Military

June 27, 1997

The Honorable Benjamin Gilman
Chairman, Committee on International Relations
House of Representatives

Dear Mr. Chairman:

Since the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and its members have worked to promote democracy, economic growth, and military cooperation with Central and East European nations. Under its founding treaty, NATO may invite other European states to become members--if they can further NATO's principles and the enhancement of security throughout the North Atlantic area.¹ To advance its goal of enhancing security and stability in this area, NATO plans to extend invitations to one or more Central and Eastern European states at its July 1997 summit in Madrid, Spain.

While NATO does not have a formal program dedicated to preparing nations for membership, in 1994 it launched a wide-ranging cooperative effort--known as the Partnership for Peace (PFP)--with nonmember countries to promote democracy, expand cooperation, and strengthen relationships between NATO and nonmember countries. NATO has stated that the participation of countries in PFP will play a role in its decisions regarding expansion. The United States and other NATO members have also initiated bilateral programs to help PFP partner nations.

Although not all PFP partners now aspire to be NATO members, you asked us to examine how NATO and U.S. assistance programs are helping those that do wish to join. Our specific objectives were to determine how (1) NATO's PFP program is helping aspiring members prepare for possible NATO membership, (2) U.S. assistance efforts are helping aspiring partner countries to prepare for possible NATO membership, (3) other NATO members' efforts are being coordinated with NATO and U.S. efforts, and (4) aspiring countries are preparing themselves for possible NATO membership. In addressing these objectives, we focused on efforts aimed at improving partners' ability to work militarily with NATO. We did not evaluate prospective members' political and economic efforts to prepare for membership. As agreed with your office, we focused on the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia.

You also asked us to address several issues concerning estimates of the cost of expanding NATO. As agreed with your office and that of the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee, we will review the executive branch's estimate of the cost of expanding NATO in a separate report.