I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4495 
To strengthen the United States commitment to the security and stability 
of the Asia-Pacific region, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 28, 2014 
Mr. FORBES (for himself and Ms. HANABUSA) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To strengthen the United States commitment to the security 
and stability of the Asia-Pacific region, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Asia-Pacific Region Priority Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Sense of Congress. 
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Sec. 3. Congressional defense committees. 
TITLE I—MATTERS RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF 
DEFENSE 
Sec. 101. Report on Department of Defense munitions strategy for United 
States Pacific Command. 
Sec. 102. Establishment of Department of Defense unmanned systems office. 
Sec. 103. Independent assessment on countering anti-access and area-denial ca-
pabilities in the Asia-Pacific region. 
Sec. 104. Assessment of the maritime balance of forces in the Asia-Pacific re-
gion. 
Sec. 105. Missile defense cooperation. 
Sec. 106. Department of Defense Space Security and Defense Program. 
Sec. 107. Space situational awareness. 
Sec. 108. Sense of Congress on access to training ranges within United States 
Pacific Command area of responsibility. 
Sec. 109. Sense of Congress on Pohakuloa Training Area in Hawaii. 
Sec. 110. Special easement acquisition authority, Pacific Missile Range Facility, 
Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. 
TITLE II—MATTERS RELATING TO FOREIGN NATIONS 
Sec. 201. Statement of policy on maritime disputes in the Asia-Pacific region. 
Sec. 202. Sense of Congress reaffirming security commitment to Japan. 
Sec. 203. Report on opportunities to strengthen relationship between the 
United States and the Republic of Korea. 
Sec. 204. Maritime capabilities of Taiwan and its contribution to regional peace 
and stability. 
Sec. 205. Modifications to annual report on military and security developments 
involving the People’s Republic of China. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The United States has a national interest in 
maintaining the stability and security of the global 
commons in the Asia-Pacific region. 
(2) In October 2011, Secretary of State Hillary 
Clinton laid out an enduring vision for continued 
United States involvement in the Asia-Pacific region 
throughout the coming century through strength-
ened security alliances, deeper relations with emerg-
ing powers, broader engagement with regional multi-
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lateral institutions, greater trade and investment, a 
broad-based security posture, and the pursuit of de-
mocracy and protection of human rights. 
(3) In November 2011, President Barack 
Obama stated before the Australian Parliament that 
the United States will stand for security as the foun-
dation of peace and prosperity, the rights and re-
sponsibilities of all nations and people, international 
law enforcing agreements and norms, freedom of 
commerce and navigation, integration of emerging 
powers into a regional security architecture, and the 
peaceful resolution of disputes. 
(4) In January 2012, the Defense Strategic 
Guidance, released by the Department of Defense, 
emphasized the importance of the Asia-Pacific re-
gion, citing ‘‘U.S. economic and security interests 
are inextricably linked to developments in the arc ex-
tending from the Western Pacific and East Asia into 
the Indian Ocean region and South Asia,’’ and ac-
cordingly, ‘‘we will of necessity rebalance toward the 
Asia-Pacific region’’. 
(5) In June 2012, Secretary of Defense Leon 
Panetta reaffirmed at the Shangri-La Dialogue that 
the United States remains committed to the prin-
ciples of open and free commerce, a just inter-
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national order that emphasizes rights and respon-
sibilities of all nations and a fidelity to the rule of 
law, open access by all to the shared domains of sea, 
air, space, and cyberspace, and the resolution of dis-
putes without coercion or the use of force. 
(6) The United States relationships with its 
treaty allies in the Asia-Pacific region, including 
Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, the Phil-
ippines, and Thailand, are at the heart of United 
States policy and engagement in the region, and 
these countries share a common approach to sup-
porting peace and stability, freedom of navigation, 
and other internationally lawful uses of sea and air-
space in the region. 
(7) The United States continues to work with 
these and other regional countries on a range of 
transnational security and humanitarian issues, in-
cluding countering the proliferation of weapons of 
mass destruction, encouraging the peaceful resolu-
tion of territorial disputes, responding to and miti-
gating humanitarian disasters, halting the illicit 
trafficking of people, drugs, and weapons, coordi-
nating to monitor and combat the risk of pandemic 
disease, and fighting the disruptive activities of state 
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and non-state actors for the betterment of regional 
stability and prosperity. 
(8) The United States military continues to 
work closely with the armed forces of these and 
other regional countries to maintain vigilance 
against threats to the global commons and inter-
national order, deter against acts of aggression, and 
field capabilities to mitigate risks to allied and part-
ner states in the Asia-Pacific region. 
(9) Security shifts in the Asia-Pacific region 
over the past decade have prompted a reassessment 
of the forces and capabilities necessary to provide 
domain awareness, credible deterrence, and effective 
defense in future decades to uphold the United 
States security commitments to the region and to 
maintain regional stability. 
(10) As provided in written testimony to the 
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives in March 2014, Admiral Samuel 
Locklear, Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, 
noted that, ‘‘North Korea remains our most dan-
gerous and enduring challenge . . . North Korea’s 
pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, in 
contravention of its international obligations, con-
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stitutes a significant threat to peace and security on 
the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia.’’. 
(11) As provided in written testimony to the 
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives in November 2013, Dr. Larry Wortzel, 
Commissioner, United States–China Economic and 
Security Review Commission, noted that, ‘‘China’s 
military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), is un-
dergoing an extensive modernization program that 
presents significant challenges to U.S. security inter-
ests in Asia.’’. 
(12) As Under Secretary of Defense for Acqui-
sition, Technology and Logistics, Mr. Frank Ken-
dall, testified before the Committee on Armed Serv-
ices of the House of Representatives on January 28, 
2014, ‘‘Anti-access aerial denial capabilities that 
concern us cover a range of conventional capabilities. 
In the case of China in particular, for example, they 
include space control investments, offense cyber ca-
pabilities, conventional ballistic and cruise missiles 
with precision-seekers designed both fixed land in-
stallations and surface ships, including aircraft car-
riers; air-to-air capabilities, including fifth-genera-
tion fighters, long-range missiles with advance tech-
nologies seekers, and electronic warfare systems.’’. 
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(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) the security, stability, and prosperity of the 
Asia-Pacific region is vital to United States national 
interests; 
(2) security and stability, largely provided by 
United States forces and their forward presence, un-
derwrite United States national interests in the 
Asia-Pacific region; 
(3) the United States remains unwavering in its 
commitment and support for allies and partners in 
the Asia-Pacific region; 
(4) efforts by the Department of Defense to re-
align forces, commit additional assets, and increase 
investments to the Asia-Pacific region are welcome 
signs of the United States continued commitment to 
the region; 
(5) to counter anti-access and area-denial capa-
bilities, deter regional aggression, assure allies and 
partners, sustain military balance in the Asia-Pacific 
region, and enable more effective operations in con-
tested and denied environments, the Department of 
Defense will need to— 
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(A) develop new concepts and initiatives, 
such as Air-Sea Battle (ASB) and the Strategic 
Capabilities Office (SCO); 
(B) invest in a new generation of military 
capabilities, in areas such as undersea warfare, 
power-projection, munitions, amphibious capa-
bilities, resilient space architectures, and missile 
defenses; and 
(C) nurture technologies, in areas such as 
electromagnetics, directed energy, hypersonics, 
and electronic warfare; and 
(6) the development of regional institutions and 
bodies, including the Association of Southeast Asian 
Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, the ASEAN De-
fense Minister’s Meeting, the East Asia Summit, 
and the expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum, should 
be supported to build practical cooperation in the 
Asia-Pacific region and reinforce the role of inter-
national law. 
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘congressional defense commit-
tees’’ has the meaning given that term in section 
101(a)(16) of title 10, United States Code. 
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TITLE 
I—MATTERS 
RELATING 
TO THE DEPARTMENT OF DE-
FENSE 
SEC. 101. REPORT ON DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MUNI-
TIONS STRATEGY FOR UNITED STATES PA-
CIFIC COMMAND. 
(a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than April 1, 
2015, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the con-
gressional defense committees a report on the munitions 
strategy for the United States Pacific Command, includ-
ing an identification of munitions requirements, an assess-
ment of munitions gaps and shortfalls, and necessary mu-
nitions investments. Such strategy shall cover the 10-year 
period beginning with 2015. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report on munitions strategy 
required by subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) An identification of current and projected 
munitions requirements, by class or type. 
(2) An assessment of munitions gaps and short-
falls, including a census of current munitions capa-
bilities and programs, not including ammunition. 
(3) A description of current and planned muni-
tions programs, including with respect to procure-
ment, research, development, test and evaluation, 
and deployment activities. 
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(4) Schedules, estimated costs, and budget 
plans for current and planned munitions programs. 
(5) Identification of opportunities and limita-
tions within the associated industrial base. 
(6) Identification and evaluation of technology 
needs and applicable emerging technologies, includ-
ing with respect to directed energy, rail gun, and 
cyber technologies. 
(7) An assessment of how current and planned 
munitions programs, and promising technologies, 
may affect existing operational concepts and capa-
bilities of the military departments or lead to new 
operational concepts and capabilities. 
(8) An assessment of programs and capabilities 
by other countries to counter the munitions pro-
grams and capabilities of the Armed Forces of the 
United States, not including with respect to ammu-
nition, and how such assessment affects the muni-
tions strategy of each military department. 
(9) Any other matters the Secretary determines 
appropriate. 
(c) FORM.—The report under subsection (a) may be 
submitted in classified or unclassified form. 
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SEC. 102. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
UNMANNED SYSTEMS OFFICE. 
(a) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States to 
maintain an independent organization within the Depart-
ment of Defense to develop and coordinate the unmanned 
air, land, and sea capabilities of the United States to en-
sure unity of effort and the prudent allocation of resources 
in accordance with military needs. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 4 of title 10, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following next section: 
‘‘§ 145. Director of Defense Unmanned Systems 
‘‘(a) APPOINTMENT.—(1) There is a Director of De-
fense Unmanned Systems in the Office of the Secretary 
of Defense, who shall be appointed by the Secretary of 
Defense and who shall report directly to the Deputy Sec-
retary of Defense. 
‘‘(2) The Director shall be a member of the Senior 
Executive Service or a general officer or flag officer. 
‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Director of Defense 
Unmanned Systems shall serve as— 
‘‘(1) the principal advisor to both the Secretary 
of Defense and Deputy Secretary of Defense on 
matters relating to unmanned systems described in 
subsection (c); and 
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‘‘(2) the principal Department of Defense liai-
son to other Federal agencies, the defense industry, 
and centers of research on such matters. 
‘‘(c) MATTERS DESCRIBED.—The Director shall ad-
vise the Secretary and Deputy Secretary on, at a min-
imum, following: 
‘‘(1) Policy and oversight of all matters related 
to unmanned systems within the Department of De-
fense, including the Office of the Secretary of De-
fense, the military departments, the Joint Staff, the 
combatant commands, and the Defense Agencies. 
‘‘(2) Coordination of acquisition and research, 
development, technology, and engineering efforts re-
lating to the development, experimentation, and 
fielding of unmanned systems to ensure unity of ef-
fort and interagency awareness of emerging capabili-
ties. 
‘‘(3) Recommendations regarding budget mat-
ters pertaining to unmanned systems programs and 
resources across the military departments. 
‘‘(4) Recommendations, in collaboration with 
the Joint Staff and other strategic planning offices, 
to integrate unmanned systems with existing oper-
ational concepts and determining new concepts en-
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abled by advances in unmanned capabilities, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(A) advanced intelligence, surveillance, 
and reconnaissance opportunities; 
‘‘(B) new or greater roles in power projec-
tion responsibilities; 
‘‘(C) support for deterrence posture and 
capabilities; 
‘‘(D) cost imposition strategies; 
‘‘(E) force protection; and 
‘‘(F) compliance with the requirements set 
forth in 142 of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 
109–163; 119 Stat. 3164), as amended by sec-
tion 141 of the John Warner National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 (Public 
Law 109–364; 120 Stat. 2116), including the 
unmanned systems roadmap, which includes a 
technology appendix clarifying key areas for 
Department of Defense research, development, 
testing, and evaluation and areas to encourage 
independent research and development invest-
ment by private companies. 
‘‘(d) UNMANNED SYSTEMS DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘unmanned systems’ means platforms with-
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out human occupants that are directed by some combina-
tion of human input or autonomous function and that are 
used in furtherance of military objectives.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions at the beginning of chapter 4 of such title is 
amended by adding at the end the following new 
item: 
‘‘145. Director of Defense Unmanned Systems.’’. 
SEC. 103. INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT ON COUNTERING 
ANTI-ACCESS AND AREA-DENIAL CAPABILI-
TIES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION. 
(a) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense 
shall enter into an agreement with an independent 
entity to conduct an assessment of anti-access and 
area-denial capabilities that pose a threat to the 
United States and its allies and partners in the 
Asia-Pacific region and strategies to mitigate such 
threats. 
(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The assess-
ment required under paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) identification of anti-access and area- 
denial capabilities; 
(B) assessment of gaps and shortfalls in 
the ability of the United States to address anti- 
access and area-denial capabilities identified 
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under subparagraph (A) and plans of the De-
partment of Defense to address such gaps and 
shortfalls; 
(C) assessment of Department of Defense 
strategies to effectively deter aggression in the 
Asia-Pacific region; and 
(D) any other matters the independent en-
tity determines to be appropriate. 
(b) REPORT REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 
2015, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 
congressional defense committees a report that in-
cludes the assessment and strategies required under 
subsection (a) and any other matters the Secretary 
determines to be appropriate. 
(2) FORM.—The report required under para-
graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 
but may contain a classified annex if necessary. 
(c) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SUPPORT.—The Sec-
retary of Defense shall provide the independent entity de-
scribed in subsection (a) with timely access to appropriate 
information, data, and analysis so that the entity may con-
duct a thorough and independent assessment as required 
under subsection (a). 
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SEC. 104. ASSESSMENT OF THE MARITIME BALANCE OF 
FORCES IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION. 
(a) ASSESSMENT REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office of 
Net Assessment of the Department of Defense shall 
conduct an assessment of the maritime balance of 
forces in the Asia-Pacific region for the 10-year pe-
riod beginning on the date of the initiation of the as-
sessment, with a focus on the Chinese People’s Lib-
eration Army and State Oceanic Administration. 
(2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The assess-
ment required under paragraph (1) shall include the 
following: 
(A) An identification and projection of 
maritime balance of forces in the Asia-Pacific 
region based on— 
(i) a thorough assessment of the mili-
tary capabilities, readiness, and strategies 
of each assessed state; and 
(ii) current and planned United States 
security initiatives and acquisition efforts, 
in comparison with the efforts of regional 
states. 
(B) The implications of pursuing such 
strategies for the United States defense pos-
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ture, to include capabilities, force posture, and 
the role of allies and partners. 
(b) REPORT REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than March 1, 
2015, the Director of the Office of Net Assessment 
shall submit to the congressional defense committees 
a report that includes the assessment required under 
subsection (a). 
(2) FORM.—The report required under para-
graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 
but may contain a classified annex if necessary. 
SEC. 105. MISSILE DEFENSE COOPERATION. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) Admiral Samuel Locklear, Commander of 
the United States Pacific Command, testified before 
the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
Representatives on March 5, 2014, that in the 
spring of 2013, North Korea ‘‘conducted another 
underground nuclear test, threatened the use of a 
nuclear weapon against the United States, and con-
currently conducted a mobile missile deployment of 
an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile, reportedly 
capable of ranging our western most U.S. territory 
in the Pacific.’’; 
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