“We need the NATO alliance,” Senator Hawley told me in the Capitol when asked about the argument that America should abandon the alliance. “We stand by our security commitments. I take those very seriously.”

“It’s a really positive sign — really positive — that Germany’s going to finally increase its defense spending above 2 percent [of GDP],” Hawley added. “If we could see more of our NATO allies do more in defense of Europe, which would allow us to focus our military resources on the Indo-Pacific and China, which we need to do, that would be a good thing.”…

Meanwhile, Colorado congressman Ken Buck, a member of the staunchly conservative Freedom Caucus, told National Review that he agrees with Biden’s statement. He pointed out that NATO allies would fight alongside the United States if we were attacked, just as they had done in Afghanistan. “It is our strongest trading partner,” Buck said. “While I agree that alliances can be dangerous, I also think that in this world where you have superpowers — really, three at this point — it’s necessary to have those kinds of allies.”

In short, Russia’s invasion has “reminded every member of NATO how valuable the asset is,” as Representative Tom Cole (R., Okla.) put it. “In some ways, it’s Vladimir Putin’s worst nightmare come true.”