[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 84 (Thursday, May 26, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S3326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 4314. Mr. PETERS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 2943, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2017 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle D of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 1227. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING TO
INCREASE MARITIME SECURITY AND DOMAIN AWARENESS
OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES BORDERING THE PERSIAN
GULF, ARABIAN SEA, OR MEDITERRANEAN SEA.
(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to authorize
assistance and training to increase maritime security and
domain awareness of foreign countries bordering the Persian
Gulf, the Arabian Sea, or the Mediterranean Sea in order to
deter and counter illicit smuggling and related maritime
activity by Iran, including illicit Iranian weapons
shipments.
(b) Authority.--
(1) In general.--To carry out the purpose of this section
as described in subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense,
with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, is
authorized--
(A) to provide training to the national military or other
security forces of Israel, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United
Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar that have among their
functional responsibilities maritime security missions; and
(B) to provide training to ministry, agency, and
headquarters level organizations for such forces.
(2) Designation.--The provision of assistance and training
under this section may be referred to as the ``Counter Iran
Maritime Initiative''.
(c) Types of Training.--
(1) Authorized elements of training.--Training provided
under subsection (b)(1)(A) may include the provision of de
minimis equipment, supplies, and small-scale military
construction.
(2) Required elements of training.--Training provided under
subsection (b) shall include elements that promote the
following:
(A) Observance of and respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms.
(B) Respect for legitimate civilian authority within the
country to which the assistance is provided.
(d) Availability of Funds.--Of the amount authorized to be
appropriated for fiscal year 2017 by section 301 and
available for operation and maintenance for Defense-wide
activities as specified in the funding table in section 4301,
$50,000,000 shall be available only for the provision of
assistance and training under subsection (b).
(e) Cost Sharing.--
(1) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that,
given income parity among recipient countries, the Secretary
of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State,
should seek, through appropriate bilateral and multilateral
arrangements, payments sufficient in amount to offset any
training costs associated with implementation of subsection
(b).
(2) Cost-sharing agreement.--The Secretary of Defense, with
the concurrence of the Secretary of State, shall negotiate a
cost-sharing agreement with a recipient country regarding the
cost of any training provided pursuant to section (b). The
agreement shall set forth the terms of cost sharing that the
Secretary of Defense determines are necessary and
appropriate, but such terms shall not be less than 50 percent
of the overall cost of the training.
(3) Credit to appropriations.--The portion of such cost-
sharing received by the Secretary of Defense pursuant to this
subsection may be credited towards appropriations available
for operation and maintenance for Defense-wide activities as
specified in the funding table in section 4301.
(f) Notice to Congress on Training.--Not later than 15 days
before exercising the authority under subsection (b) with
respect to a recipient country, the Secretary of Defense
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a
notification containing the following:
(1) An identification of the recipient country.
(2) A detailed justification of the program for the
provision of the training concerned, and its relationship to
United States security interests.
(3) The budget for the program, including a timetable of
planned expenditures of funds to implement the program, an
implementation time-line for the program with milestones
(including anticipated delivery schedules for any assistance
and training under the program), the military department or
component responsible for management of the program, and the
anticipated completion date for the program.
(4) A description of the arrangements, if any, to support
recipient country sustainment of any capability developed
pursuant to the program, and the source of funds to support
sustainment efforts and performance outcomes to be achieved
under the program beyond its completion date, if applicable.
(5) A description of the program objectives and an
assessment framework to be used to develop capability and
performance metrics associated with operational outcomes for
the recipient force.
(6) Such other matters as the Secretary considers
appropriate.
(g) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate
congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives.
(h) Termination.--Assistance and training may not be
provided under this section after September 30, 2020.
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