Bahrain Security Cooperation Improvement Act

To provide for United States security cooperation with Bahrain. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Bahrain Security Cooperation Improvement Act 2. Sense of Congress on United States security cooperation with Bahrain It is the sense of Congress that— (1) it is in the national security interest of the United States to maintain a strong relationship with Bahrain and support its military efforts; (2) Bahrain has a critical role as host of the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet and the United States Naval Forces Central Command; (3) Bahrain is a major defense and security cooperation partner of the United States, as recognized when the United States designated Bahrain as a major non-NATO ally in 2002; (4) there should be an increase in exchanges between defense officials and law enforcement of the United States and Bahrain at the strategic, policy, and tactical levels, especially for the purposes of— (A) enhancing cooperation on defense planning; (B) improving intelligence sharing to combat terrorism; and (C) improving interoperability between the Ministry of Interior and the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet; (5) the United States should ensure Bahrain has capabilities with regards to its air, missile, and unmanned aerial system defense assets to support peace efforts in the region; (6) it is important for the United States to be a source of consistent and reliable defense assets for Bahrain; (7) the United States should deepen interoperability with Bahrain in defense capabilities, including— (A) maritime and air domain awareness; (B) integrated air and missile defense systems; and (C) counter unmanned aircraft system measures; (8) the Secretary of Defense should prioritize including Bahrain in military exercises to the greatest extent possible, increasing security cooperation and readiness between Bahrain and the United States; and (9) it is in the best interest of the United States and Bahrain to work together to oppose any efforts of terrorism or radical extremism in the Middle East. 3. Report on upgrading capabilities of United States Fifth Fleet (a) In general 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 a report on upgrading the capabilities of the United States Fifth Fleet to address emerging threats in the region of the area of responsibility of the Fifth Fleet and any cost associated with such capability upgrades. Such report shall include an assessment of the efforts of the Department of Defense to— (1) increase exchanges between defense officials and law enforcement of the United States and Bahrain at the strategic, policy, and tactical levels, especially for the purposes of— (A) enhancing cooperation on defense planning; (B) improving intelligence sharing to combat terrorism; and (C) improving interoperability between the public security forces and the United States Fifth Fleet; (2) ensure that Bahrain has capabilities with regards to its air, missile, and unmanned aerial system defense assets to support peace efforts in the region; and (3) deepen interoperability with Bahrain in defense capabilities, including— (A) maritime and air domain awareness; (B) integrated air and missile defense systems; and (C) counter unmanned aircraft system measures. (b) Congressional defense committees defined In this section, the term congressional defense committees

Summary: Bahrain Security Cooperation Improvement Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to report to Congress on (1) the upgrades necessary to enable the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet to address emerging threats in its area of responsibility, and (2) DOD efforts to increase defense and law enforcement exchanges between the United States and Bahrain. (Bahrain hosts the Fifth Fleet.)