[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5037 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5037

To strengthen the role of the United States with respect to the Indian 
                 Ocean region, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 12, 2024

Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Rubio, and Mr. 
Coons) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
                 to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To strengthen the role of the United States with respect to 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 of 2024''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (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, 
        including the East Coast of Africa.
            (3) Indian ocean region country.--The term ``Indian Ocean 
        region country'' means any country located within or 
        surrounding the Indian Ocean region.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States has vitally important political, 
        economic, and security interests in the Indian Ocean region, 
        and the United States is uniquely positioned to capitalize on 
        opportunities that advance those interests.
            (2) The United States needs to engage and cooperate with 
        partners in the Indo-Pacific region, including India, Japan, 
        Australia, and island countries located within the region, to 
        bolster regional governance, to increase sustainable economic 
        development, and to strengthen cooperation on security 
        challenges, such as threats to freedom of navigation, and 
        environmental disasters.
            (3) The United States must work to better understand the 
        political, security, economic, and environmental issues faced 
        by the governments of Indian Ocean region countries.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States with respect to the Indian 
Ocean region, as part of the broader strategy of the United States for 
Indo-Pacific engagement, to strengthen engagement with Indian Ocean 
region countries (including with the governments, civil society, 
academia, and private sectors of those countries) and to enhance 
meaningful diplomatic, security, and economic relations with allies and 
partners of the United States in the Indian Ocean region by--
            (1) promoting cohesive political ties between the United 
        States and Indian Ocean region countries through active 
        participation in regional organizations and strengthening 
        bilateral diplomatic relations with those allies and partners;
            (2) continuing to strengthen bilateral security 
        relationships between the United States and partners in the 
        Indian Ocean region, including India, for the purpose of 
        regularizing security cooperation, by building upon 
        foundational agreements concerning intelligence sharing, 
        military communication, and naval cooperation;
            (3) engaging with India to better understand and 
        operationalize economic and political opportunities across the 
        Indian Ocean region;
            (4) enhancing economic connectivity and commercial exchange 
        between the United States and Indian Ocean region countries;
            (5) maintaining the freedom of navigation of the 
        international waters within the Indian Ocean region in a manner 
        consistent with international law;
            (6) cooperating with the governments of Indian Ocean region 
        countries on security challenges, including issues relating to 
        piracy and illegal fishing;
            (7) supporting the ability of such governments, and of 
        nongovernmental organizations within the Indian Ocean region, 
        to respond to environmental disasters and work to mitigate 
        potential future disasters with resilient infrastructure;
            (8) facilitating cooperation between the United States and 
        allies and partners of the United States in the Indian Ocean 
        region to build capacity in maritime security and maritime 
        domain awareness;
            (9) promoting cooperation with allies of the United States 
        in the Indo-Pacific region (including Japan and Australia), 
        major defense partners of the United States (including India), 
        and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies (including the 
        United Kingdom and France) to support a rules-based order in 
        the region; and
            (10) understanding resources and costs required for the 
        United States to effectively engage diplomatically and 
        economically in the Indian Ocean region.

SEC. 5. STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN RELATING TO INDIAN OCEAN 
              REGION.

    (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, shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a multi-year strategy and implementation plan 
for United States engagements and posture to support the interests of 
the United States with respect to the Indian Ocean region.
    (b) Elements of Strategy.--The strategy required by subsection (a) 
shall include the following:
            (1) An identification of the political, economic, and 
        security goals and opportunities of the United States in the 
        Indian Ocean region.
            (2) An explanation of the political, economic, and security 
        goals of Indian Ocean region countries and a detailed 
        description of areas with respect to which those goals align 
        with the goals of the United States.
            (3) A list that--
                    (A) details the political, economic, and security 
                efforts of the People's Republic of China with respect 
                to the Indian Ocean region, particularly with respect 
                to the engagement by the People's Republic of China 
                with each Indian Ocean region country; and
                    (B) includes an assessment of any efforts of the 
                People's Republic of China to expand its military 
                presence in the Indian Ocean region, including through 
                efforts to secure agreements to host People's 
                Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) bases and acquire 
                commercial port facilities.
            (4) A description and analysis of challenges, including 
        countries and specific projects, to engagement by the United 
        States with Indian Ocean region countries as a result of--
                    (A) disparate policy goals across the departments 
                and agencies of the United States Government; and
                    (B) disparate definitions of the term ``Indian 
                Ocean region'' across the Department of State, the 
                Department of Defense, and the United States Agency for 
                International Development.
            (5) A list that details efforts to improve cooperation 
        between the United States and other members of the 
        Quadrilateral Dialogue (commonly referred to as the ``Quad''), 
        namely, Australia, India, and Japan, through coordination among 
        those countries with respect to diplomacy and development 
        priorities, joint military exercises and operations, and other 
        activities that promote and balance the political, economic, 
        and security interests of the United States with respect to 
        Indian Ocean region countries.
            (6) An overview--
                    (A) of efforts to support the economic connectivity 
                and development of island countries located within the 
                Indian Ocean region, including through the United 
                States-India-Japan Trilateral Infrastructure Working 
                Group and the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor, and other 
                efforts to expand and enhance connectivity across the 
                Indo-Pacific region (including with the countries of 
                Southeast Asia), that maintain high standards of 
                investment and support for civil society and people-to-
                people connectivity; and
                    (B) that shall include a description of any 
                resources or policy tools required to enhance the 
                ability of the United States to support high-quality 
                infrastructure resiliency projects in those countries.
            (7) A description of how the United States may engage with 
        regional intergovernmental organizations and multilateral 
        organizations, including the Indian Ocean Rim Association, to 
        promote the political, economic, and security goals of the 
        United States in the Indian Ocean region.
            (8) A description of how the United States may facilitate 
        cooperation between Indian Ocean region countries (including 
        with the governments, civil society, academia, and private 
        sectors of those countries) and Taiwan through Taiwan's New 
        Southbound Policy.
            (9) A review of the diplomatic posture of the United States 
        in the Indian Ocean region, including the following:
                    (A) An assessment of the diplomatic engagement by 
                the United States with Indian Ocean region countries 
                without a permanent United States embassy or diplomatic 
                mission.
                    (B) An assessment of means to improve cooperation 
                by the United States with the Maldives, Seychelles, and 
                Comoros.
                    (C) An assessment of the sufficiency of United 
                States diplomatic personnel and facilities available in 
                the Indian Ocean region to carry out the policy 
                described in section 4.
                    (D) A description of any resources required to fill 
                identified gaps with respect to such diplomatic 
                posture.
                    (E) A description of the bilateral and multilateral 
                diplomatic goals of the Department of State that the 
                Secretary of State considers necessary to carry out the 
                policy described in section 4.
                    (F) A description of the diplomatic strategy to 
                deter the efforts described in paragraph (3)(B).
            (10) A review of the agreements entered into between the 
        United States and Indian Ocean region countries for the purpose 
        of facilitating the military operations of the United States 
        pursuant to bilateral and multilateral agreements and a 
        description of any efforts to expand naval and coast guard 
        cooperation between the United States and India and other 
        Indian Ocean region countries through the negotiation of 
        additional agreements.
            (11) A strategy for strengthening security cooperation 
        between the United States and partners in the Indian Ocean 
        region, including through the provision of security assistance, 
        which shall include the following:
                    (A) A summary of the security priorities, 
                objectives, and actions of each prospective recipient 
                country.
                    (B) A description of the means by which the United 
                States may support those security priorities, 
                objectives, and actions while promoting the political, 
                economic, and security goals of the United States in 
                the Indian Ocean region.
                    (C) An assessment of the capabilities, training, 
                and resources needed for Indian Ocean region countries 
                to address shared challenges in the region.
    (c) Inclusion in Another Strategy.--The strategy required by 
subsection (a) may be submitted to the appropriate congressional 
committees as a part of any other strategy relating to the Indo-Pacific 
region.
    (d) Reports on Implementation.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date on which the Secretary of State submits the strategy required by 
subsection (a), and 1 year thereafter, the Secretary of State shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on progress 
made toward implementing the strategy.

SEC. 6. REPORTS BY UNITED STATES-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW 
              COMMISSION.

    (a) Modification.--Section 1238(c)(2)(E) of the Floyd D. Spence 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (22 U.S.C. 
7002(c)(2)(E)) 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, including 
        the East Coast of Africa.''.
    (b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to each report under section 1238(c) of the Floyd D. 
Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (22 
U.S.C. 7002(c)) required to be submitted on or after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>