Senators call for assurances of commitment to alliance institutions such as NATO, and firm opposition to the spread of nuclear weapons

Washington (December 14, 2016) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), members of the Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter today to President-elect Donald Trump calling on him to strengthen our system of alliances, including NATO and the U.S.-Japan Mutual Security Treaty, and long-standing nuclear nonproliferation policies. In the letter, the Senators stress the need to assure allies of America’s commitment to their defense and affirm opposition to the spread of nuclear weapons. By strengthening assurances of military protections to allies such as Japan and South Korea, the United States reduces incentives for allied nations to launch nuclear weapons programs of their own.

“For more than seventy years, the United States has helped to construct and maintain the institutions of global peace,” write the senators in the letter to President-elect Trump. “Among the most important of these institutions are defensive alliances such as NATO, as well as multilateral treaties comprising the nonproliferation regime. We urge you to affirm that the United States will continue to support these institutions.” 

A copy of the letter can be found HERE.