Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review Act
Bill: H.R.3696 | Sponsor: Rep. Castro, Joaquin (D-TX)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review Act
This bill requires reports relating to the Indian Ocean region.
The Department of State must report to Congress a multiyear strategy for supporting U.S. interests in the Indian Ocean region. Among other things, the strategy must (1) outline U.S. political, economic, and security interests in the region and challenges to such interests; (2) outline efforts to engage with countries and intergovernmental organizations in the region; and (3) include a security assistance strategy.
The bill also requires the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission to include in its annual report to Congress a full discussion of China's military deployment in the region.

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.

    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 ``Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The Indian Ocean region is a vitally important part of 
        the Indo-Pacific where the United States has political, 
        economic, and security interests.
            (2) The United States has an interest in working with 
        partners in the Indo-Pacific, including India, Japan, and 
        Australia, to address regional governance, economic 
        connectivity, and security challenges including threats to 
        freedom of navigation.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    As a part of the United States engagement in the Indo-Pacific, it 
shall be the policy of the United States to strengthen engagement with 
the countries in the Indian Ocean region, including with governments, 
civil society, and private sectors in such countries to--
            (1) promote United States political engagement with such 
        region, including through active participation in regional 
        organizations, and strengthened diplomatic relations with 
        United States partners in such region;
            (2) enhance United States economic connectivity and 
        commercial exchange with such region;
            (3) defend freedom of navigation in such region from 
        security challenges, including related to piracy;
            (4) support the ability of governments and organizations in 
        such region to respond to natural disasters;
            (5) support and facilitate the role of regional allies and 
        partners as net providers of security to such region and as 
        partners to the United States in addressing security challenges 
        in such region, including through assistance to such allies and 
        partners to build capacity in maritime security and maritime 
        domain awareness;
            (6) continue to build the United States-India relationship 
        in order to regularize security cooperation through the 
        negotiation of agreements concerning access, communication, and 
        navigation, including through foundational agreements; and
            (7) promote cooperation with United States allies in the 
        Indo-Pacific, including Japan and Australia, and major defense 
        partners, including India, and NATO allies, including the 
        United Kingdom and France, to support a rules-based order in 
        such region.

SEC. 4. STRATEGY.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development (USAID), shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a multi-year strategy for United States 
engagement to support United States interests in the Indian Ocean 
region. Such strategy shall--
            (1) define United States political, economic, and security 
        interests in the Indian Ocean region;
            (2) outline challenges to the interests of the United 
        States in such region;
            (3) outline efforts to improve cooperation between the 
        United States and members of the Quad, including India, Japan, 
        and Australia, through coordination in diplomacy and 
        development priorities, joint military exercises and 
        operations, and other activities that promote United States 
        political, economic, and security interests;
            (4) outline efforts to support economic connectivity in 
        such region, including through the United States-India-Japan 
        Trilateral Infrastructure Working Group, the Asia-Africa Growth 
        Corridor, and other efforts to expand and enhance connectivity 
        across the Indo-Pacific, including with the countries of 
        Southeast Asia, that maintain high standards of investment and 
        support for civil society and people-to-people connectivity;
            (5) describe how the United States can engage with regional 
        intergovernmental organizations and entities, including the 
        Indian Ocean Rim Association, to promote United States 
        political, economic, and security interests in such region;
            (6) review the United States diplomatic posture in such 
        region, including an assessment of United States diplomatic 
        engagement in countries without a permanent United States 
        embassy or diplomatic mission, and an assessment of ways to 
        improve the cooperation with the Maldives, the Seychelles, and 
        Comoros;
            (7) review United States diplomatic agreements with 
        countries in such region that facilitate United States military 
        operations in such region, including bilateral and multilateral 
        agreements, and describe efforts to expand United States 
        cooperation with such countries through the negotiation of 
        additional agreements; and
            (8) include a security assistance strategy for such region 
        that outlines priorities, objectives, and actions for United 
        States security assistance efforts to governments of countries 
        in such region to promote United States political, economic, 
        and security interests in such region.
    (b) Inclusion.--The strategy required under subsection (a) may be 
submitted as a part of any other strategy relating to the Indo-Pacific.
    (c) Report on Implementation.--Not later than one year after the 
submission of the strategy required under subsection (a) and one year 
thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report on progress made toward implementing 
such strategy.

SEC. 5. UNITED STATES-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY REVIEW COMMISSION.

    (a) In General.--Subparagraph (E) of section 1238(c)(2) of the 
Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 
(22 U.S.C. 7002(c)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``, including in the Indian Ocean region'' 
        after ``deployments of the People's Republic of China 
        military''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``In 
        this subparagraph, the term `Indian Ocean region' means the 
        Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, 
        and the littoral areas surrounding the Indian Ocean.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act and apply 
beginning with the first report required under section 1238 of the 
Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 
(as amended by such subsection) that is submitted after such date.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the 
        House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations 
        and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.
            (2) Indian ocean region.--The term ``Indian Ocean region'' 
        means the Indian Ocean, including the Arabian Sea and the Bay 
        of Bengal, and the littoral areas surrounding the Indian Ocean.
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