[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 21, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4934-S4935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5564. Mr. BLUNT (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Cotton, Ms. Hirono, 
and Mr. Ossoff) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) 
and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, 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 subtitle A of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1214. ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT TRAINING PIPELINE BETWEEN 
                   UNITED STATES NAVY AND ROYAL AUSTRALIAN NAVY.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the AUKUS partnership between Australia, the United 
     Kingdom, and the United States presents a significant 
     opportunity to enhance security cooperation in the Indo-
     Pacific region;
       (2) parties to the AUKUS partnership should work 
     expeditiously to implement a strategic roadmap to 
     successfully deliver capabilities outlined in the agreement;
       (3) the United States should engage with industry partners 
     to develop a comprehensive understanding of the requirements 
     needed to increase capacity and capability;
       (4) Australia should continue to expand its industrial base 
     to support production and delivery of future capabilities;
       (5) the delivery of a nuclear-powered submarine to the 
     Government of Australia would require the appropriate 
     training and development of future commanding officers to 
     operate such submarines for the Royal Australian Navy; and
       (6) in order to uphold the stewardship of the Naval Nuclear 
     Propulsion Program, the Secretary of Defense should work to 
     coordinate an exchange program to integrate and train 
     Australian sailors for the operation and maintenance of 
     nuclear-powered submarines.
       (b) Exchange Program.--The Secretary of Defense, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of Energy, shall carry out an 
     exchange program for Australian submarine officers during 
     2023 and each subsequent year. Under the

[[Page S4935]]

     program, each year, two Australian submarine officers shall 
     be selected to participate in the program. Each such 
     participant shall--
       (1) receive training in the Navy Nuclear Propulsion School;
       (2) following such training and by not later than July 1 of 
     the year of participation, enroll in the Submarine Office 
     Basic Course; and
       (3) following completion of such course, be assigned to 
     duty on an operational United States submarine at sea.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit 
     to the congressional defense committees a report on a 
     notional exchange program for Australian submarine officers 
     that includes initial, follow-on, and recurring training that 
     could be provided to Australian submarine officers in order 
     to prepare such officers for command of nuclear-powered 
     Australian submarines.
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