[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 123 (Tuesday, July 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3003]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 821. Mr. RISCH 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 UNITED STATES PRESENCE IN THE HORN OF 
                   AFRICA AND RED SEA REGION.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) increased United States engagement in the Horn of 
     Africa and Red Sea region has presented an opportunity to 
     build and strengthen security cooperation with key partners 
     in that region;
       (2) the Red Sea region includes a strategic maritime choke 
     point, the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea 
     to the Gulf of Aden, and is essential to support United 
     States national security interests, including countering the 
     flows of Iranian lethal aid to Yemen and facilitating the 
     free flow of commerce;
       (3) security cooperation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden 
     region is critical--
       (A) to maintaining a de facto ceasefire in Yemen; and
       (B) to furthering a political resolution to the Yemeni 
     conflict.
       (4) Somaliland, which has a port and an airfield in 
     Berbera--
       (A) occupies a pivotal geographic location in the Horn of 
     Africa;
       (B) is adjacent to strategic maritime routes in the Red Sea 
     and Gulf of Aden; and
       (C) could contribute to United States military objectives 
     given the evolving security situation in the region; and
       (5) utilizing the port of Berbera as an access point to the 
     Horn of Africa would provide flexibility with regards to the 
     delivery of humanitarian assistance in the Horn of Africa 
     region and beyond.
       (b) Defined Term.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (3) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of State and the heads of 
     other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall submit 
     a classified report, along with an unclassified summary, to 
     the appropriate congressional committees containing an 
     assessment of the extent to which a sustained United States 
     Government presence in Somaliland would--
       (1) support United States policy focused on the Red Sea 
     corridor, the Indo-Pacific region, and the Horn of Africa, 
     including the promotion of conflict avoidance and resolution;
       (2) improve cooperation on counterterrorism and 
     intelligence sharing, including by--
       (A) degrading and ultimately defeating the terrorist threat 
     posed by Al-Shabaab, the Islamic State in Somalia, and other 
     terrorist groups operating in Somalia; and
       (B) countering the malign influence of the Iranian regime 
     and its terror proxies;
       (3) enhance cooperation on counter-trafficking, including 
     the trafficking of humans, wildlife, weapons, and illicit 
     goods;
       (4) support trade and development in the region;
       (5) facilitate the distribution of humanitarian assistance 
     in the Horn of Africa; and
       (6) counter the presence of the People's Republic of China 
     (PRC) in the region, including by detailing--
       (A) the PRC's interest in access to port facilities in 
     Djibouti, Mombasa, Massawa, and Assab;
       (B) the PRC's role in fomenting unrest in the Sool region 
     of Somaliland; and
       (C) the role played by the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 
     checking the PRC's engagement with Somaliland.
                                 ______