Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) re-introduced the Allied Burden Sharing Report Act today, a bill that would require the Department of Defense to resume submitting an extensive report that includes the common defense contributions of NATO countries and other defense partners, including GCC countries, Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, the Philippines, and signatories of the Rio Treaty.

“NATO and other mutual defense agreements have a purpose,” Sen. Lee said, “but the United States cannot and should not bear the greatest brunt of the financial burden in global alliances and defense partnerships. The information included in this report would be instrumental in informing Congress’ oversight of our own military and defense spending and would help educate lawmakers on the return on investment we receive in exchange for our contributions and commitments. For security alliances and partnerships to be most effective, all parties must pull their weight.”

The report would be submitted annually to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Senate Armed Services Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.