Sec. 1294. Sense of Congress on the Western Hemisphere region
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/bill/115/hr/2810/pcs/section-1294·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
It is the sense of Congress that— the security, stability, and prosperity of the Western Hemisphere region are vital to the national interests of the United States; the United States should maintain a military capability in the Western Hemisphere region that is able to project power, build partner capacity, deter acts of aggression, and respond, if necessary, to regional threats or to threats to the national security of the United States by the activities of Iran, China, Russia, North Korea, transnational criminal organizations, or terrorist organizations in the region; continuing efforts by the Department of Defense to commit additional assets and increase investments to the Western Hemisphere are necessary to maintain a robust United States commitment to the region; the Secretary of Defense should— assess the current United States force posture in the Western Hemisphere to ensure that the United States maintains an appropriate forward presence in the region; prioritize— intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; maritime patrol aircraft to support detection and monitoring missions; efforts to disrupt and degrade transregional and transnational threat networks; and when possible, efforts to support the mission of the Department of Homeland Security, as requested, in monitoring individuals identified by the Secretary of Homeland Security as special interest aliens or as foreign terrorist fighters ; and enhance regional force readiness through joint training and exercises; and the United States should continue to engage in the Western Hemisphere by strengthening alliances and partnerships, working with regional institutions, addressing the shared challenges of illicit trafficking of humans, drugs, and other contraband, transnational criminal organizations, and foreign terrorist fighters, and supporting the rule of law and democracy in the region.