Rounds Selected to Serve on NATO Observer Group

WASHINGTON– U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today announced that he will serve on the Senate North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Observer Group.

“The United States and our NATO partners continue to face new and emerging threats from our adversaries,” said Rounds. “By re-establishing the NATO Observer Group, the Senate will be able to obtain timely information on the important decisions being made and the threats we face. I look forward to being a part of this group as we work to further strengthen our strong bond with our NATO allies, promote peace and combat global security concerns.”

The Senate NATO Observer Group was first established in 1997 to serve as a connection between the Administration, NATO and the U.S. Senate. The Senate NATO Observer Group has been re-established since, in 2002, but was disbanded in 2007 due to a lack of NATO enlargement rounds. It was re-established by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) earlier this year with the support of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

The Senate NATO Observer Group has an expanded mission 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, NATO enlargement and the ability of NATO member states to address non-conventional warfare.  

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