[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 133 (Friday, August 1, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S5316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3551. Mr. KELLY 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 C of title III, add the following:

     SEC. 330. DEPOT-LEVEL MAINTENANCE COORDINATION IN 
                   MULTINATIONAL EXERCISES.

       (a) In General.--Each year, the Secretary of the Air Force 
     shall incorporate in at least one multinational exercise 
     conducted in the area of operations of the United States 
     Indo-Pacific Command--
       (1) depot-level maintenance, repair, and sustainment 
     considerations, including binational or multinational 
     planning sessions with covered nations on--
       (A) identifying opportunities to cooperate on depot-level 
     maintenance and repair in ways that minimize transportation 
     requirements in such area of operations and determining the 
     authorities necessary to deliver necessary joint 
     capabilities;
       (B) facilitating real-time coordination between the United 
     States and covered nations to maintain munitions stock levels 
     and resupply routes in such area of operations;
       (C) mutual recognition of airworthiness and maintenance 
     certification between the United States and covered nations; 
     and
       (D) emergency tabletop exercises, such as when an aircraft 
     of a covered nation breaks down in United States territory, 
     and vice versa, in a contested logistics environment.
       (2) coordination with the Air Force Sustainment Center, 
     including the participation of representatives of--
       (A) the United States Indo-Pacific Command;
       (B) the United States Pacific Air Forces;
       (C) the United States Air Mobility Command; and
       (D) the Air Force Sustainment Center.
       (b) Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force 
     shall submit to Congress a report summarizing the lessons 
     learned from carrying out an exercise in accordance with 
     subsection (a) with respect to the Republic of Korea and the 
     Commonwealth of Australia.
       (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
     include the following:
       (A) A list of candidate systems for co-sustainment with the 
     Republic of Korea and the Commonwealth of Australia.
       (B) A list of depot-level repair workload opportunities to 
     undertake with the Republic of Korea and the Commonwealth of 
     Australia, including testing equipment or line replaceable 
     units.
       (C) Opportunities to incorporate Korean and Australian 
     industry partners in depot-level maintenance repair 
     activities, including through public-private partnerships.
       (D) An identification of any potential logistical 
     challenges that could arise with the host country, including 
     with respect to workforce, housing, and location of workload.
       (E) An identification of any potential impediments 
     involving intellectual property or data rights between 
     original equipment manufacturers and the Department of the 
     Air Force or between the Department of the Air Force and the 
     Republic of Korea or the Commonwealth of Australia.
       (F) An identification of any potential impediments related 
     to International Traffic in Arms Regulations and related 
     statutes.
       (G) Any additional recommendations to Congress that would 
     ease the facilitation of depot-level maintenance repair 
     partnerships with the Republic of Korea and the Commonwealth 
     of Australia, including changes to existing status of forces 
     agreements.
       (H) An analysis of current maintenance and repair 
     capabilities and gaps in the organic industrial base of the 
     Republic of Korea and the Commonwealth of Australia.
       (I) An assessment of the types of maintenance and repair 
     activities (including depot-level, preventative, and 
     corrective) that may be most appropriate for a partnership 
     with the Republic of Korea or the Commonwealth of Australia.
       (J) An assessment of how any such partnership may 
     contribute to allied contingency operations, 
     interoperability, and regional posture resilience in the 
     Indo-Pacific region.
       (K) A consideration of planning factors related to the 
     evolving force generation models of the Air Force, future-
     generation aircraft programs, deployment schedules, statutory 
     maintenance thresholds, and other relevant operational 
     requirements.
       (c) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Covered nation defined.--The term ``covered nation'' 
     means any of the following:
       (A) The Commonwealth of Australia.
       (B) Canada.
       (C) Japan.
       (D) New Zealand.
       (E) The Republic of Korea.
       (F) The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern 
     Ireland.
       (G) Any other nation as designated as a covered nation for 
     the purposes of this section by the Secretary of the Air 
     Force.
       (2) International traffic in arms regulations.--The term 
     ``International Traffic in Arms Regulations'' means 
     subchapter M of chapter I of title 22, Code of Federal 
     Regulations (or successor regulations).
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