[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 133 (Friday, August 1, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S5337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3576. Mr. BENNET (for himself and Mr. Sullivan) 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 D of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1248. STRATEGY TO STRENGTHEN MULTILATERAL DETERRENCE IN 
                   THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense shall develop and 
     implement a strategy to strengthen multilateral deterrence 
     against regional aggression in the Indo-Pacific region by 
     expanding multilateral coordination with United States allies 
     and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly Japan, 
     the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and Australia, 
     including by enhancing multilateral access and basing 
     agreements, command and control structures, intelligence-
     sharing, and exercises and operations.
       (b) Elements.--The strategy required by subsection (a) 
     shall--
       (1) describe current activities and identify future actions 
     to be taken over the next 5 years by the Department of 
     Defense--
       (A) to leverage reciprocal access agreements between the 
     United States and allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific 
     region, particularly Japan, the Republic of Korea, the 
     Philippines, and Australia, to expand regional access for the 
     military forces of such allies and partners, including for 
     purposes of enhancing interoperability at locations across 
     the Indo-Pacific region, pre-positioning munitions 
     stockpiles, and jointly supporting and leveraging shared 
     facilities, operational access, and infrastructure;
       (B) to improve command and control structures enabling 
     enhanced multilateral coordination with allies and partners 
     in the Indo-Pacific region, including through the Combined 
     Coordination Center in the Philippines, the joint force 
     headquarters of the United States in Japan, the Combined 
     Forces Command in the Republic of Korea, and a potential 
     combined coordination structure in Australia;
       (C) to expand intelligence-sharing and maritime domain 
     awareness among the United States and allies and partners in 
     the Indo-Pacific region, including through the Bilateral 
     Intelligence Analysis Cell in Japan and the Combined 
     Coordination Center in the Philippines; and
       (D) to expand the scope and scale of multilateral military 
     exercises and operations as well as basing infrastructure and 
     posture in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly among the 
     United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, 
     and Australia, including more frequent combined maritime 
     operations through the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea, 
     and the Aleutian Islands;
       (2) fully consider strategic and operational contingencies 
     for security of likely military and economic avenues of 
     approach and trade routes across the South, Central, and 
     North Indo-Pacific region; and
       (3) address the conduct of operations in accordance with 
     such strategic and operational contingencies.
       (c) Submission.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
     congressional defense committees the written strategy 
     required by subsection (a), including an identification of--
       (1) any changes to funding or policy required to strengthen 
     multilateral deterrence among the United States and allies 
     and partners in the Indo-Pacific region against regional 
     aggression; and
       (2) any additional resources required to carry out specific 
     initiatives described in subsection (b), such as expanding 
     regional access to the military forces of such allies and 
     partners, improving command and control structures, expanding 
     intelligence-sharing and maritime domain awareness, and 
     expanding the scope and scale of multilateral exercises and 
     operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
       (d) Interim Report on Implementation.--Not later than March 
     15, 2027, the Secretary shall submit to the congressional 
     defense committees a report on the progress of the 
     implementation of the strategy required by subsection (a), 
     including any resource or authority gaps identified in the 
     ability of the Department of Defense to implement the 
     strategy.
       (e) Indo-Pacific Region Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``Indo-Pacific region'' means--
       (1) the geographical area encompassing the area of 
     responsibility of the United States Indo-Pacific Command; and
       (2) the Alaska theater of operations, including the 
     entirety of the State of Alaska and the entirety of the 
     oceans or other such maritime features bordering the State of 
     Alaska.
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