[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 143 (Wednesday, September 7, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4487-S4488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5496. Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Grassley) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4543, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 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 title XII, add the following:

               Subtitle G--Baltic Defense and Deterrence

     SEC. 1281. SHORT TITLE.

       This subtitle may be cited as the ``Baltic Defense and 
     Deterrence Act''.

     SEC. 1282. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) supporting and strengthening the security of Estonia, 
     Latvia, and Lithuania (referred to in this Act as the 
     ``Baltic countries'') is in the national security interests 
     of the United States;
       (2) continuing to strengthen and update the United States-
     Baltics security cooperation roadmap is critical to achieving 
     strategic security priorities as the Baltic countries face 
     ongoing belligerence and threats from the Russian Federation, 
     including amid the Russian Federation's illegal and 
     unprovoked war in Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022;
       (3) the United States should encourage advancement of the 
     Three Seas Initiative to strengthen transport, energy, and 
     digital infrastructures among Eastern European countries, 
     including the Baltic countries; and
       (4) improved economic ties between the United States and 
     the Baltic countries, including to counter economic pressure 
     by the People's Republic of China, offer an opportunity to 
     strengthen the United States-Baltic strategic partnership.

     SEC. 1283. BALTIC SECURITY AND ECONOMIC ENHANCEMENT 
                   INITIATIVE.

       (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of State shall establish 
     and implement an initiative, to be known as the ``Baltic 
     Security and Economic Enhancement Initiative'', for the 
     purpose of increasing security and economic ties with the 
     Baltic countries.
       (b) Objectives.--The objectives of the Baltic Security and 
     Economic Enhancement Initiative shall be--
       (1) to ensure timely delivery of security assistance to the 
     Baltic countries, prioritizing assistance to bolster defenses 
     against hybrid warfare and improve interoperability with the 
     military forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
       (2) to mitigate the impact on the Baltic countries of 
     economic coercion by the Russian Federation and the People's 
     Republic of China;
       (3) to identify new opportunities for foreign direct 
     investment and United States business ties; and
       (4) to bolster United States support for the economic and 
     energy security needs of the Baltic countries, including by 
     convening an annual trade forum with the Baltic countries and 
     the United States International Development Finance 
     Corporation.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated for the Department of State, $60,000,000 
     for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out the 
     initiative authorized under subsection (a).

     SEC. 1284. BALTIC SECURITY INITIATIVE.

       (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
     establish and implement an initiative, to be known as the 
     ``Baltic Security Initiative'', for the purpose of deepening 
     security cooperation with the Baltic countries.
       (b) Objectives.--The objectives of the Baltic Security 
     Initiative shall be--
       (1) to achieve United States national security objectives, 
     including deterring aggression by the Russian Federation and 
     bolstering the long-term security of North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization allies;
       (2) to enhance regional planning and cooperation among the 
     Baltic countries, particularly with respect to long-term 
     regional capability projects, including--
       (A) long-range precision fire systems and capabilities;
       (B) integrated air and missile defense;
       (C) maritime domain awareness;
       (D) land forces development, including stockpiling large 
     caliber ammunition;

[[Page S4488]]

       (E) command, control, communications, computers, 
     intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance;
       (F) special operations forces development; and
       (G) coordination with and security enhancements for Poland, 
     which is a neighboring North Atlantic Treaty Organization 
     ally; and
       (3) to improve the Baltic countries' cyber defenses and 
     resilience to hybrid threats.
       (c) Strategy.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     submit to Congress a report setting forth the strategy of the 
     Department of Defense to achieve the objectives described in 
     subsection (b).
       (2) Considerations.--The strategy required by paragraph (1) 
     shall include a consideration of--
       (A) security assistance programs for the Baltic countries 
     managed by the Department of State;
       (B) the ongoing security threats to the North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization's eastern flank posed by Russian 
     aggression, including as a result of the Russian Federation's 
     2022 invasion of Ukraine with support from Belarus; and
       (C) rising tensions with, and presence in the Baltic 
     countries of, the People's Republic of China, including 
     economic bullying of the Baltic countries by the People's 
     Republic of China.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated for the Department of Defense, 
     $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to 
     carry out the initiative authorized under subsection (a).
                                 ______