Baltic Defense and Deterrence Act
Bill: S.3950 | Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. (D-IL)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Baltic Defense and Deterrence Act
This bill requires the Department of State to establish and implement an initiative to increase security and economic ties with the Baltic countries (i.e., Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). The bill also requires the Department of Defense to establish and implement an initiative to deepen security cooperation with the Baltic countries.

To establish the Baltic Security and Economic Enhancement Initiative 
   for the purpose of increasing security and economic ties with the 
 Baltic countries and to establish the Baltic Security Initiative for 
     the purpose of deepening security cooperation with the Baltic 
                   countries, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Baltic Defense and Deterrence Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) supporting and strengthening the security of Estonia, 
        Latvia, and Lithuania (referred to in this Act as the ``Baltic 
        countries'') is in the national security interests of the 
        United States;
            (2) continuing to strengthen and update the United States-
        Baltics security cooperation roadmap is critical to achieving 
        strategic security priorities as the Baltic countries face 
        ongoing belligerence and threats from the Russian Federation, 
        including amid the Russian Federation's illegal and unprovoked 
        war in Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022;
            (3) the United States should encourage advancement of the 
        Three Seas Initiative to strengthen transport, energy, and 
        digital infrastructures among Eastern European countries, 
        including the Baltic countries; and
            (4) improved economic ties between the United States and 
        the Baltic countries, including to counter economic pressure by 
        the People's Republic of China, offer an opportunity to 
        strengthen the United States-Baltic strategic partnership.

SEC. 3. BALTIC SECURITY AND ECONOMIC ENHANCEMENT INITIATIVE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of State shall establish and 
implement an initiative, to be known as the ``Baltic Security and 
Economic Enhancement Initiative'', for the purpose of increasing 
security and economic ties with the Baltic countries.
    (b) Objectives.--The objectives of the Baltic Security and Economic 
Enhancement Initiative shall be--
            (1) to ensure timely delivery of security assistance to the 
        Baltic countries, prioritizing assistance to bolster defenses 
        against hybrid warfare and improve interoperability with the 
        military forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
            (2) to mitigate the impact on the Baltic countries of 
        economic coercion by the Russian Federation and the People's 
        Republic of China;
            (3) to identify new opportunities for foreign direct 
        investment and United States business ties; and
            (4) to bolster United States support for the economic and 
        energy security needs of the Baltic countries, including by 
        convening an annual trade forum with the Baltic countries and 
        the United States International Development Finance 
        Corporation.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for the Department of State, $60,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out the initiative authorized 
under subsection (a).

SEC. 4. BALTIC SECURITY INITIATIVE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish and 
implement an initiative, to be known as the ``Baltic Security 
Initiative'', for the purpose of deepening security cooperation with 
the Baltic countries.
    (b) Objectives.--The objectives of the Baltic Security Initiative 
shall be--
            (1) to achieve United States national security objectives, 
        including deterring aggression by the Russian Federation and 
        bolstering the long-term security of North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization allies;
            (2) to enhance regional planning and cooperation among the 
        Baltic countries, particularly with respect to long-term 
        regional capability projects, including--
                    (A) long-range precision fire systems and 
                capabilities;
                    (B) integrated air and missile defense;
                    (C) maritime domain awareness;
                    (D) land forces development, including stockpiling 
                large caliber ammunition;
                    (E) command, control, communications, computers, 
                intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance;
                    (F) special operations forces development; and
                    (G) coordination with and security enhancements for 
                Poland, which is a neighboring North Atlantic Treaty 
                Organization ally; and
            (3) to improve the Baltic countries' cyber defenses and 
        resilience to hybrid threats.
    (c) Strategy.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
        submit to Congress a report setting forth the strategy of the 
        Department of Defense to achieve the objectives described in 
        subsection (b).
            (2) Considerations.--The strategy required by paragraph (1) 
        shall include a consideration of--
                    (A) security assistance programs for the Baltic 
                countries managed by the Department of State;
                    (B) the ongoing security threats to the North 
                Atlantic Treaty Organization's eastern flank posed by 
                Russian aggression, including as a result of the 
                Russian Federation's 2022 invasion of Ukraine with 
                support from Belarus; and
                    (C) rising tensions with, and presence in the 
                Baltic countries of, the People's Republic of China, 
                including economic bullying of the Baltic countries by 
                the People's Republic of China.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated for the Department of Defense, $250,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out the initiative authorized 
under subsection (a).
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