An M1A2 Abrams main battle tank crew member with the 1st Infantry Division views the targets Sept. 29, 2025, at Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria. U.S. lawmakers are pushing for increased military support to allies on NATO’s eastern flank, including Bulgaria. (Brandi Frizzell/U.S. Army)
STUTTGART, Germany — A bipartisan contingent of U.S. lawmakers is pushing for increased military support to allies on NATO’s eastern flank, where front-line countries would get priority when it comes to American security assistance.
The Eastern Flank Strategic Partnership Act, introduced in the House last week, singles out nine NATO countries as being in the vanguard of deterring and defending against possible threats from Russia.
Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia are the countries named in the legislation.
“Those NATO allies have demonstrated consistent commitments to NATO defense spending targets, support for Ukraine, and forward deployments to deter Russian aggression,” the legislation states.
They would get priority in the transfer of excess defense equipment as well as the War Reserve Stocks for Allies program, which can be used to enhance resilience, logistics and coordination with those allies, according to the bill.
Introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., the bill mirrors a counterpart put forward last month in the other chamber of Congress by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Sen. Roger Wicker, the Mississippi Republican who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee.
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Wyatt Wettermen, with the 2nd Marine Division, participates in a room-clearing exercise in Skrunda, Latvia, June 18, 2025. Latvia is one of nine countries on NATO’s eastern flank that some U.S. lawmakers want to be accorded priority in the transfer of excess defense equipment. (Xavier Alicea/U.S. Marine Corps)
Two U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancers and allied fighter jets fly in formation over Riga, Latvia, Aug. 19, 2025. Some U.S. lawmakers are pushing for increased military support to allies on NATO’s eastern flank. (Kaseyann Cornwall/U.S. Air Force)
NATO countries in central and Eastern Europe “are bearing their significant responsibility for the continued security of the entire alliance and need our unequivocal support,” Wilson and Shaheen said in a joint statement at the time.
The effort comes amid questions about the Pentagon’s commitment to helping the region.
In September, reports emerged that the United States was considering reducing some security assistance support to the Baltics, prompting pushback from lawmakers who have argued that U.S. backing is still needed, given the threat posed by Russia.
Pentagon plans in Europe remain unclear, but a new national defense strategy and a related force posture review now being finalized are expected to have implications for U.S. military missions on the Continent.
The drafting of a new defense strategy is being headed by the undersecretary for defense policy, Elbridge Colby, who has long been an advocate for shifting more military capabilities to east Asia to counter China.
The bill also describes Ukraine as being “on the front line of United States and NATO security, fighting to defend itself against Russian aggression that could also be turned upon those same NATO allies.”
The inclusion of Hungary and Slovakia in the bill is noteworthy in light of European criticism of their respective leaders, prime ministers Viktor Orban and Robert Fico, for their dealings with Russia and dismissive remarks about Ukraine.
Ahead of a meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels on Thursday, Fico said Slovakia will oppose allies’ attempts to provide more support to Ukraine and agree on a new round of sanctions against Russia.
“I expressed my astonishment that once again, Ukraine is being treated as the top priority topic,” Fico was quoted by Politico as saying.
