I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3696 

To highlight the Indian Ocean’s role in the Indo-Pacific, strengthen engagement with countries in the Indian Ocean region, promote economic and 

security cooperation with the governments in the Indian Ocean region, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 4, 2021 

Mr. CASTRO of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To highlight the Indian Ocean’s role in the Indo-Pacific, 

strengthen engagement with countries in the Indian 

Ocean region, promote economic and security cooperation 

with the governments in the Indian Ocean region, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Indian Ocean Region 

5 Strategic Review Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) The Indian Ocean region is a vitally impor2 tant part of the Indo-Pacific where the United 

3 States has political, economic, and security interests. 

4 (2) The United States has an interest in work5 ing with partners in the Indo-Pacific, including 

6 India, Japan, and Australia, to address regional gov7 ernance, economic connectivity, and security chal8 lenges including threats to freedom of navigation. 

9 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

10 As a part of the United States engagement in the 

11 Indo-Pacific, it shall be the policy of the United States 

12 to strengthen engagement with the countries in the Indian 

13 Ocean region, including with governments, civil society, 

14 and private sectors in such countries to— 

15 (1) promote United States political engagement 

16 with such region, including through active participa17 tion in regional organizations, and strengthened dip18 lomatic relations with United States partners in 

19 such region; 

20 (2) enhance United States economic 

21 connectivity and commercial exchange with such re22 gion; 

23 (3) defend freedom of navigation in such region 

24 from security challenges, including related to piracy; 


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1 (4) support the ability of governments and or2 ganizations in such region to respond to natural dis3 asters; 

4 (5) support and facilitate the role of regional al5 lies and partners as net providers of security to such 

6 region and as partners to the United States in ad7 dressing security challenges in such region, including 

8 through assistance to such allies and partners to 

9 build capacity in maritime security and maritime do10 main awareness; 

11 (6) continue to build the United States-India 

12 relationship in order to regularize security coopera13 tion through the negotiation of agreements con14 cerning access, communication, and navigation, in15 cluding through foundational agreements; and 

16 (7) promote cooperation with United States al17 lies in the Indo-Pacific, including Japan and Aus18 tralia, and major defense partners, including India, 

19 and NATO allies, including the United Kingdom and 

20 France, to support a rules-based order in such re21 gion. 

22 SEC. 4. STRATEGY. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

24 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 

25 in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the AdVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Jun 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3696.IH H3696

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1 ministrator of the United States Agency for International 

2 Development (USAID), shall submit to the appropriate 

3 congressional committees a multi-year strategy for United 

4 States engagement to support United States interests in 

5 the Indian Ocean region. Such strategy shall— 

6 (1) define United States political, economic, 

7 and security interests in the Indian Ocean region; 

8 (2) outline challenges to the interests of the 

9 United States in such region; 

10 (3) outline efforts to improve cooperation be11 tween the United States and members of the Quad, 

12 including India, Japan, and Australia, through co13 ordination in diplomacy and development priorities, 

14 joint military exercises and operations, and other ac15 tivities that promote United States political, eco16 nomic, and security interests; 

17 (4) outline efforts to support economic 

18 connectivity in such region, including through the 

19 United States-India-Japan Trilateral Infrastructure 

20 Working Group, the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor, 

21 and other efforts to expand and enhance connectivity 

22 across the Indo-Pacific, including with the countries 

23 of Southeast Asia, that maintain high standards of 

24 investment and support for civil society and people25 to-people connectivity; 


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1 (5) describe how the United States can engage 

2 with regional intergovernmental organizations and 

3 entities, including the Indian Ocean Rim Associa4 tion, to promote United States political, economic, 

5 and security interests in such region; 

6 (6) review the United States diplomatic posture 

7 in such region, including an assessment of United 

8 States diplomatic engagement in countries without a 

9 permanent United States embassy or diplomatic mis10 sion, and an assessment of ways to improve the co11 operation with the Maldives, the Seychelles, and 

12 Comoros; 

13 (7) review United States diplomatic agreements 

14 with countries in such region that facilitate United 

15 States military operations in such region, including 

16 bilateral and multilateral agreements, and describe 

17 efforts to expand United States cooperation with 

18 such countries through the negotiation of additional 

19 agreements; and 

20 (8) include a security assistance strategy for 

21 such region that outlines priorities, objectives, and 

22 actions for United States security assistance efforts 

23 to governments of countries in such region to pro24 mote United States political, economic, and security 

25 interests in such region. 


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1 (b) INCLUSION.—The strategy required under sub2 section (a) may be submitted as a part of any other strat3 egy relating to the Indo-Pacific. 

4 (c) REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 

5 one year after the submission of the strategy required 

6 under subsection (a) and one year thereafter, the Sec7 retary of State shall submit to the appropriate congres8 sional committees a report on progress made toward im9 plementing such strategy. 

10 SEC. 5. UNITED STATES-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY 

11 REVIEW COMMISSION. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subparagraph (E) of section 

13 1238(c)(2) of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Au14 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (22 U.S.C. 

15 7002(c)(2)) is amended— 

16 (1) by inserting ‘‘, including in the Indian 

17 Ocean region’’ after ‘‘deployments of the People’s 

18 Republic of China military’’; and 

19 (2) by adding at the end the following new sen20 tence: ‘‘In this subparagraph, the term ‘Indian 

21 Ocean region’ means the Indian Ocean, including 

22 the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and the lit23 toral areas surrounding the Indian Ocean.’’. 

24 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

25 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enactVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Jun 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3696.IH H3696

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1 ment of this Act and apply beginning with the first report 

2 required under section 1238 of the Floyd D. Spence Na3 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (as 

4 amended by such subsection) that is submitted after such 

5 date. 

6 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT9 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com10 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

11 and the Committee on Armed Services of the House 

12 of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 

13 Relations and the Committee on Armed Services of 

14 the Senate. 

15 (2) INDIAN OCEAN REGION.—The term ‘‘Indian 

16 Ocean region’’ means the Indian Ocean, including 

17 the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and the lit18 toral areas surrounding the Indian Ocean. 

Æ 


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