S.Amdt. 2659

SA 2659. Mr. RISCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2025 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 A of title XII, add the following:

SEC. __. REPORT ON WITHDRAWAL OF THE UNITED STATES ARMED
FORCES FROM NIGER AND ON FUTURE SECURITY
COOPERATION IN NIGER, THE SAHEL, AND WEST
AFRICA.

(a) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to
the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the
circumstances and factors that led up to the departure of the
United States Armed Forces from Niger, and policy
recommendations for future security cooperation in Niger, the
Sahel, and West Africa.
(2) Contents.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall
include the following:
(A) An examination of the circumstances and actions by the
United States and Niger that led to the withdrawal of the
United States Armed Forces, including--
(i) the impact of Niger's July 26, 2023, coup d'etat;
(ii) actions by partners, allies, and other external
actors;
(iii) United States management of Nigerien concerns
regarding the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), the presence
of the United States Armed Forces in Niger, and the sharing
of intelligence; and
(iv) the handling of diplomatic tensions and issues by
United States and Nigerien officials, including bilateral
meetings that occurred in March 2024 resulting in the
announcement by the National Council for the Safeguard of the
Homeland (CNSP) demanding the withdrawal of the United States
Armed Forces from Niger.
(B) An assessment of the impact of the withdrawal of the
United States Armed Forces from Niger on United States
national security interests and United States partners and
allies in the Sahel and West Africa, including the limits
placed on the United States and United States partners and
allies to conduct effective counterterrorism operations.
(C) A risk assessment of United States assets and
infrastructure remaining in Niger and the potential use of
such assets and infrastructure by the Russian Federation,
other malign actors, or violent extremist organizations
present in the region.
(D) An evaluation of the cooperation between the United
States Armed Forces and the military forces of Niger through
the Joint Disengagement Commission during the withdrawal of
the United States Armed Forces from Niger, including the
impact of relationships and training from prior United
States-Niger military cooperation on the conduct of the Joint
Disengagement Commission's work.
(E) An assessment of the efforts by the National Council
for the Safeguard of the Homeland and Nigerien civilian
government and military officials to ensure a secure,
unhindered, and timely withdrawal of the United States Armed
Forces.
(F) Options for future security cooperation with Niger and
a nonpermanent presence of the United States Armed Forces,
including conditions and benchmarks for each option.
(G) A review of the interagency strategy for the Sahel
after the withdrawal of the United States Armed Forces from
Niger, including recommended options for adapting the
approach to the rapidly evolving regional security,
development, and political context in the Sahel and West
Africa.
(3) Form.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in unclassified form but may include a classified
annex.
(b) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Armed Services of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Armed Services of the House of Representatives.
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