Shaheen & Tillis Reaffirm Senate’s Bipartisan Commitment to NATO, Announce They’ll Continue to Lead Senate NATO Observer Group

(Washington, DC)—U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) announced today that they will again co-chair the Senate NATO Observer Group, which they established together in 2018.

The expanded mission of the Senate NATO Observer Group is to closely monitor and inform Senators outside of national security committees about defense spending commitments of Alliance members, the process of upgrading military capabilities, the Alliance’s counter-terrorism capability and the ability of NATO member states to address non-conventional warfare. Shaheen and Tillis reaffirmed the Senate’s bipartisan support for NATO in a call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken earlier today.

“The U.S. Senate is unequivocal in its bipartisan commitment to the transatlantic alliance that has maintained our global security for more than seven decades. I’m glad to reaffirm that support today with Senator Tillis by announcing that we will continue to serve as co-chairs of the Senate NATO Observer Group in this new session of Congress,” said Senator Shaheen. “We re-established this group two years ago as our country and world experienced new, complex threats from our adversaries that sought to undermine democracies and disrupt the world order. The urgent need to fight back against those threats is more important today than ever before. The Senate NATO Observer Group is an important bridge between Congress and NATO that fortifies our transatlantic alliance and supports NATO’s mission and ability to counter threats to our democratic institutions. I appreciated discussing our shared goals with Secretary Blinken, and my continued partnership with Senator Tillis in the Senate. I look forward to mobilizing the Senate NATO Observer Group as the new session of Congress gets underway.”

“As the United States and its allies continue to face numerous and unconventional threats, it’s more important than ever that we reaffirm to the world our commitment to NATO. The Senate NATO Observer Group is an essential part of that commitment, and I proudly re-established this initiative with Senator Shaheen on a bipartisan basis in 2018 to keep our colleagues in the Senate informed of updates surrounding our NATO allies,” said Senator Tillis. “I look forward to using this platform to discuss how our alliance can better prepare for hybrid, and in particular, cyber threats from Russia and other adversaries. We stand with many of our Senate colleagues to recognize the importance of a strong and committed NATO alliance, as our community of democracies continues to expand and thrive.”

Senators Shaheen and Tillis are both members of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senator Shaheen is also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where she serves as Chair of the Europe and Regional Security Cooperation Subcommittee.