Indian Ocean Region Strategic Review Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3696 To highlight the Indian Ocean’s role in the Indo-Pacific, strengthen engage- ment with countries in the Indian Ocean region, promote economic and security cooperation with the governments in the Indian Ocean region, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 4, 2021 Mr. CASTRO of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL 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 Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Indian Ocean Region 4 Strategic Review Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress makes the following findings: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Jun 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3696.IH H3696 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3696 IH (1) The Indian Ocean region is a vitally impor- 1 tant part of the Indo-Pacific where the United 2 States has political, economic, and security interests. 3 (2) The United States has an interest in work- 4 ing with partners in the Indo-Pacific, including 5 India, Japan, and Australia, to address regional gov- 6 ernance, economic connectivity, and security chal- 7 lenges including threats to freedom of navigation. 8 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 9 As a part of the United States engagement in the 10 Indo-Pacific, it shall be the policy of the United States 11 to strengthen engagement with the countries in the Indian 12 Ocean region, including with governments, civil society, 13 and private sectors in such countries to— 14 (1) promote United States political engagement 15 with such region, including through active participa- 16 tion in regional organizations, and strengthened dip- 17 lomatic relations with United States partners in 18 such region; 19 (2) enhance United States economic 20 connectivity and commercial exchange with such re- 21 gion; 22 (3) defend freedom of navigation in such region 23 from security challenges, including related to piracy; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Jun 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3696.IH H3696 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3696 IH (4) support the ability of governments and or- 1 ganizations in such region to respond to natural dis- 2 asters; 3 (5) support and facilitate the role of regional al- 4 lies and partners as net providers of security to such 5 region and as partners to the United States in ad- 6 dressing security challenges in such region, including 7 through assistance to such allies and partners to 8 build capacity in maritime security and maritime do- 9 main awareness; 10 (6) continue to build the United States-India 11 relationship in order to regularize security coopera- 12 tion through the negotiation of agreements con- 13 cerning access, communication, and navigation, in- 14 cluding through foundational agreements; and 15 (7) promote cooperation with United States al- 16 lies in the Indo-Pacific, including Japan and Aus- 17 tralia, and major defense partners, including India, 18 and NATO allies, including the United Kingdom and 19 France, to support a rules-based order in such re- 20 gion. 21 SEC. 4. STRATEGY. 22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 23 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 24 in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the Ad- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Jun 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3696.IH H3696 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3696 IH ministrator of the United States Agency for International 1 Development (USAID), shall submit to the appropriate 2 congressional committees a multi-year strategy for United 3 States engagement to support United States interests in 4 the Indian Ocean region. Such strategy shall— 5 (1) define United States political, economic, 6 and security interests in the Indian Ocean region; 7 (2) outline challenges to the interests of the 8 United States in such region; 9 (3) outline efforts to improve cooperation be- 10 tween the United States and members of the Quad, 11 including India, Japan, and Australia, through co- 12 ordination in diplomacy and development priorities, 13 joint military exercises and operations, and other ac- 14 tivities that promote United States political, eco- 15 nomic, and security interests; 16 (4) outline efforts to support economic 17 connectivity in such region, including through the 18 United States-India-Japan Trilateral Infrastructure 19 Working Group, the Asia-Africa Growth Corridor, 20 and other efforts to expand and enhance connectivity 21 across the Indo-Pacific, including with the countries 22 of Southeast Asia, that maintain high standards of 23 investment and support for civil society and people- 24 to-people connectivity; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Jun 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3696.IH H3696 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3696 IH (5) describe how the United States can engage 1 with regional intergovernmental organizations and 2 entities, including the Indian Ocean Rim Associa- 3 tion, to promote United States political, economic, 4 and security interests in such region; 5 (6) review the United States diplomatic posture 6 in such region, including an assessment of United 7 States diplomatic engagement in countries without a 8 permanent United States embassy or diplomatic mis- 9 sion, and an assessment of ways to improve the co- 10 operation with the Maldives, the Seychelles, and 11 Comoros; 12 (7) review United States diplomatic agreements 13 with countries in such region that facilitate United 14 States military operations in such region, including 15 bilateral and multilateral agreements, and describe 16 efforts to expand United States cooperation with 17 such countries through the negotiation of additional 18 agreements; and 19 (8) include a security assistance strategy for 20 such region that outlines priorities, objectives, and 21 actions for United States security assistance efforts 22 to governments of countries in such region to pro- 23 mote United States political, economic, and security 24 interests in such region. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Jun 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3696.IH H3696 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3696 IH (b) INCLUSION.—The strategy required under sub- 1 section (a) may be submitted as a part of any other strat- 2 egy relating to the Indo-Pacific. 3 (c) REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 4 one year after the submission of the strategy required 5 under subsection (a) and one year thereafter, the Sec- 6 retary of State shall submit to the appropriate congres- 7 sional committees a report on progress made toward im- 8 plementing such strategy. 9 SEC. 5. UNITED STATES-CHINA ECONOMIC AND SECURITY 10 REVIEW COMMISSION. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subparagraph (E) of section 12 1238(c)(2) of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Au- 13 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (22 U.S.C. 14 7002(c)(2)) is amended— 15 (1) by inserting ‘‘, including in the Indian 16 Ocean region’’ after ‘‘deployments of the People’s 17 Republic of China military’’; and 18 (2) by adding at the end the following new sen- 19 tence: ‘‘In this subparagraph, the term ‘Indian 20 Ocean region’ means the Indian Ocean, including 21 the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and the lit- 22 toral areas surrounding the Indian Ocean.’’. 23 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 24 subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enact- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Jun 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3696.IH H3696 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3696 IH ment of this Act and apply beginning with the first report 1 required under section 1238 of the Floyd D. Spence Na- 2 tional Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (as 3 amended by such subsection) that is submitted after such 4 date. 5 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 8 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com- 9 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs 10 and the Committee on Armed Services of the House 11 of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 12 Relations and the Committee on Armed Services of 13 the Senate. 14 (2) INDIAN OCEAN REGION.—The term ‘‘Indian 15 Ocean region’’ means the Indian Ocean, including 16 the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and the lit- 17 toral areas surrounding the Indian Ocean. 18 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:11 Jun 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3696.IH H3696 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS