Congressional Documents

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                        TITLE XII--MATTERS RELATING TO OTHER NATIONS              


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                                  SUBTITLE C--OTHER MATTERS                       


                      Sense of Congress and reports regarding financial costs of   
           enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (sec. 1223)       

       The House bill contained a provision (sec. 1207) that would limit   
   the amount spent by the United States on enlarging the membership of the
   North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to ten percent of the cost of 
   expansion, or a total of $2.0 billion, whichever is less, for fiscal    
   years 1998 through 2010.                                                

    The Senate amendment contained no similar provision.                   

       The Senate recedes with an amendment that would include findings on 
   the differing assessments of the costs of enlarging NATO in reports     
   submitted to Congress by the Department of Defense, the Congressional   
   Budget Office and the RAND Corporation, and the General Accounting      
   Office; would express the sense of Congress that the costs associated   
   with enlarging the Alliance will be major factors during Senate         
   consideration of the instruments of ratification, and the congressional 
   authorization and appropriation of funds. The provision would require   
   the Secretary of Defense to provide to Congress by March 31, 1998, an   
   assessment of the NATO analysis of the military requirements and the    
   estimated financial costs to the Alliance of integrating Poland, the    
   Czech Republic, and Hungary into NATO. In addition, the provision would 
   require the Secretary of Defense to submit with the fiscal year 1999    
   budget a report on the costs of NATO enlargement reflected in the       
   Department of Defense budget and with appropriate detail in the budget  
   justification materials submitted to Congress.                          

                      Sense of Congress regarding expansion of the North Atlantic  
           Treaty Organization (sec. 1224)                                         

       The Senate amendment contained a provision (sec. 1087) that would   
   express the sense of the Senate commending the North Atlantic Treaty    
   Organization (NATO) for its commitment to review the prospect of further
   enlarging the Alliance in 1999, and for its recognition of progress made
   by Romania and Slovenia in meeting the guidelines for prospective       
   membership in NATO.                                                     

    The House bill contained no similar provision.                         

    The House recedes with a technical and clarifying amendment.           




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             TITLE XXV--NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION SECURITY INVESTMENT    
                                     PROGRAM                                      
                                      FISCAL YEAR 1998                            

           Overview                                                                


       The House bill would authorize $166,300,000 for the U.S.            
   contribution to the NATO Security Investment Program for fiscal year    
   1998.                                                                   

    The Senate amendment would authorize $152,600,000 for this purpose.    

       The conferees agree to authorize $152,600,000 for the United States 
   contribution to the NATO Security Investment Program.