U.S.-Greece Defense and Interparliamentary Partnership Act of 2021

II Calendar No. 90 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2000 To promote the United States-Greece defense partnership, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 9, 2021 Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. COONS, and Mr. ROUNDS) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and re- ferred to the Committee on Foreign Relations JUNE 24, 2021 Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] A BILL To promote the United States-Greece defense partnership, 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 ‘‘U.S.-Greece Defense 4 and Interparliamentary Partnership Act of 2021’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 2000 RS SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress makes the following findings: 2 (1) The United States and Greece are strong 3 allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 4 (NATO) and have deepened their defense relation- 5 ship in recent years in response to growing security 6 challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean region. 7 (2) Greece participates in several NATO mis- 8 sions, including Operation Sea Guardian in the Med- 9 iterranean and NATO’s mission in Kosovo. 10 (3) The Eastern Mediterranean Security and 11 Energy Partnership Act (title II of division J of 12 Public Law 116–94), authorized new security assist- 13 ance for Greece and Cyprus, lifted the United States 14 prohibition on arms transfers to Cyprus, and author- 15 ized the establishment of a United States-Eastern 16 Mediterranean Energy Center to facilitate energy co- 17 operation among the United States, Greece, Israel, 18 and Cyprus. 19 (4) The United States has demonstrated its 20 support for the trilateral partnership of Greece, 21 Israel, and Cyprus through joint engagement with 22 Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the United States in the 23 ‘‘3+1’’ format. 24 (5) The United States and Greece have held 25 Strategic Dialogue meetings in Athens, Washington 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 2000 RS DC, and virtually, and have committed to hold an 1 upcoming Strategic Dialogue session in 2021 in 2 Washington, DC. 3 (6) In October 2019, the United States and 4 Greece agreed to update the U.S.-Greece Mutual De- 5 fense Cooperation Agreement, and the amended 6 agreement officially entered into force on February 7 13, 2020. 8 (7) The amended Mutual Defense Cooperation 9 Agreement provides for increased joint United 10 States-Greece and NATO activities at Greek military 11 bases and facilities in Larissa, Stefanovikeio, 12 Alexandroupolis, and other parts of central and 13 northern Greece, and allows for infrastructure im- 14 provements at the United States Naval Support Ac- 15 tivity Souda Bay base on Crete. 16 (8) In October 2020, Greek Foreign Minister 17 Nikos Dendias announced that Greece hopes to fur- 18 ther expand the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agree- 19 ment with the United States. 20 (9) The United States Naval Support Activity 21 Souda Bay serves as a critical naval logistics hub for 22 the United States Navy’s 6th Fleet. 23 (10) In June 2020, United States Ambassador 24 to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt characterized the impor- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 2000 RS tance of Naval Support Activity Souda Bay as ‘‘our 1 most important platform for the projection of Amer- 2 ican power into a strategically dynamic Eastern 3 Mediterranean region. From Syria to Libya to the 4 chokepoint of the Black Sea, this is a critically im- 5 portant asset for the United States, as our air force, 6 naval, and other resources are applied to support 7 our Alliance obligations and to help bring peace and 8 stability.’’. 9 (11) During a September 2020 visit to Souda 10 Bay, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo an- 11 nounced that the USS Hershel ‘‘Woody’’ Williams, 12 the second of a new class of United States sea-bas- 13 ing ships, will be based out of Souda Bay, the first 14 permanent United States naval deployment at the 15 base. 16 (12) The United States cooperates with the 17 Hellenic Armed Forces at facilities in Larissa, 18 Stefanovikeio, and Alexandroupolis, where the 19 United States Armed Forces conduct training, re- 20 fueling, temporary maintenance, storage, and emer- 21 gency response. 22 (13) The United States has conducted a long- 23 standing International Military Education and 24 Training program with Greece, and the Government 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 2000 RS of Greece has committed to provide $3 for every dol- 1 lar invested by the United States in the program. 2 (14) Greece’s defense spending in 2020 3 amounted to an estimated 2.68 percent of its gross 4 domestic product (GDP), exceeding NATO’s 2 per- 5 cent of GDP benchmark agreed to at the 2014 6 NATO Summit in Wales. 7 (15) In September 2020, Greek Prime Minister 8 Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced plans to modernize 9 all three branches of the Hellenic Armed Forces, 10 which will strengthen Greece’s military position in 11 the Eastern Mediterranean. 12 (16) The modernization includes upgrades to 13 the arms of all three branches, including new anti- 14 tank weapons for the Hellenic Army, new heavy-duty 15 torpedoes for the Hellenic Navy, and new guided 16 missiles for the Hellenic Air Force. 17 (17) The Hellenic Navy also plans to upgrade 18 its four MEKO 200HN frigates and purchase four 19 new multirole frigates of an undisclosed type, to be 20 accompanied by 4 MH–60R anti-submarine heli- 21 copters. 22 (18) The Hellenic Air Force plans to upgrade 23 84 of its fleet of F–16 jets to the F–16 Viper vari- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •S 2000 RS ant by 2027 and has expressed interest in partici- 1 pating in the F–35 Joint Strike Fighter program. 2 (19) The United States ejected Turkey from 3 the F–35 Joint Strike Fighter Program in July 4 2019 as a result of its purchase of the Russian S– 5 400 air defense system. Eight F–35 Joint Strike 6 Fighters were produced for Turkey but never deliv- 7 ered as a result of its ejection from the program. 8 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 9 It is the sense of Congress that— 10 (1) Greece is a pillar of stability in the Eastern 11 Mediterranean region and the United States should 12 remain committed to supporting its security and 13 prosperity; 14 (2) the 3+1 format of cooperation among Cy- 15 prus, Greece, Israel, and the United States has been 16 a successful forum to cooperate on energy issues and 17 should be expanded to include other areas of com- 18 mon concern to the members; 19 (3) the United States should increase and deep- 20 en efforts to partner with and support the mod- 21 ernization of the Greek military; 22 (4) it is in the interests of the United States 23 that Greece continue to transition its military equip- 24 ment away from Russian-produced platforms and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •S 2000 RS weapons systems through the European Recapital- 1 ization Investment Program; 2 (5) the United States Government should con- 3 tinue to deepen strong partnerships with the Greek 4 military, especially in co-development and co-produc- 5 tion opportunities with the Greek Navy; 6 (6) the naval partnership with Greece at Souda 7 Bay and Alexandroupolis is mutually beneficial to 8 the national security of the United States and 9 Greece; 10 (7) the United States should support the sale of 11 F–35 Joint Strike Fighters to Greece to include 12 those F–35 aircraft produced for but never delivered 13 to Turkey as a result of Turkey’s exclusion from the 14 program due to its purchase of the Russian S–400 15 air defense system; 16 (8) the United States Government should con- 17 tinue to invest in International Military Education 18 and Training (IMET) programs in Greece; 19 (9) the United States Government should sup- 20 port joint maritime security cooperation exercises 21 with Cyprus, Greece, and Israel; 22 (10) in accordance with its legal authorities and 23 project selection criteria, the United States Develop- 24 ment Finance Corporation should support private in- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •S 2000 RS vestment in strategic infrastructure projects in 1 Greece, to include shipyards and ports that con- 2 tribute to the security of the region and Greece’s 3 prosperity; 4 (11) the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agree- 5 ment with Greece should be extended and include 6 deepened partnerships at Greek military facilities 7 throughout the country, and, as appropriate and 8 necessary, the United States should partner with 9 Greece in order to increase rotational deployments 10 and presences of forward-based troops at Greek 11 bases; 12 (12) the United States Government should re- 13 store congressionally appropriated military construc- 14 tion funds for construction projects at Naval Sup- 15 port Activity Souda Bay focused on a warehouse 16 storage facility and an airport passenger terminal; 17 and 18 (13) the United States Government should es- 19 tablish the United States-Eastern Mediterranean 20 Energy Center as authorized in the Eastern Medi- 21 terranean Energy and Security Partnership Act of 22 2019. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •S 2000 RS SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR EURO- 1 PEAN RECAPITALIZATION INCENTIVE PRO- 2 GRAM. 3 There is authorized to be appropriated for the De- 4 partment of State $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 5 2022 through 2026 for European Recapitalization Incen- 6 tive Program (ERIP) assistance to Greece to assist the 7 country in meeting its defense needs and transitioning 8 away from Russian-produced military equipment. 9 SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON LOAN PROGRAM. 10 It is the sense of Congress that— 11 (1) as appropriate, the United States Govern- 12 ment should provide direct loans to Greece for the 13 procurement of defense articles, defense services, 14 and design and construction services pursuant to the 15 authority of section 23 of the Arms Export Control 16 Act (22 U.S.C. 2763) to support the further devel- 17 opment of Greece’s military forces; and 18 (2) such loans should be considered an additive 19 security partnership tool, and not a substitute for 20 European Recapitalization Incentive Program assist- 21 ance. 22 SEC. 6. EXPEDITED EXCESS DEFENSE ARTICLES TRANSFER 23 PROGRAM. 24 (a) IN GENERAL.—During fiscal years 2022 through 25 2026, the delivery of excess defense articles to Greece shall 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •S 2000 RS be given the same priority as that given other countries 1 and regions under section 516(c)(2) of the Foreign Assist- 2 ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j(c)(2)). 3 (b) REPORT.—During each fiscal year listed in sub- 4 section (a), the Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence 5 of the Secretary of State, shall report not later than Octo- 6 ber 31 to the appropriate congressional committees and 7 the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 8 House of Representatives on Greece’s defense needs and 9 how the United States will seek to address such needs 10 through transfers of excess defense equipment to Greece 11 for that fiscal year. 12 SEC. 7. DELIVERY OF F–35 JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER AIR- 13 CRAFT TO GREECE. 14 The President is authorized to expedite delivery of 15 any future F–35 aircraft once Greece is prepared to move 16 forward with such a purchase on such terms and condi- 17 tions as the President may require. Such transfer shall 18 be submitted to Congress pursuant to the certification re- 19 quirements under section 36 of the Arms Export Control 20 Act (22 U.S.C. 2776). 21 SEC. 8. IMET COOPERATION WITH GREECE. 22 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 23 authorized to be appropriated to the Department of State 24 $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •S 2000 RS for International Military Education and Training 1 (IMET) assistance for Greece. The assistance shall be 2 made available for the following purposes: 3 (1) Training of future leaders. 4 (2) Fostering a better understanding of the 5 United States. 6 (3) Establishing a rapport between the United 7 States Armed Forces and Greece’s military to build 8 partnerships for the future. 9 (4) Enhancement of interoperability and capa- 10 bilities for joint operations. 11 (5) Focusing on professional military education, 12 civilian control of the military, and protection of 13 human rights. 14 SEC. 9. CYPRUS, GREECE, ISRAEL, AND THE UNITED 15 STATES 3+1 INTERPARLIAMENTARY GROUP. 16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a group, 17 to be known as the ‘‘Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the 18 United States 3+1 Interparliamentary Group’’, to serve 19 as a legislative component to the 3+1 process launched 20 in Jerusalem in March 2019. 21 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and 22 the United States 3+1 Interparliamentary Group shall in- 23 clude a group of not more than 6 United States Senators, 24 to be known as the ‘‘United States group’’, who shall be 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:15 Jun 25, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2000.RS S2000 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •S 2000 RS appointed jointly by the majority leader and the minority 1 leader of the Senate. 2 (c) MEETINGS.—Not less frequently than once each 3 year, the United States group shall meet with members 4 of the 3+1 group to discuss issues on the agenda of the 5 3+1 deliberations of the Governments of Greece, Israel, 6 Cyprus, and the United States to include marit [Text truncated for display. 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