[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S7918]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4402. Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself and Mr. Tillis) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. 
Reed and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2022 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 E of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1253. REPORT ON ABILITY OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE TO 
                   INTERDICT OR BLOCKADE CERTAIN VESSELS IN THE 
                   SOUTH AND EAST CHINA SEAS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit to the congressional defense committees a report on 
     the ability of the Department of Defense, in the event of 
     hostilities between the United States and the People's 
     Republic of China, to interdict or blockade civilian merchant 
     shipping vessels transiting the South and East China Seas 
     under the flag of the People's Republic of China.
       (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall 
     include the following:
       (1) An assessment of each of the following:
       (A) The number of such vessels that transit the South and 
     East China Seas annually.
       (B) The annual percentage of trade by the People's Republic 
     of China that is conducted through the South and East China 
     Seas by such vessels.
       (C) The maritime choke points in the South and East China 
     Seas that are most important to the People's Republic of 
     China.
       (D) The capacity and capability of the Department--
       (i) to execute a blockade of such vessels around maritime 
     choke points in the South and East China Seas; and
       (ii) to otherwise interdict such vessels.
       (E) The manner in which the granting or rejection of 
     basing, overflight, or transit rights by countries bordering 
     the South and East China Seas would affect the ability of the 
     Department to interdict or blockade such vessels.
       (2) A description of any instance of Department-funded 
     wargames in which the United States or the People's Republic 
     of China initiated any type of blockade, including the 
     lessons learned from any such instance and the views of the 
     game participants.
       (c) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form and include a classified 
     annex.
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