S.Amdt. 2912

SA 2912. Mr. SCHATZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2026 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 appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. 12__. REPORT ON INCREASED COAST GUARD PRESENCE AND
OPERATIONS IN THE INDO-PACIFIC REGION.

(a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in
consultation with the Commandant of the Coast Guard, the
Coast Guard Commander for the Pacific Area, the Commander of
the United States Indo-Pacific Command, and the Under
Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, shall submit
to Congress a report outlining the benefits, with respect to
United States defense and security objectives in the Indo-
Pacific region, of increased Coast Guard operations in the
Western Pacific region.
(b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall
include the following:
(1) An assessment of the risks--
(A) to United States defense and security interests posed
by not fully using the range of Coast Guard maritime
capabilities, vessels, exercises, and engagements in the
Indo-Pacific region, given increased maritime activities,
including partner engagement, by the People's Republic of
China;
(B) to Department of Defense operations posed by the United
States Coast Guard not fully staffing and equipping Coast
Guard operations in the Western Pacific region; and
(C) to United States strategic maritime interests in
general, including to bilateral maritime partners of the
United States, posed by not fully staffing and equipping
Coast Guard operations in the Western Pacific region.
(2) An assessment of the opportunity costs of--
(A) using other service capabilities within the Department
of Defense to address challenges and threats in the Indo-
Pacific region

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typically addressed by the Coast Guard, including fentanyl
and other illicit drug trafficking; and
(B) not expanding Coast Guard presence and cooperation in
Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Pacific Islands, with a
focus on advising, training, deployment, and capacity
building.
(3) An assessment of the associated needs of the Department
of Defense to fully achieve regional defense and security
objectives if the Coast Guard were not to significantly
expand its presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
______