S.Amdt. 1925

SA 1925. Mr. MERKLEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2021 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:

At the end of subtitle E of title XII, add the following:

SEC. 1262. UNITED STATES STRATEGY WITH RESPECT TO THE NUCLEAR
FORCES OF PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.

(a) Statement of Policy.--Congress declares that making
long-term strategic competition with the People's Republic of
China a principal priority for the United States elevates the
importance of strategic stability dialogue aimed at reducing
the risk of inadvertent nuclear war.
(b) Strategy Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a strategy with respect
to the nuclear forces of the People's Republic of China.
(2) Elements of strategy.--The strategy required by
paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A) Updates to the tailored strategy for the People's
Republic of China articulated in the 2018 Nuclear Posture
Review.
(B) Objectives of strategic stability and arms control
dialogues with the People's Republic of China.
(C) An assessment of actions that could be interpreted by
the United States or the People's Republic of China as
provocative or requiring a strategic response.
(D) Measures to avoid inadvertent escalation of conflict
between the United States and the People's Republic of China.

[[Page S3412]]

(E) Consideration of actions the United States anticipates
the People's Republic of China seeking in bilateral or
multilateral arms control negotiations.
(F) A description of engagements with the People's Republic
of China on issues related to strategic stability.
(G) An assessment of whether sufficient personnel are
currently dedicated to strategic stability and arms control
with the People's Republic of China.
(H) A description of the steps required to negotiate a
bilateral or multilateral arms control agreement with the
People's Republic of China.
(3) Form.--The strategy required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified
annex.
(c) Study Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall
seek to enter into a contract with a federally funded
research and development center to conduct a study on
avoiding inadvertent nuclear war with the People's Republic
of China.
(2) Elements of study.--The study required by paragraph (1)
shall, at a minimum--
(A) provide a detailed description of the current
composition of the nuclear forces of the People's Republic of
China, including the quantity of nuclear warheads and
nuclear-capable delivery systems, as well as anticipated
changes in its nuclear force structure through fiscal year
2030;
(B) assess the nuclear doctrine of the People's Republic of
China; and
(C) identify potential pathways to inadvertent escalation
to nuclear war.
(3) Submission to department of defense.--Not later than
240 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
federally funded research and development center described in
paragraph (1) shall submit to the Secretary a report
containing the results of the study conducted under that
paragraph.
(4) Submission to congress.--Not later than 270 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
submit to the appropriate congressional committees the report
required by paragraph (3), without making any changes.
(d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means the following:
(1) The congressional defense committees.
(2) The Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
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