S.Amdt. 5489

SA 5489. Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself, Mr. Graham, and Mr. Lugar) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 3001, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2009 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 360, after line 20, add the following:

SEC. 1233. REPORT ON THE SECURITY SITUATION IN THE CAUCASUS.

(a) Report Required.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the chairs and ranking minority members of the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives a report in classified and unclassified form on the defense requirements of the Republic of Georgia.

(b) Content.--The report required under subsection (a) shall include--

(1) a description of the security situation in the Caucasus following the recent conflict between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Georgia, including a description of any Russian forces that continue to occupy internationally recognized Georgian territory;

(2) an assessment of the damage sustained by the armed forces of Georgia in the recent conflict with the Russian Federation;

(3) an analysis of the defense requirements of the Republic of Georgia following the conflict with the Russian Federation, with a particular focus on the needs of the republic of Georgia for enhanced air defenses and anti-armor capabilities; and

(4) detailed recommendations on how the Republic of Georgia, with United States assistance, may improve its capability for self-defense and more effectively control its territorial waters and air space.

(c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--

(1) Congress--

(A) reaffirms its previous expressions of support for continued enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to include qualified candidates; and

(B) supports the commitment to further enlargement of NATO to include democratic governments that are able and willing to meet the responsibilities of membership;

(2) the expansion of NATO contributes to the continued effectiveness and relevance of the organization;

(3) Georgia and Ukraine have made important progress in the areas of defense and democratic and human rights reform;

(4) a stronger, deeper relationship among the Government of Georgia, the Government of Ukraine, and NATO will be mutually beneficial to those countries and to NATO member states;

(5) the United States should take the lead and encourage other member states of NATO to support the awarding of a Membership Action Plan to Georgia and Ukraine as soon as possible;

(6) the United States Government should provide assistance to help rebuild infrastructure in Georgia and continue to develop its security partnership with the Government of the Republic of Georgia by providing security assistance to the armed forces of Georgia, as appropriate;

(7) the United States should work with fellow NATO member states to develop contingency plans and infrastructure to address the security concerns of newly joined members;

(8) the United States should expand efforts to promote the development of democratic institutions, the rule of law, and political parties in the independent states of the former Soviet Union; and

(9) the United States should work with its allies to ensure secure, reliable energy transit routes in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe.