[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 715. Mr. KAINE 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, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. REPORTS RELATING TO AUKUS PLANNING AND 
                   IMPLEMENTATION.

       (a) Reports.--
       (1) Secretary of defense.--Not later than 90 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense 
     shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 
     report on the following:
       (A) Recommendations for how the United States submarine 
     industrial base should best invest its financial and 
     workforce resources in support of AUKUS, including--
       (i) how new members of an expanded submarine industrial 
     base workforce would be best employed in current public and 
     private shipyards; and
       (ii) whether the expanded capacity required by the 
     implementation of AUKUS warrants the development of an 
     additional shipyard within the United States.
       (B) An assessment of the Department of Defense's current 
     role in Foreign Military Sales and suggestions for 
     improvement and streamlining of that role and process.
       (C) An assessment and itemization of any procedural 
     impediments to the effective and rapid implementation of the 
     transfers agreed upon under AUKUS.
       (D) An assessment of the opportunities presented by Pillar 
     Two of AUKUS, including proposals for workforce exchanges, 
     workforce development, use of current education and workforce 
     development programs, and collaboration with and between 
     Department of Defense research institutions and research 
     institutions of Australia and the United Kingdom.
       (E) An assessment of the impacts to the ship repair 
     industry of the United States if United States submarines are 
     repaired in Australia or the United Kingdom.
       (F) A description of other topics relevant to the effective 
     implementation of AUKUS, at the discretion of the Secretary.
       (2) Secretary of the navy.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
     direct the Secretary of the Navy to submit, not later than 90 
     days after the date of the enactment of this Act, a report to 
     the appropriate committees of Congress on the following:
       (A) The certification requirements for the military and 
     future civilian nuclear workforce of Australia to ensure 
     stewardship of nuclear-powered submarines.
       (B) The impact of the implementation of AUKUS on the 
     ability of the Navy to meet its own submarine shipbuilding 
     requirements.
       (3) Form.--Each report required by this subsection shall be 
     submitted in classified form, but may contain a classified 
     annex if necessary.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
     ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Armed Services and Foreign Relations 
     of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
       (2) AUKUS.--The term ``AUKUS'' means the security 
     partnership announced in September 2021 between Australia, 
     the United Kingdom, and the United States to promote a free 
     and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable.
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