S.Amdt. 6233

1. Adds Subtitle G--Oceania SEC. 1281. DEFINITION OF OCEANIA at the end of title XII

   Adds a section

   In S.Amdt. 5499 as proposed

   (2) Form of report.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a classified annex.

   Inserted: Subtitle G--Oceania SEC. 1281. DEFINITION OF OCEANIA.

   Inserted: In this subtitle, except as provided in section 1286, the term "Oceania" includes the following:

   Inserted: (1) Easter Island of Chile.

   Inserted: (2) Fiji.

   Inserted: (3) French Polynesia of France.

   Inserted: (4) Kiribati.

   Inserted: (5) Nauru.

   Inserted: (6) New Caledonia of France.

   Inserted: (7) Nieu of New Zealand.

   Inserted: (8) Papua New Guinea.

   Inserted: (9) Samoa.

   Inserted: (10) Vanuatu.

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   Inserted: (11) The Ashmore and Cartier Islands of Australia.

   Inserted: (12) The Cook Islands of New Zealand.

   Inserted: (13) The Coral Islands of Australia.

   Inserted: (14) The Federated States of Micronesia.

   Inserted: (15) The Norfolk Island of Australia.

   Inserted: (16) The Pitcairn Islands of the United Kingdom.

   Inserted: (17) The Republic of the Marshall Islands.

   Inserted: (18) The Republic of Palau.

   Inserted: (19) The Solomon Islands.

   Inserted: (20) Tokelau of New Zealand.

   Inserted: (21) Tonga.

   Inserted: (22) Tuvalu.

   Inserted: (23) Wallis and Futuna of France.

   Inserted: SEC. 1282. OCEANIA STRATEGIC ROADMAP.

   Inserted: (a) Oceania Strategic Roadmap.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a strategic roadmap for strengthening United States engagement with the countries of Oceania, including an analysis of opportunities to cooperate with Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, to address shared concerns and promote shared goals in pursuit of security and resiliency in the countries of Oceania.

   Inserted: (b) Elements.--The strategic roadmap required by subsection (a) shall include the following:

   Inserted: (1) A description of United States regional goals and concerns with respect to Oceania and increasing engagement with the countries of Oceania.

   Inserted: (2) An assessment, based on paragraph (1), of United States regional goals and concerns that are shared by Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, including a review of issues related to anticorruption, maritime and other security issues, environmental protection, fisheries management, economic growth and development, and disaster resilience and preparedness.

   Inserted: (3) A review of ongoing programs and initiatives by the governments of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan in pursuit of those shared regional goals and concerns, including with respect to the issues described in paragraph (1).

   Inserted: (4) A review of ongoing programs and initiatives by regional organizations and other related intergovernmental structures aimed at addressing the issues described in paragraph (1).

   Inserted: (5) A plan for aligning United States programs and resources in pursuit of those shared regional goals and concerns, as appropriate.

   Inserted: (6) Recommendations for additional United States authorities, personnel, programs, or resources necessary to execute the strategic roadmap.

   Inserted: (7) Any other elements the Secretary considers appropriate.

   Inserted: SEC. 1283. REVIEW OF USAID PROGRAMMING IN OCEANIA.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (in this section referred to as "USAID"), should include the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania in existing strategic planning and multi-sector program evaluation processes, including the Department of State's Integrated Country Strategies and USAID's Country Development Cooperation Strategies, the Joint Strategic Plan, and the Journey to Self-Reliance Country Roadmaps.

   Inserted: (b) Programmatic Considerations.--Evaluations and considerations for Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania in the program planning and strategic development processes under subsection (a) should include--

   Inserted: (1) descriptions of the diplomatic and development challenges of the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania as those challenges relate to the strategic, economic, and humanitarian interests of the United States;

   Inserted: (2) reviews of existing Department of State and USAID programs to address the diplomatic and development challenges of those countries evaluated under paragraph (1);

   Inserted: (3) descriptions of the barriers, if any, to increasing Department of State and USAID programming to Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania, including--

   Inserted: (A) the relative income level of the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania relative to other regions where there is high demand for United States foreign assistance to support development needs;

   Inserted: (B) the relative capacity of the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania to absorb United States foreign assistance for diplomatic and development needs through partner governments and civil society institutions; and

   Inserted: (C) any other factor that the Secretary or Administrator determines may constitute a barrier to deploying or increasing United States foreign assistance to the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania;

   Inserted: (4) assessments of the presence of, degree of international development by, partner country indebtedness to, and political influence of malign foreign governments, such as the Government of the People's Republic of China, and non-state actors;

   Inserted: (5) assessments of new foreign economic assistance modalities that could assist in strengthening United States foreign assistance in the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania, including the deployment of technical assistance and asset recovery tools to partner governments and civil society institutions to help develop the capacity and expertise necessary to achieve self-sufficiency;

   Inserted: (6) an evaluation of the existing budget and resource management processes for the Department of State's and USAID's mission and work with respect to its programming in the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania;

   Inserted: (7) an explanation of how the Secretary and the Administrator will use existing programming processes, including those with respect to development of an Integrated Country Strategy, Country Development Cooperation Strategy, the Joint Strategic Plan, and the Journey to Self-Reliance Country Roadmaps, to advance the long-term growth, governance, economic development, and resilience of the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania; and

   Inserted: (8) any recommendations about appropriate budgetary, resource management, and programmatic changes necessary to assist in strengthening United States foreign assistance programming in the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania.

   Inserted: SEC. 1284. OCEANIA SECURITY DIALOGUE.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall brief the appropriate committees of Congress on the feasibility and advisability of establishing a United States-based public-private sponsored security dialogue (to be known as the "Oceania Security Dialogue") among the countries of Oceania for the purposes of jointly exploring and discussing issues affecting the economic, diplomatic, and national security of the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania.

   Inserted: (b) Report Required.--The briefing required by subsection (a) shall, at a minimum, include the following:

   Inserted: (1) A review of the ability of the Department of State to participate in a public-private sponsored security dialogue.

   Inserted: (2) An assessment of the potential locations for conducting an Oceania Security Dialogue in the jurisdiction of the United States.

   Inserted: (3) Consideration of dates for conducting an Oceania Security Dialogue that would maximize participation of representatives from the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania.

   Inserted: (4) A review of the funding modalities available to the Department of State to help finance an Oceania Security Dialogue, including grant-making authorities available to the Department of State.

   Inserted: (5) An assessment of any administrative, statutory, or other legal limitations that would prevent the establishment of an Oceania Security Dialogue with participation and support of the Department of State as described in subsection (a).

   Inserted: (6) An analysis of how an Oceania Security Dialogue could help to advance the Boe Declaration on Regional Security, including its emphasis on the changing environment as the greatest existential threat to countries of Oceania.

   Inserted: (7) An evaluation of how an Oceania Security Dialogue could help amplify the issues and work of existing regional structures and organizations dedicated to the security of the Oceania region, such as the Pacific Island Forum and the Pacific Environmental Security Forum.

   Inserted: (8) An analysis of how an Oceania Security Dialogue would help with implementation of the strategic roadmap required by section 1282 and advance the National Security Strategy of the United States.

   Inserted: (c) Interagency Consultation.--To the extent practicable, the Secretary of State may consult with the Secretary of Defense and, where appropriate, evaluate the lessons learned of the Regional Centers for Security Studies of the Department of Defense to determine the feasibility and advisability of establishing the Oceania Security Dialogue.

   Inserted: (d) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section, the term "appropriate committees of Congress" means--

   Inserted: (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;

   Inserted: (2) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;

   Inserted: (3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and

   Inserted: (4) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.

   Inserted: SEC. 1285. REPORT ON COUNTERING ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED, AND UNREGULATED FISHING IN OCEANIA.

   Inserted: (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--

   Inserted: (1) many countries of the Oceania region depend on commercial tuna fisheries as a critical component of their economies;

   Inserted: (2) the Government of the People's Republic of China has used its licensed fishing fleet to exert greater influence in Oceania, but at the same time, its licensed fishing fleet is also a major contributor to illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (in this section referred to as "IUU fishing") activities;

   Inserted: (3) the sustainability of Oceania's fisheries is threatened by IUU fishing, which depletes both commercially important fish stocks and non-targeted species that help maintain the integrity of the ocean ecosystem;

   Inserted: (4) in addition, IUU fishing puts pressure on protected species of marine mammals, sea turtles, and sea birds, which also jeopardizes the integrity of the ocean ecosystem;

   Inserted: (5) further, because IUU fishing goes unrecorded, the loss of biomass compromises scientists' work to assess and model fishery stocks and advise managers on sustainable catch levels;

   Inserted: (6) beyond the damage to living marine resources, IUU fishing also contributes directly to illegal activity in the Oceania region, such as food fraud, smuggling, and human trafficking;

   Inserted: (7) current approaches to IUU fishing enforcement rely on established methods, such as vessel monitoring systems, logbooks maintained by government fisheries enforcement authorities to record the catches landed by fishing vessels, and corroborating data on catches hand-collected by human observer programs;

   Inserted: (8) such established methods are imperfect because--

   Inserted: (A) vessels can turn off monitoring systems and unlicensed vessels do not use them; and

   Inserted: (B) observer coverage is thin and subject to human error and corruption;

   Inserted: (9) maritime domain awareness technology solutions for vessel monitoring have gained credibility in recent years and include systems such as observing instruments deployed on satellites, crewed and uncrewed air and surface systems, aircraft, and surface vessels, as well as electronic monitoring systems on fishing vessels;

   Inserted: (10) maritime domain awareness technologies hold the promise of significantly augmenting the current IUU fishing enforcement capacities; and

   Inserted: (11) maritime domain awareness technologies offer an avenue for addressing key United States national interests, including those interests related to--

   Inserted: (A) increasing bilateral diplomatic ties with key allies and partners in the Oceania region;

   Inserted: (B) countering illicit trafficking in arms, narcotics, and human beings associated with IUU fishing;

   Inserted: (C) advancing security, long-term growth, and development in the Oceania region;

   Inserted: (D) supporting ocean conservation objectives;

   Inserted: (E) reducing food insecurity; and

   Inserted: (F) countering attempts by the Government of the People's Republic of China to grow its influence in the Oceania region.

   Inserted: (b) Report Required.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Commandant of the Coast Guard, and the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report assessing the use of advanced maritime domain awareness technology systems to combat IUU fishing in Oceania.

   Inserted: (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall include--

   Inserted: (A) a review of the effectiveness of existing monitoring technologies, including electronic monitoring systems, to combat IUU fishing;

   Inserted: (B) recommendations for effectively integrating effective monitoring technologies into an Oceania-wide strategy for IUU fishing enforcement;

   Inserted: (C) an assessment and recommendations for the secure and reliable processing of data from such monitoring technologies, including the security and verification issues;

   Inserted: (D) the technical and financial capacity of countries of the Oceania region to deploy and maintain large-scale use of maritime domain awareness technological systems for the purposes of combating IUU fishing and supporting fisheries resource management;

   Inserted: (E) a review of the technical and financial capacity of regional organizations and international structures to support countries of the Oceania region in the deployment and maintenance of large-scale use of maritime domain awareness technology systems for the purposes of combating IUU fishing and supporting fisheries resource management;

   Inserted: (F) an evaluation of the utility of using foreign assistance, security assistance, and development assistance provided by the United States to countries of the Oceania region to support the large-scale deployment and operations of maritime domain awareness systems to increase maritime security across the region; and

   Inserted: (G) an assessment of the role of large-scale deployment and operations of maritime domain awareness systems throughout Oceania to supporting United States economic and national security interests in the Oceania region, including efforts related to countering IUU fishing, improving maritime security, and countering malign foreign influence.

   Inserted: (3) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In this subsection, the term "appropriate congressional committees" means--

   Inserted: (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;

   Inserted: (B) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;

   Inserted: (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and

   Inserted: (D) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.

   Inserted: SEC. 1286. OCEANIA PEACE CORPS PARTNERSHIPS.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Peace Corps shall submit to Congress a report on strategies to reasonably and safely expand the number of Peace Corps volunteers in Oceania, with the goals of--

   Inserted: (1) expanding the presence of the Peace Corps to all currently feasible locations in Oceania; and

   Inserted: (2) working with regional and international partners of the United States to expand the presence of Peace Corps volunteers in low-income Oceania communities in support of climate resilience initiatives.

   Inserted: (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall--

   Inserted: (1) assess the factors contributing to the current absence of the Peace Corps and its volunteers in Oceania;

   Inserted: (2) examine potential remedies that include working with United States Government agencies and regional governments, including governments of United States allies--

   Inserted: (A) to increase the health infrastructure and medical evacuation capabilities of the countries of Oceania to better support the safety of Peace Corps volunteers while in those countries;

   Inserted: (B) to address physical safety concerns that have decreased the ability of the Peace Corps to operate in Oceania; and

   Inserted: (C) to increase transportation infrastructure in the countries of Oceania to better support the travel of Peace Corps volunteers and their access to necessary facilities;

   Inserted: (3) evaluate the potential to expand the deployment of Peace Corps Response volunteers to help the countries of Oceania address social, economic, and development needs of their communities that require specific professional expertise; and

   Inserted: (4) explore potential new operational models to address safety and security needs of Peace Corps volunteers in the countries of Oceania, including--

   Inserted: (A) changes to volunteer deployment durations; and

   Inserted: (B) scheduled redeployment of volunteers to regional or United States-based healthcare facilities for routine physical and behavioral health evaluation.

   Inserted: (c) Volunteers in Low-income Oceania Communities.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--In examining the potential to expand the presence of Peace Corps volunteers in low-income Oceania communities under subsection (a)(2), the Director of the Peace Corps shall consider the development of initiatives described in paragraph (2).

   Inserted: (2) Initiatives described.--Initiatives described in this paragraph are volunteer initiatives that help the countries of Oceania address social, economic, and development needs of their communities, including by--

   Inserted: (A) addressing, through appropriate resilience-based interventions, the vulnerability that communities in Oceania face as result of extreme weather, severe environmental change, and other climate related trends; and

   Inserted: (B) improving, through smart infrastructure principles, access to transportation and connectivity infrastructure that will help address the economic and social challenges that communities in Oceania confront as a result of poor or nonexistent infrastructure.

   Inserted: (d) Oceania Defined.--In this section, the term "Oceania" includes the following:

   Inserted: (1) Fiji.

   Inserted: (2) Kiribati.

   Inserted: (3) The Republic of the Marshall Islands.

   Inserted: (4) The Federated States of Micronesia.

   Inserted: (5) Nauru.

   Inserted: (6) Palau.

   Inserted: (7) Papua New Guinea.

   Inserted: (8) Samoa.

   Inserted: (9) The Solomon Islands.

   Inserted: (10) Tonga.

   Inserted: (11) Tuvalu.

   Inserted: (12) Vanuatu.

   Original wording

   At the end of title XII, add the following:

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As printed