On Thursday, Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL05) signed the letter authored by House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Member Mike Turner (OH-10) supporting Finland and Sweden’s accession into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The letter was sent to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho).
Finland and Sweden have been neutral, but after Russia’s aggression on Ukraine, both Scandinavian countries have requested admittance into NATO, which provides a joint military defense.
The letter supports Finland and Sweden’s decision to apply to NATO and encourages the Biden Administration, the Senate and NATO allies to advance their admission protocols immediately.
Both countries have been involved in previous NATO-led operations and exercises. With their expected defense spending meeting NATO commitment levels, their forces are expected to add value to the alliance that was created to deter Russia. The letter explains that their admission will increase deterrence against Russia in the Arctic and across the Nordic and Baltic regions.
Brooks said that after witnessing what he called Russia’s “sickening” invasion of Ukraine and dealing with Russian aggression, joining NATO is the best option to enhance the security of the two nations.
“Russia’s completely indefensible invasion of Ukraine has permanently changed the security landscape of Europe,” Brooks said in a statement. “Russia’s continued heightened aggression toward both Finland and Sweden is more than enough justification for these two countries to request admission into NATO. As sovereign nations, they are entitled to make decisions in the best interest of their security and in this case, it means joining NATO. I applaud their decision.”
The letter to the U.S. Secretary of State states that “both Finland and Sweden have advanced economies and strong democratic institutions that align with the founding values enshrined in the Washington Treaty. Both nations are members of NATO’s Partnership for Peace and are Enhanced Opportunity Partners. Finland and Sweden have well-trained armed forces, sophisticated modern weapon systems, and have committed to allocating two percent of GDP to defense spending.
“The Russian Federation's unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine, an independent, peaceful, and democratic country, demonstrates the need for effective deterrence. Additionally, an increasingly aggressive posture from Russia toward both countries make expedited action by the Administration and consent to ratification of the accession protocols by the Senate an imperative. Recently, Russian operatives have initiated cyber-attacks on Finnish government sites, Russian manned military aircraft have violated Finnish sovereign airspace, and suspected Russian drones have been observed in Swedish restricted areas, to include nuclear power plants and the royal palace. As members of NATO, Finland and Sweden, would enhance the military capabilities of the alliance and serve to increase the deterrent effect of the alliance against an increasingly aggressive Russia.”
Congressman Mo Brooks is a candidate for U.S. Senate.
Lillie Boddie, Katie Boyd Britt, Brooks, Karla DuPriest, Mike Durant, and Jake Schafer are all running in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
Will Boyd, Brandaun Dean, and Lanny Jackson are running in the Democratic primary. The two eventual nominees will face off in the general election on Nov. 8.
To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandon.moseley@1819News.com.
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