nations as full members of our alliance will further deter any temptation by Russia to engage in military adventurism in the Baltic and Arctic regions. I believe Russia is already deterred when we say and our NATO allies say and European nations say to Putin: Not one square inch. Whether it is on the eastern border of one of the Baltic States or whether it is downtown London or in the United States, an attack on any of the NATO countries is an attack on all of them, and the response will be swift.

Today's ratification of Finland and Sweden as new members of NATO will both send a strong message of transatlantic unity to Putin and strengthen NATO against Russia's ongoing threat. NATO has pulled together regionally to push back on Russia, and it is obvious that need has not gone away.

I want to urge my colleagues to vote yes. This is a really easy vote.
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