[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 119 (Wednesday, July 12, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 159. Mr. LEE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him 
to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2024 
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 appropriate place in title XII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 12___. REPORT ON ALLIED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMON 
                   DEFENSE.

       (a) Finding.--Congress finds that section 1003 of the 
     Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1985 (Public Law 98-
     525; 63 Stat. 2241)--
       (1) expresses the sense of Congress that, due to threats 
     that are ever-changing, Congress must be informed with 
     respect to allied contributions to the common defense to 
     properly assess the readiness of the United States and the 
     countries described in subsection (c)(2) for threats; and
       (2) requires the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress 
     an annual report on the contributions of allies to the common 
     defense.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the threats facing the United States--
       (A) extend beyond the global war on terror; and
       (B) include near-peer threats; and
       (2) the President should seek from each country described 
     in subsection (c)(2) acceptance of international security 
     responsibilities and agreements to make contributions to the 
     common defense in accordance with the collective defense 
     agreements or treaties to which such country is a party.
       (c) Reports on Allied Contributions to the Common 
     Defense.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than March 1 each year, the 
     Secretary, in coordination with the heads of other Federal 
     agencies, as the Secretary determines to be necessary, shall 
     submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
     containing a description of--
       (A) the annual defense spending by each country described 
     in paragraph (2), including available data on nominal budget 
     figures and defense spending as a percentage of the gross 
     domestic products of each such country for the fiscal year 
     immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the report is 
     submitted;
       (B) the activities of each such country to contribute to 
     military or stability operations in which the Armed Forces of 
     the United States are a participant or may be called upon in 
     accordance with a cooperative defense agreement to which the 
     United States is a party;
       (C) any limitations placed by any such country on the use 
     of such contributions; and
       (D) any actions undertaken by the United States or by other 
     countries to minimize such limitations.
       (2) Countries described.--The countries described in this 
     paragraph are the following:
       (A) Each member country of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization.
       (B) Each member country of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
       (C) Each country party to the Inter-American Treaty of 
     Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty), done at Rio de Janeiro 
     September 2, 1947, and entered into force December 3, 1948 
     (TIAS 1838).
       (D) Australia.
       (E) Japan.
       (F) New Zealand.
       (G) The Philippines.
       (H) South Korea.
       (I) Thailand.
       (3) Form.--Each report under paragraph (1) shall be 
     submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified 
     annex.
       (4) Availability.--A report submitted under paragraph (1) 
     shall be made available on request to any Member of Congress.
       (d) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
     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.
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