NEW HAMPSHIRE — Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire discussed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and U.S. alliances. Shaheen, who serves as the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and co-chair of the Senate NATO Observer Group, said, "I have always believed that the United States is strongest when we work with allies, not when we go it alone."

"NATO is the most successful military alliance in history, and it has made Americans safer and stronger for more than seventy-five years," Shaheen stated. She described alliances as a strategic investment, saying, "Our alliances are a strategic investment in our own security and NATO gives the United States unmatched reach, burden sharing, intelligence cooperation, and military interoperability." She noted, "After September 11, NATO came to our defense," and added, "Allied troops fought and died along Americans in Afghanistan."

According to Shaheen, "Today, NATO is central to deterring Russia, supporting Ukraine, maintaining stability across Europe and countering hybrid warfare from our adversaries through technology, the space domain, and information warfare." She said, "Beijing is watching whether the United States and our allies stay united in Ukraine as Xi [Jinping] calculates his own moves in the Indo-Pacific." Shaheen asserted, "A strong NATO is one of our clearest advantages," while noting, "A divided NATO is exactly what [Vladimir] Putin and Xi want."

Shaheen addressed Russia's actions, stating, "When I entered the Senate, there was still hope in some quarters that Russia could be a more constructive partner." She said, "Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was a turning point, but it was not the beginning of the threat," and indicated, "Putin is not just using military force; he has launched sabotage operations, cyberattacks, and energy coercion to undermine Europe." Shaheen has taken legislative steps to counter Russian aggression, including leading legislation to remove Russian Kaspersky Lab software from U.S. computers and securing the passage of legislation for the first U.S. strategy in the Black Sea region. She also opposed the Nord Stream II pipeline.

On the topic of alliances, Shaheen said, "Our alliances protect our economy and supply chains and help prevent wars." She added, "Our alliances make all our lives more predictable because they create standards and establish common ground to make it easier to travel, do business, and become more prosperous together." She explained, "Our strong alliances are cemented through treaties and security agreements that are binding; these treaties provide assurances that despite political differences, our commitment to maintain security and economic ties remains ironclad." Shaheen also noted, "Congress has made clear that no president can unilaterally withdraw the United States from NATO."

With Turkey hosting the upcoming NATO summit, Shaheen said, "Turkey is a NATO ally with a strategically important role in the Alliance." She stated, "It sits at a critical geographic crossroads, controls access to the Black Sea, and has played an important role in Ukraine, including helping facilitate the Black Sea grain deal." She added, "Turkey is also a significant military power and defense industrial actor within NATO."