Title: Allied Burden Sharing Report Act of 2019
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Allied Burden Sharing Report Act of 2019
This bill directs the Department of Defense to report to Congress on (1) the defense spending and military activities of certain countries with cooperative defense agreements with the United States, (2) whether a country places limits on the use of funds contributed to the common defense, and (3) any U.S. actions to minimize such limitations.
The report shall cover each North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member state, each Gulf Cooperation Council member state, each country party to the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty), and other specified countries.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 985 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 985

    To require annual reports on allied contributions to the common 
                    defense, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 2, 2019

Mr. Lee (for himself, Mr. Paul, and Mr. Braun) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require annual reports on allied contributions to the common 
                    defense, 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 ``Allied Burden Sharing Report Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDING; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Finding.--Congress finds that section 1003 of the Department of 
Defense Authorization Act, 1985 (Public Law 98-525; 63 Stat. 2241)--
            (1) expresses the sense of Congress that, due to threats 
        that are ever-changing, Congress must be informed with respect 
        to allied contributions to the common defense to properly 
        assess the readiness of the United States and the countries 
        described in section 3(b) for threats; and
            (2) requires the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress 
        an annual report on the contributions of allies to the common 
        defense.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the threats facing the United States--
                    (A) extend beyond the global war on terror; and
                    (B) include near-peer threats; and
            (2) the President should seek from each country described 
        in section 3(b) acceptance of international security 
        responsibilities and agreements to make contributions to the 
        common defense in accordance with the collective defense 
        agreements or treaties to which such country is a party.

SEC. 3. REPORTS ON ALLIED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE COMMON DEFENSE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than March 1 each year, the Secretary, 
in coordination with the heads of other Federal agencies, as the 
Secretary determines to be necessary, shall submit to the appropriate 
committees of Congress a report containing a description of--
            (1) the annual defense spending by each country described 
        in subsection (b), including available data on nominal budget 
        figures and defense spending as a percentage of the gross 
        domestic products of each such country for the fiscal year 
        immediately preceding the fiscal year in which the report is 
        submitted;
            (2) the activities of each such country to contribute to 
        military or stability operations in which the Armed Forces of 
        the United States are a participant or may be called upon in 
        accordance with a cooperative defense agreement to which the 
        United States is a party;
            (3) any limitations placed by any such country on the use 
        of such contributions; and
            (4) any actions undertaken by the United States or by other 
        countries to minimize such limitations.
    (b) Countries Described.--The countries described in this 
subsection are the following:
            (1) Each member state of the North Atlantic Treaty 
        Organization.
            (2) Each member state of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
            (3) Each country party to the Inter-American Treaty of 
        Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty), done at Rio de Janeiro 
        September 2, 1947, and entered into force December 3, 1948 
        (TIAS 1838).
            (4) Australia.
            (5) Japan.
            (6) New Zealand.
            (7) The Philippines.
            (8) South Korea.
            (9) Thailand.
    (c) Form.--Each report under subsection (a) shall be submitted in 
unclassified form, but may contain a classified annex.
    (d) Availability.--A report submitted under subsection (a) shall be 
made available on request to any Member of Congress.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
                on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on 
                Appropriations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee 
                on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations 
                of the House of Representatives.
            (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Defense.
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