Statement by Mitt Romney on the NATO Summit in Chicago, Illinois

Mitt Romney today made the following statement on the NATO summit in Chicago, Illinois:

"I urge NATO's leaders to speak candidly about the challenges facing the alliance and how to rise to them. NATO's success requires strong American leadership. It also requires its member states to carry their own weight. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration has taken actions that will only undermine the alliance. The U.S. military is facing nearly $1 trillion in cuts over the next ten years. And President Obama has sent the message—intentionally or not—that the worth of NATO has diminished in America's eyes. At this moment of both opportunities and perils, the NATO alliance must retain the capacity to act. As president, I will work closely with our partners to bolster the alliance. I will reverse Obama-era military cuts. I will exercise leadership on missile defense, cyber capability, energy security, and sufficiently mobile forces. Formed in the aftermath of a terrible and costly war, NATO is a testament to the fact that the price of weakness is always far greater than the price of strength. That is a lesson I hope the leaders assembled in Chicago take to heart."