[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3696 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3696
To highlight the Indian Ocean's role in the Indo-Pacific, strengthen
engagement with countries in the Indian Ocean region, promote economic
and security cooperation with the governments in the Indian Ocean
region, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 4, 2021
Mr. Castro of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To highlight the Indian Ocean's role in the Indo-Pacific, strengthen
engagement with countries in the Indian Ocean region, promote economic
and security cooperation with the governments in the Indian Ocean
region, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Indian Ocean region is a vitally important part of
the Indo-Pacific where the United States has political,
economic, and security interests.
(2) The United States has an interest in working with
partners in the Indo-Pacific, including India, Japan, and
Australia, to address regional governance, economic
connectivity, and security challenges including threats to
freedom of navigation.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
As a part of the United States engagement in the Indo-Pacific, it
shall be the policy of the United States to strengthen engagement with
the countries in the Indian Ocean region, including with governments,
civil society, and private sectors in such countries to--
(1) promote United States political engagement with such
region, including through active participation in regional
organizations, and strengthened diplomatic relations with
United States partners in such region;
(2) enhance United States economic connectivity and
commercial exchange with such region;
(3) defend freedom of navigation in such region from
security challenges, including related to piracy;
(4) support the ability of governments and organizations in
such region to respond to natural disasters;
(5) support and facilitate the role of regional allies and
partners as net providers of security to such region and as
partners to the United States in addressing security challenges
in such region, including through assistance to such allies and
partners to build capacity in maritime security and maritime
domain awareness;
(6) continue to build the United States-India relationship
in order to regularize security cooperation through the
negotiation of agreements concerning access, communication, and
navigation, including through foundational agreements; and
(7) promote cooperation with United States allies in the
Indo-Pacific, including Japan and Australia, and major defense
partners, including India, and NATO allies, including the
United Kingdom and France, to support a rules-based order in
such region.
SEC. 4. STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the
Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of the United States Agency
for International Development (USAID), shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a multi-year strategy for United States
engagement to support United States interests in the Indian Ocean
region. Such strategy shall--
(1) define United States political, economic, and security
interests in the Indian Ocean region;
(2) outline challenges to the interests of the United
States in such region;
(3) outline efforts to improve cooperation between the
United States and members of the Quad, including India, Japan,
and Australia, through coordination in diplomacy and
development priorities, joint military exercises and
operations, and other activities that promote United States
political, economic, and security interests;
(4) outline efforts to support economic connectivity in
such region, including through the United States-India-Japan
Trilateral Infrastructure Working Group, the Asia-Africa Growth
Corridor, and other efforts to expand and enhance connectivity
across the Indo-Pacific, including with the countries of
Southeast Asia, that maintain high standards of investment and
support for civil society and people-to-people connectivity;
(5) describe how the United States can engage with regional
intergovernmental organizations and entities, including the
Indian Ocean Rim Association, to promote United States
political, economic, and security interests in such region;
(6) review the United States diplomatic posture in such
region, including an assessment of United States diplomatic
engagement in countries without a permanent United States
embassy or diplomatic mission, and an assessment of ways to
improve the cooperation with the Maldives, the Seychelles, and
Comoros;
(7) review United States diplomatic agreements with
countries in such region that facilitate United States military
operations in such region, including bilateral and multilateral
agreements, and describe efforts to expand United States
cooperation with such countries through the negotiation of
additional agreements; and
(8) include a security assistance strategy for such region
that outlines priorities, objectives, and actions for United
States security assistance efforts to governments of countries
in such region to promote United States political, economic,
and security interests in such region.
(b) Inclusion.--The strategy required under subsection (a) may be
submitted as a part of any other strategy relating to the Indo-Pacific.
(c) Report on Implementation.--Not later than one year after the
submission of the strategy required under subsection (a) and one year
thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report on progress made toward implementing
such strategy.
SEC. 5. UNITED STATES-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION.
(a) In General.--Subparagraph (E) of section 1238(c)(2) of the
Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001
(22 U.S.C. 7002(c)(2)) is amended--
(1) by inserting ``, including in the Indian Ocean region''
after ``deployments of the People's Republic of China
military''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``In
this subparagraph, the term `Indian Ocean region' means the
Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal,
and the littoral areas surrounding the Indian Ocean.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall
take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and apply
beginning with the first report required under section 1238 of the
Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001
(as amended by such subsection) that is submitted after such date.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on
Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations
and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.
(2) Indian ocean region.--The term ``Indian Ocean region''
means the Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and the Bay
of Bengal, and the littoral areas surrounding the Indian Ocean.
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