Arctic Security Initiative Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2294 To require an independent assessment with respect to the Arctic region and establishment of Arctic Security Initiative, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 24, 2021 Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself and Mr. KING) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To require an independent assessment with respect to the Arctic region and establishment of Arctic Security Initia- tive, 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 ‘‘Arctic Security Initia- 4 tive Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 6 It is the sense of Congress that— 7 (1) the security, stability, and prosperity of the 8 Arctic region are vital to the national interests of 9 the United States; 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 2294 IS (2) the United States should posture a military 1 capability in the region that is able to project power, 2 deter acts of aggression, and respond, if necessary, 3 to threats within and arising from the Arctic region; 4 (3) the defense of the United States and its al- 5 lies from the People’s Republic of China, the Rus- 6 sian Federation, the Democratic People’s Republic 7 of Korea, and any other aggressor remains a top pri- 8 ority; 9 (4) persistent efforts by the Department of De- 10 fense to realign United States forces in the Arctic 11 region, and commit additional assets to and increase 12 investments in the Arctic region, are necessary to 13 maintain a robust United States commitment to the 14 Arctic region; 15 (5) the United States commitment to freedom 16 of navigation and ensuring free access to sea lanes 17 and overflights for the Navy and the Air Force re- 18 mains a core security interest; and 19 (6) the United States should continue to engage 20 in the Arctic region by— 21 (A) strengthening alliances and partner- 22 ships; 23 (B) supporting regional institutions and 24 bodies such as the Arctic Council; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 2294 IS (C) building cooperative security arrange- 1 ments; 2 (D) addressing shared challenges; and 3 (E) reinforcing the role of international 4 law, including respect for human rights. 5 SEC. 3. INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than February 15, 7 2022, the Commander of the United States Northern 8 Command, in consultation and coordination with the Com- 9 manders of the United States European Command and 10 the United States Indo-Pacific Command, the military de- 11 partments, and defense agencies, shall conduct an inde- 12 pendent assessment with respect to the activities and re- 13 sources required, for fiscal years 2023 through 2027, to 14 achieve the following objectives: 15 (1) The implementation of the National De- 16 fense Strategy and military service-specific strategies 17 with respect to the Arctic region. 18 (2) The maintenance or restoration of the com- 19 parative military advantage of the United States in 20 response to great power competitors in the Arctic re- 21 gion. 22 (3) The reduction of the risk of executing oper- 23 ation and contingency plans of the Department of 24 Defense. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 2294 IS (4) To maximize execution of Department oper- 1 ation and contingency plans, in the event deterrence 2 fails. 3 (b) ELEMENTS.—The assessment required by sub- 4 section (a) shall include the following: 5 (1) An analysis of, and recommended changes 6 to achieve, the required force structure and posture 7 of assigned and allocated forces within the Arctic re- 8 gion for fiscal year 2027 necessary to achieve the 9 objectives described in subsection (a), which shall be 10 informed by— 11 (A) a review of United States military re- 12 quirements based on operation and contingency 13 plans, capabilities of potential adversaries, as- 14 sessed gaps or shortfalls of the Armed Forces 15 within the Arctic region, and scenarios that 16 consider— 17 (i) potential contingencies that com- 18 mence in the Arctic region and contin- 19 gencies that commence in other regions but 20 affect the Arctic region; 21 (ii) use of near-time, mid-time, and 22 far-time horizons to encompass the range 23 of circumstances required to test new con- 24 cepts and doctrine; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 2294 IS (iii) supporting analyses that focus on 1 the number of regionally postured military 2 units and the quality of capability of such 3 units; 4 (B) a review of current United States mili- 5 tary force posture and deployment plans within 6 the Arctic region, especially of Arctic-based 7 forces that provide support to, or receive sup- 8 port from, the United States Northern Com- 9 mand, the United States Indo-Pacific Com- 10 mand, or the United States European Com- 11 mand; 12 (C) an analysis of potential future realign- 13 ments of United States forces in the region, in- 14 cluding options for strengthening United States 15 presence, access, readiness, training, exercises, 16 logistics, and pre-positioning; and 17 (D) any other matter the Commander of 18 the United States Northern Command deter- 19 mines to be appropriate. 20 (2) A discussion of any factor that may influ- 21 ence the United States posture, supported by annual 22 wargames and other forms of research and analysis. 23 (3) An assessment of capabilities requirements 24 to achieve such objectives. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •S 2294 IS (4) An assessment of logistics requirements, in- 1 cluding personnel, equipment, supplies, storage, and 2 maintenance needs to achieve such objectives. 3 (5) An assessment and identification of re- 4 quired infrastructure and military construction in- 5 vestments to achieve such objectives. 6 (6) An assessment of security cooperation ac- 7 tivities or resources required to achieve such objec- 8 tives. 9 (7) An assessment and recommended changes 10 to the leadership, organization, and management of 11 Arctic policy, strategy, and operations among the 12 combatant commands and military services. 13 (c) REPORT.— 14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than February 15, 15 2022, the Commander of United States Northern 16 Command, in consultation and coordination with the 17 Commanders of the United States European Com- 18 mand and the United States Indo-Pacific Command, 19 shall submit to the congressional defense committees 20 (as defined in section 101 of title 10, United States 21 Code) a report on the assessment required by sub- 22 section (a). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •S 2294 IS (2) FORM.—The report required by paragraph 1 (1) may be submitted in classified form, but shall in- 2 clude an unclassified summary. 3 (3) AVAILABILITY.—Not later than February 4 15, 2022, the Commander of the United States 5 Northern Command shall make the report available 6 to the Secretary of Defense, the Under Secretary of 7 Defense for Policy, the Under Secretary of Defense 8 (Comptroller), the Director of Cost Assessment and 9 Program Evaluation, the Chairman of the Joint 10 Chiefs of Staff, the Secretaries of the military de- 11 partments, and the chiefs of staff of each military 12 service. 13 SEC. 4. ARCTIC SECURITY INITIATIVE. 14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense shall 15 carry out a program of activities to enhance security in 16 the Arctic region, which shall be known as the ‘‘Arctic Se- 17 curity Initiative’’ (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Initia- 18 tive’’). 19 (b) OBJECTIVES.—The Initiative’s development and 20 subsequent implementation shall be— 21 (1) consistent with the objectives described in 22 section 3(a); and 23 (2) informed by the assessment required by 24 that section. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •S 2294 IS (c) ACTIVITIES.—The Initiative shall carry out the 1 following prioritized activities to improve the design and 2 posture of the joint force in the Arctic region: 3 (1) Modernize and strengthen the presence of 4 the Armed Forces, including those with advanced ca- 5 pabilities. 6 (2) Improve logistics and maintenance capabili- 7 ties and the pre-positioning of equipment, munitions, 8 fuel, and materiel. 9 (3) Carry out a program of exercises, war- 10 games, education, training, experimentation, and in- 11 novation for the joint force. 12 (4) Improve infrastructure to enhance the re- 13 sponsiveness and resiliency of the Armed Forces. 14 (5) Build the defense and security capabilities, 15 capacity, and cooperation of allies and partners. 16 (6) Strengthen Arctic consultative mechanisms 17 and collaborative planning. 18 (d) FIVE-YEAR PLAN FOR THE INITIATIVE.— 19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than April 15, 20 2022, and each February 15 thereafter, the Sec- 21 retary of Defense, in consultation with the Com- 22 manders of the United States Northern Command, 23 the United States European Command, and the 24 United States Indo-Pacific Command shall submit to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •S 2294 IS the congressional defense committees a future years 1 plan for the activities and resources of the Initiative 2 that includes the following: 3 (A) A description of the activities and re- 4 sources for the first fiscal year beginning after 5 the date of on which the report required by sec- 6 tion 3(c) is submitted and the plan for not 7 fewer than the four following fiscal years, orga- 8 nized by the activities described in subsection 9 (c). 10 (B) A summary of progress made towards 11 achieving the objectives described in section 12 3(a). 13 (C) A summary of the activity, resource, 14 capability, infrastructure, and logistics require- 15 ments necessary to achieve measurable progress 16 in reducing risk to the ability of the joint force 17 to achieve objectives in the Arctic region, in- 18 cluding through investments in— 19 (i) active and passive defenses 20 against— 21 (I) manned aircraft, surface ves- 22 sels, and submarines; 23 (II) unmanned naval systems; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •S 2294 IS (III) unmanned aerial systems; 1 and 2 (IV) theater cruise, ballistic, and 3 hypersonic missiles; 4 (ii) advanced long-range precision 5 strike systems; 6 (iii) command, control, communica- 7 tions, computers, intelligence, surveillance, 8 and reconnaissance systems; 9 (iv) training and test range capacity, 10 capability, and coordination; 11 (v) dispersed resilient and adaptive 12 basing to support distributed operations, 13 including expeditionary airfields and ports, 14 space launch facilities, and command 15 posts; 16 (vi) advanced critical munitions; 17 (vii) pre-positioned forward stocks of 18 fuel, munitions, equipment, and materiel; 19 (viii) distributed logistics and mainte- 20 nance capabilities; 21 (ix) strategic mobility assets, includ- 22 ing icebreakers; 23 (x) improved interoperability, logistics, 24 transnational supply lines and infrastruc- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •S 2294 IS ture, and information sharing with allies 1 and partners, including scientific missions; 2 (xi) information operations capabili- 3 ties; 4 (xii) bilateral and multilateral military 5 exercises and training with allies and part- 6 ners; and 7 (xiii) use of security cooperation au- 8 thorities to further build partner capacity. 9 (D) A detailed timeline for achieving the 10 requirements identified under subparagraph 11 (C). 12 (E) A detailed explanation of any signifi- 13 cant modification to such requirements, as com- 14 pared to the Commander of the United States 15 Northern Command’s initial independent as- 16 sessment for the first fiscal year and to plans 17 previously submitted for each subsequent fiscal 18 year. 19 (F) Any other matter the Secretary of De- 20 fense considers necessary. 21 (2) FORM.—The plan required by paragraph 22 (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may 23 include a classified annex. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •S 2294 IS (3) INCLUSION IN BUDGET MATERIALS.—The 1 Secretary of Defense shall include such plan in the 2 budget materials submitted by the Secretary in sup- 3 port of the budget of the President for fiscal year 4 2023 (submitted pursuant to section 1105 of title 5 31, United States Code). 6 SEC. 5. GENERAL TRANSFER AUTHORITY. 7 Funds may be made available to carry out this Act 8 through the transfer authority provided to the Department 9 of Defense. 10 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:11 Jul 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S2294.IS S2294 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS