Sec. 5595. REPORT ON INDO-PACIFIC REGION

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## SEC. 5595 REPORT ON INDO-PACIFIC REGION ###

(a)In General ####

(1)In general Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, in coordination with the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs and Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Asia of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), shall submit to the congressional foreign affairs committees a report that contains a 2-year strategy assessing the resources and activities required to achieve the policy objectives described in subsection (c). ####

(2)Submission and update The report and strategy required by this subsection shall— #####

(A)be submitted at the same time as the submission of the budget of the President (submitted to Congress pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code) for fiscal year 2024; and #####

(B)be updated and submitted at the same time as the submission of the budget of the President (submitted to Congress pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code) for fiscal years 2026, 2028, and 2030. ###

(b)Criteria The report and strategy required in subsection

(a)shall be developed in accordance with the following criteria: ####

(1)It shall reflect the objective, autonomous, and independent assessment of the activities, resources, and costs required to achieve objectives detailed in subsection

(c)by the principals, the subordinate and parallel offices providing input into the assessment. ####

(2)It shall cover a period of five fiscal years, beginning with the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which the report is submitted. ####

(3)It shall incorporate input from United States Ambassadors in the Indo-Pacific region provided explicitly for the required report. ####

(4)It may include information gathered through consultation with program offices and subject matter experts in relevant functional bureaus, as deemed necessary by the principals. ####

(5)It shall not be subject to fiscal guidance or global strategic tradeoffs associated with the annual President’s budget request. ###

(c)Policy Objectives The report and strategy required in subsection

(a)shall assess the activities and resources required to achieve the following policy objectives: ####

(1)Implementing the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, or the most recent National Security Strategy, with respect to the Indo-Pacific region. ####

(2)Implementing the 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy, or successor documents, that set forth the United States Government strategy toward the Indo-Pacific region. ####

(3)Implementing the State-USAID Joint Strategic Plan with respect to the Indo-Pacific region. ####

(4)Enhancing meaningful diplomatic and economic relations with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific and demonstrate an enduring United States commitment to the region. ####

(5)Securing and advancing United States national interests in the Indo-Pacific, including through countering the malign influence of the Government of the People’s Republic of China. ###

(d)Matters to Be Included The report and strategy required under subsection

(a)shall include the following: ####

(1)A description of the Bureaus’ bilateral and multilateral goals for the period covered in the report that the principals deem necessary to accomplish the objectives outlined in subsection (c), disaggregated by country and forum. ####

(2)A timeline with annual benchmarks for achieving the objectives described in subsection (c). ####

(3)An assessment of the sufficiency of United States diplomatic personnel and facilities currently available in the Indo-Pacific region to achieve the objectives outlined in subsection (c), through consultation with United States embassies in the region. The assessment shall include: #####

(A)A list, in priority order, of locations in the Indo-Pacific region that require additional diplomatic personnel or facilities. #####

(B)A description of locations where the United States may be able to collocate diplomatic personnel at allied or partner embassies and consulates. #####

(C)A discussion of embassies or consulates where diplomatic staff could be reduced within the Indo-Pacific region, where appropriate. #####

(D)A detailed description of the fiscal and personnel resources required to fill gaps identified. ####

(4)A detailed plan to expand United States diplomatic engagement and foreign assistance presence in the Pacific Island nations within the next five years, including a description of “quick impact” programs that can be developed and implemented within the first fiscal year of the period covered in the report. ####

(5)A discussion of the resources needed to enhance United States strategic messaging and spotlight coercive behavior by the People’s Republic of China. ####

(6)A detailed description of the resources and policy tools needed to expand the United States ability to offer high-quality infrastructure projects in strategically significant parts of the Indo-Pacific region, with a particular focus on expanding investments in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. ####

(7)A gap assessment of security assistance by country, and of the resources needed to fill those gaps. ####

(8)A description of the resources and policy tools needed to facilitate continued private sector investment in partner countries in the Indo-Pacific. ####

(9)A discussion of any additional bilateral or regional assistance resources needed to achieve the objectives outlined in subsection (c), as deemed necessary by the principals. ###

(e)Form The report required under subsection

(a)shall be submitted in an unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. ###

(f)Availability Not later than February 1 each year, the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs shall make the report and strategy available to the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the USAID, the Deputy Secretary of State, the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources, the Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming, the Deputy Administrator for Management and Resources, the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the Director of the Office of Foreign Assistance at the Department of State, the Director of the Bureau of Foreign Assistance at the USAID, and the Director of Policy Planning. ###

(g)Definitions In this section: ####

(1)Indo-pacific region The term “Indo-Pacific region” means the countries under the jurisdiction of the Bureau for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, as well as the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. ####

(2)Foreign affairs committees The term “foreign affairs committees” means— #####

(A)the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs of the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and #####

(B)the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, Related Programs of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. ####

(3)Principals The term “principals” means the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, and the Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Asia of the United States Agency for International Development.