U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after a bipartisan briefing with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
"NATO is the most successful alliance of modern times. The alliance stood together to defeat communism and win the Cold War, and our NATO allies stood with us after the September 11th terrorist attacks. Today, however, the alliance is being tested like never before. Putin's war in Ukraine and dangerous threats of nuclear first use against our allies and partners have proven how valuable NATO cohesion is. Secretary General Stoltenberg assured me of NATO's continued cooperation and support of our robust oversight efforts of aid for Ukraine. I thank the Secretary General for his leadership in supporting Ukraine, bringing Finland and Sweden into NATO, and increasing defense spending across the alliance. The Secretary General also highlighted the need for NATO to adapt to counter the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party. For too long Europe tried to engage Russia and became economically dependent on Vladimir Putin for cheap energy. We need to ensure European mistakes with Russia are not repeated with China."
