PUBLIC LAW 98-525—OCT. 19, 1984
98 STAT. 2577
(2) since May 1978, when each member nation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) agreed to increase real defense spending annually in the range of 3 percent, most NATO members, except for the United States, have failed to meet the 3 percent real growth commitment consistently; (3) since May 1981, when the Government of Japan established its policy to defend the air and sea lines of communication out to 1,000 nautical miles from the coast of Japan, progress to develop the necessary self-defense capabilities to fulfill that pledge has been extremely disappointing; (4) Japan is the ally of the United States with the greatest potential for improving its self-defense capabilities and should, therefore, rapidly increase its annual defense spending to the levels required to fulfill that pledge and to enable Japan to be capable of an effective conventional self-defense capability by 1990, including the capability to carry out its 1,000-mile defense policy, a development that would be consonant not only with Japan's current prominent position in the family of nations but also with its unique sensibilities on the issues of war and peace, sensibilities that are recognized and respected by the people of the United States; and (5) the continued unwillingness of such countries to increase their contributions to the common defense to more appropriate levels will endanger the vitality, effectiveness, and cohesion of the alliances between those countries and the United States. (b) It is further the sense of the Congress that the President should seek from each signatory country (other than the United States) of the two treaties referred to in subsection (a) acceptance of international security responsibilities and an agreement to make contributions to the common defense which are commensurate with the economic resources of such country, including, when appropriate, an increase in host nation support. (c) The Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Congress each year, not later than March 1, a classified report containing— (1) a comparison of the fair and equitable shares of the mutual defense burdens of these alliances that should be borne by the United States, by other member nations of NATO, and by Japan, based upon economic strength and other relevant factors, and the actual defense efforts of each nation together with an explanation of disparities that currently exist and their impact on mutual defense efforts; (2) a description of efforts by the United States and the efforts of other members of the alliances to eliminate any existing disparities; (3) projected estimates of the real growth in defense spending for the fiscal year in which the report is submitted for each NATO member nation; (4) a description of the defense-related initiatives undertaken by each NATO member nation within the real growth in defense spending of such nation in the fiscal year immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the report is submitted; (5) an explanation of those instances in which the commitments to real growth in defense spending have not been realized and a description of efforts being made by the United States to ensure fulfillment of these important NATO commitments; (6) a description of the activities of each NATO member and Japan to enhance the security and stability of the Southwest
President of U.S.
Report.
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