[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7999-S8000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4505. Mr. RISCH 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 F of title XII of division A, add 
     the following:

     SEC. 1264. FEASIBILITY STUDY ON SECURITY AND DEFENSE 
                   PARTNERSHIP WITH SOMALILAND.

       (a) Defined Term.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (3) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (b) Feasibility Study.--The Secretary of State, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall conduct a 
     study regarding the feasibility of the establishment of a 
     security and defense partnership between the United States 
     and Somaliland (a semi-autonomous region of the Republic of 
     Somalia) that--
       (1) is separate and distinct from any security and defense 
     partnership with the Federal Republic of Somalia;
       (2) includes coordination with Somaliland government 
     security organs, including Somaliland's Ministry of Defense 
     and Armed Forces;
       (3) determines opportunities for collaboration in the 
     pursuit of United States national security interests in the 
     Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden, and the broader Indo-
     Pacific region;
       (4) identifies opportunities for United States training of 
     Somaliland security sector actors to improve 
     professionalization and capacity; and
       (5) is separate and distinct from any security and defense 
     partnership with the Federal Republic of Somalia.
       (c) Report to Congress.--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 other relevant 
     Federal departments and agencies, shall submit a classified 
     report to the appropriate congressional committees that 
     contains the results of the study required under subsection 
     (b), including an assessment of the extent to which--
       (1) opportunities exist for the United States to support 
     the training of Somaliland's security sector actors with a 
     specific focus on counter-terrorism and maritime security;
       (2) Somaliland's security forces have been implicated in 
     gross violations of human rights during the 3-year period 
     immediately preceding the date of the enactment of this Act;
       (3) the United States has provided, or discussed with 
     Somaliland government and military officials the provision 
     of, training to security forces, including--
       (A) where such training has been provided;
       (B) the extent to which Somaliland security forces have 
     demonstrated the ability to absorb previous training; and
       (C) the ability of Somaliland security forces to maintain 
     and appropriately utilize such training, as applicable;
       (4) a direct United States security and defense partnership 
     with Somaliland would have a strategic impact, including by 
     protecting United States and allied maritime interests in the 
     Bab el-Mandeb Strait and at Somaliland's Berbera Port;

[[Page S8000]]

       (5) Somaliland could--
       (A) serve as a maritime gateway in East Africa for the 
     United States and its allies; and
       (B) counter Iran's presence in the Gulf of Aden and China's 
     growing regional military presence; and
       (6) a direct United States security and defense partnership 
     would--
       (A) bolster security and defense cooperation and 
     capabilities between Somaliland and Taiwan;
       (B) further stabilize this semi-autonomous region of 
     Somalia as a democratic counterweight to destabilizing and 
     anti-democratic forces in Somalia and the wider East Africa 
     region; and
       (C) impact United States capacity to achieve policy 
     objectives, particularly to degrade and ultimately defeat the 
     terrorist threat in Somalia posed by al-Shabaab and the 
     Somalia-based Islamic State affiliate ISIS-Somalia.
       (d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section, 
     including the conduct of the feasibility study under 
     subsection (b) and the submission of the classified report 
     under subsection (c), may be construed to convey United 
     States recognition of Somaliland as an independent state.
                                 ______