[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 132 (Thursday, July 31, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S5106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3343. Mr. CURTIS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2026 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 E of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1265. STRENGTHENING CAPACITY TO COUNTER MALIGN 
                   ACTIVITIES IN LATIN AMERICA.

       (a) Strategy.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     coordination with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of 
     the Treasury, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security, shall develop and commence implementation 
     of a strategy to strengthen the capacity of allies and 
     partners in Latin America to counter malign activities by the 
     Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, Iran, and 
     nonstate actors, including Hezbollah.
       (2) Elements.--The strategy required by paragraph (1) 
     shall--
       (A) enhance the capabilities of regional partners through 
     Department of Defense-led training, equipment transfers, and 
     intelligence-sharing agreements;
       (B) prioritize countries that demonstrate a commitment to 
     countering malign activities described that paragraph; and
       (C) leverage the United States Southern Command and the 
     Joint Interagency Task Force South to provide--
       (i) intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance;
       (ii) special operations support; and
       (iii) joint exercises addressing hybrid threats such as 
     cyberattacks, disinformation, and illicit finance.
       (b) Reports.--
       (1) Initial 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 an initial 
     report relating to the strategy required by subsection (a) 
     that assesses, with respect to allies and partners in Latin 
     America--
       (A) capabilities and proposed enhancements of such 
     capabilities; and
       (B) capability gaps and proposed measures to address such 
     gaps.
       (2) Annual report.--Not less frequently than annually, the 
     Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional 
     defense committees a report on the implementation of the 
     strategy required by subsection (a) that includes--
       (A) metrics on disrupted malign activities; and
       (B) a description of improvements to partner country 
     capacity to counter malign activities.
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