Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review Act of 2024

Bill: 118-s-5037
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Scott, Tim [R-SC]
Introduced: 2024-09-12
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2024-09-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Summaries:

tv_txt: II 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 5037 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 12, 2024 Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Kaine , Mr. Rubio , and Mr. Coons ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To strengthen the role of the United States with respect to the Indian Ocean region, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review Act of 2024 . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Appropriate congressional committees The term appropriate congressional committees means— (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives. (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, including the East Coast of Africa. (3) Indian Ocean region country The term Indian Ocean region country means any country located within or surrounding the Indian Ocean region. 3. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) The United States has vitally important political, economic, and security interests in the Indian Ocean region, and the United States is uniquely positioned to capitalize on opportunities that advance those interests. (2) The United States needs to engage and cooperate with partners in the Indo-Pacific region, including India, Japan, Australia, and island countries located within the region, to bolster regional governance, to increase sustainable economic development, and to strengthen cooperation on security challenges, such as threats to freedom of navigation, and environmental disasters. (3) The United States must work to better understand the political, security, economic, and environmental issues faced by the governments of Indian Ocean region countries. 4. Statement of policy It is the policy of the United States with respect to the Indian Ocean region, as part of the broader strategy of the United States for Indo-Pacific engagement, to strengthen engagement with Indian Ocean region countries (including with the governments, civil society, academia, and private sectors of those countries) and to enhance meaningful diplomatic, security, and economic relations with allies and partners of the United States in the Indian Ocean region by— (1) promoting cohesive political ties between the United States and Indian Ocean region countries through active participation in regional organizations and strengthening bilateral diplomatic relations with those allies and partners; (2) continuing to strengthen bilateral security relationships between the United States and partners in the Indian Ocean region, including India, for the purpose of regularizing security cooperation, by building upon foundational agreements concerning intelligence sharing, military communication, and naval cooperation; (3) engaging with India to better understand and operationalize economic and political opportunities across the Indian Ocean region; (4) enhancing economic connectivity and commercial exchange between the United States and Indian Ocean region countries; (5) maintaining the freedom of navigation of the international waters within the Indian Ocean region in a manner consistent with international law; (6) cooperating with the governments of Indian Ocean region countries on security challenges, including issues relating to piracy and illegal fishing; (7) supporting the ability of such governments, and of nongovernmental organizations within the Indian Ocean region, to respond to environmental disasters and work to mitigate potential future disasters with resilient infrastructure; (8) facilitating cooperation between the United States and allies and partners of the United States in the Indian Ocean region to build capacity in maritime security and maritime domain awareness; (9) promoting cooperation with allies of the United States in the Indo-Pacific region (including Japan and Australia), major defense partners of the United States (including India), and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies (including the United Kingdom and France) to support a rules-based order in the region; and (10) understanding resources and costs required for the United States to effectively engage diplomatically and economically in the Indian Ocean region. 5. Strategy and implementation plan relating to Indian Ocean region (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, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a multi-year strategy and implementation plan for United States engagements and posture to support the interests of the United States with respect to the Indian Ocean region. (b) Elements of strategy The strategy required by subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) An identification of the political, economic, and security goals and opportunities of the United States in the Indian Ocean region. (2) An explanation of the political, economic, and security goals of Indian Ocean region countries and a detailed description of areas with respect to which those goals align with the goals of the United States. (3) A list that— (A) details the political, economic, and security efforts of the People’s Republic of China with respect to the Indian Ocean region, particularly with respect to the engagement by the People’s Republic of China with each Indian Ocean region country; and (B) includes an assessment of any efforts of the People’s Republic of China to expand its military presence in the Indian Ocean region, including through efforts to secure agreements to host People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) bases and acquire commercial port facilities. (4) A description and analysis of challenges, including countries and specific projects, to engagement by the United States with Indian Ocean region countries as a result of— (A) disparate policy goals across the departments and agencies of the United States Government; and (B) disparate definitions of the term Indian Ocean region across the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the United States Agency for International Development. (5) A list that details efforts to improve cooperation between the United States and other members of the Quadrilateral Dialogue (commonly referred to as the Quad ), namely, Australia, India, and Japan, through coordination among those countries with respect to diplomacy and development priorities, joint military exercises and operations, and other activities that promote and balance the political, economic, and security interests of the United States with respect to Indian Ocean region countries. (6) An overview— (A) of efforts to support the economic connectivity and development of island countries located within the Indian Ocean region, including through the United States-India-Japan Trilateral Infrastructure Working Group and the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor, and other efforts to expand and enhance connectivity across the Indo-Pacific region (including with the countries of Southeast Asia), that maintain high standards of investment and support for civil society and people-to-people connectivity; and (B) that shall include a description of any resources or policy tools required to enhance the ability of the United States to support high-quality infrastructure resiliency projects in those countries. (7) A description of how the United States may engage with regional intergovernmental organizations and multilateral organizations, including the Indian Ocean Rim Association, to promote the political, economic, and security goals of the United States in the Indian Ocean region. (8) A description of how the United States may facilitate cooperation between Indian Ocean region countries (including with the governments, civil society, academia, and private sectors of those countries) and Taiwan through Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. (9) A review of the diplomatic posture of the United States in the Indian Ocean region, including the following: (A) An assessment of the diplomatic engagement by the United States with Indian Ocean region countries without a permanent United States embassy or diplomatic mission. (B) An assessment of means to improve cooperation by the United States with the Maldives, Seychelles, and Comoros. (C) An assessment of the sufficiency of United States diplomatic personnel and facilities available in the Indian Ocean region to carry out the policy described in section 4. (D) A description of any resources required to fill identified gaps with respect to such diplomatic posture. (E) A description of the bilateral and multilateral diplomatic goals of the Department of State that the Secretary of State considers necessary to carry out the policy described in section 4. (F) A description of the diplomatic strategy to deter the efforts described in paragraph (3)(B). (10) A review of the agreements entered into between the United States and Indian Ocean region countries for the purpose of facilitating the military operations of the United States pursuant to bilateral and multilateral agreements and a description of any efforts to expand naval and coast guard cooperation between the United States and India and other Indian Ocean region countries through the negotiation of additional agreements. (11) A strategy for strengthening security cooperation between the United States and partners in the Indian Ocean region, including through the provision of security assistance, which shall include the following: (A) A summary of the security priorities, objectives, and actions of each prospective recipient country. (B) A description of the means by which the United States may support those security priorities, objectives, and actions while promoting the political, economic, and security goals of the United States in the Indian Ocean region. (C) An assessment of the capabilities, training, and resources needed for Indian Ocean region countries to address shared challenges in the region. (c) Inclusion in another strategy The strategy required by subsection (a) may be submitted to the appropriate congressional committees as a part of any other strategy relating to the Indo-Pacific region. (d) Reports on implementation Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Secretary of State submits the strategy required by subsection (a), and 1 year thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on progress made toward implementing the strategy. 6. Reports by United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission (a) Modification Section 1238(c)(2)(E) of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 ( 22 U.S.C. 7002(c)(2)(E) ) 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, including the East Coast of Africa. . (b) Applicability The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to each report under section 1238(c) of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 ( 22 U.S.C. 7002(c) ) required to be submitted on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.