Elton Gallegly: “Mr. Speaker, on November 21 and 22, the heads of state and government of the 19 members of the NATO alliance will gather…”

“Mr. Speaker, on November 21 and 22, the heads of state and government of the 19 members of the NATO alliance will gather in Prague in what will arguably be the most important meeting of the alliance in a decade. At Prague, the future of the alliance will thoroughly be debated. That debate will include the critical issue of whether the alliance can agree on what threats the alliance is likely to face in the future and whether the alliance members will make a serious and credible commitment to the development of the military capabilities necessary to meet those threats. In addition, the summit will affirm the new relationship with Russia and will make history by likely issuing invitations to the largest number of new members ever in the history of the alliance. Last November, when the House voted on the Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act, we were entering the beginning of a debate within the Congress, the Bush administration, the media, and among our NATO partners over the future of the alliance and what kind of alliance we would be inviting new members to join.”