S.Amdt. 3115

SA 3115. Mr. CARDIN 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 F of title XII, add the following:

SEC. 1291. STRATEGIC PORTS INITIATIVE.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in consultation
with the Administrator of the United States Agency for
International Development, the Chief Executive Officer of
United States International Development Finance Corporation,
the Trade and Development Agency, and other relevant Federal
departments and agencies, as appropriate, shall carry out a
program entitled the ``Strategic Ports Initiative'' for the
following purposes:
(1) To provide training and technical assistance to partner
country officials and institutions, and others, as
appropriate, responsible for building, managing, and securing
seaports, airports, and related infrastructure abroad.
(2) To identify ports and airports vulnerable to ownership
or other forms of control by strategic competitors, including
the PRC, and make recommendations for United States
Government action.
(3) To contribute to United States Government diplomatic
engagements and other efforts with partner countries and
economies, and relevant and trusted private sector entities
with respect to ownership or control of seaports and airports
by strategic competitors, including the PRC.
(4) To generate priority countries and projects for United
States assistance and investment, including through
coordination with the Infrastructure Coordination Task Force
established pursuant to section 161.
(5) To ensure that all Department of State initiatives,
activities, and funding related to seaports and airports
align with the national security interests of the United
States and account for the vulnerabilities, technical
constraints, and other national security implications of
seaport and airport infrastructure to construction,
ownership, operation, or other forms of direct and indirect
control by strategic competitors, including the PRC.
(6) To ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that
projects supported by the United States use local labor and
professional capacities, in contrast to infrastructure
projects carried out by the PRC.
(7) To assist in identifying and promoting alternatives for
port logistics data management systems currently offered by
strategic competitors, including the PRC.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated, for each of fiscal years 2025 through
2029, $6,000,000 to carry out the purposes of the Strategic
Ports Initiative.
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