[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2747-S2748]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 652. Mr. COTTON 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 end of subtitle A of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1213. DESIGNATION OF THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA AS A 
                   MAJOR NON-NATO ALLY.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Major non-NATO ally (MNNA) status is a designation 
     given by the United States Government to close allies that 
     have strategic working relationships with the United States 
     Armed Forces but are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO).
       (2) Major non-NATO ally status is a designation under 
     United States law that provides foreign partners with certain 
     benefits in the areas of defense trade and security 
     cooperation.
       (3) The major non-NATO ally designation is a powerful 
     symbol of the close relationship the United States shares 
     with those countries and demonstrates our deep respect for 
     the friendship for the countries to which it is extended.
       (4) Major non-NATO ally status provides military and 
     economic privileges, but does not entail any security 
     commitments to the designated country.
       (5) Privileges resulting from major non-NATO ally 
     designation under section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act 
     of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321k) include--
       (A) eligibility for loans of material, supplies, or 
     equipment for cooperative research, development, testing, or 
     evaluation purposes;
       (B) eligibility as a location for United States-owned War 
     Reserve Stockpiles to be placed on the territory of the ally 
     outside of United States military facilities;
       (C) the ability to enter into agreements with the United 
     States for the cooperative furnishing of training on a 
     bilateral or multilateral basis, if the financial 
     arrangements are reciprocal and provide for reimbursement of 
     all United States direct costs;
       (D) eligibility, to the maximum extent feasible, for 
     priority delivery of excess defense articles transferred 
     under section 516 of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. 
     2321j), if located on the southern or south-eastern flank of 
     NATO; and
       (E) eligibility for consideration to purchase depleted 
     uranium ammunition.
       (6) Privileges resulting from major non-NATO ally 
     designation under section 2350a of title 10, United States 
     Code, include--
       (A) eligibility to enter into a memorandum of understanding 
     or other formal agreement with the United States Department 
     of Defense for the purpose of conducting cooperative research 
     and development projects on defense equipment and munitions;
       (B) the ability for firms of a major non-NATO ally, as with 
     NATO countries, to bid on contracts for maintenance, repair, 
     or overhaul of United States Department of Defense equipment 
     outside the United States; and
       (C) eligibility for funding to procure explosives detection 
     devices and other counter-terrorism research and development 
     projects under the auspices of the Department of State's 
     Technical Support Working Group.
       (7) The 18 countries that are currently designated as major 
     non-NATO allies under section 2321k of title 22, United 
     States Code, and section 2350a of title 10, United States 
     Code, are--
       (A) Argentina;
       (B) Australia;
       (C) Bahrain;
       (D) Brazil;

[[Page S2748]]

       (E) Colombia;
       (F) Egypt;
       (G) Israel;
       (H) Japan;
       (I) Jordan;
       (J) Kuwait;.
       (K) Morocco;
       (L) New Zealand;
       (M) Pakistan;
       (N) the Philippines;
       (O) Qatar;
       (P) South Korea;
       (Q) Thailand; and
       (R) Tunisia.
       (8) In addition, section 1206 of the Foreign Relations 
     Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-228; 22 
     U.S.C. 2321k note) provides that Taiwan shall be treated as a 
     major non-NATO ally, without formal designation as such.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--Congress--
       (1) reaffirms the importance of the United States-Kingdom 
     of Saudi Arabia alliance;
       (2) recognizes that one of the United States' most 
     important priorities and challenges in Saudi Arabia is to 
     help the kingdom provide for its own security; and
       (3) supports the designation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
     as a major non-NATO ally.
                                 ______