S. 1465 – Reading Mode

118th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1465

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 4, 2023

Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. King, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Booker, Mr. Casey, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Van Hollen, and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

A BILL

To establish the Baltic Security Initiative for the purpose of strengthening the defensive capabilities of the Baltic countries, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Baltic Security Initiative Act.

Baltic Security Initiative

(a)

Establishment

The Secretary of Defense shall establish and carry out an initiative, to be known as the Baltic Security Initiative (in this section referred to as the Initiative) for the purpose of deepening security cooperation with the Baltic countries.

(b)

Relationship to existing authorities

The Initiative required by subsection (a) shall be carried out pursuant to the authorities provided in title 10, United States Code.

(c)

Objectives

The objectives of the Initiative shall be—

(1)

to achieve United States national security objectives by—

(A)

deterring aggression by the Russian Federation; and

(B)

implementing the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's new Strategic Concept, which seeks to strengthen the alliance's deterrence and defense posture by denying potential adversaries any possible opportunities for aggression;

(2)

to enhance regional planning and cooperation among the Baltic countries, particularly with respect to long-term regional capability projects, including—

(A)

long-range precision fire systems and capabilities;

(B)

integrated air and missile defense;

(C)

maritime domain awareness;

(D)

land forces development, including stockpiling large caliber ammunition;

(E)

command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance;

(F)

special operations forces development;

(G)

coordination with and security enhancements for Poland, which is a neighboring North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally; and

(H)

other military capabilities, as determined by the Secretary of Defense; and

(3)

to improve the Baltic countries’ cyber defenses and resilience to hybrid threats.

(d)

Strategy

(1)

In general

Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report setting forth a strategy for the Department of Defense to achieve the objectives described in subsection (b).

(2)

Considerations

The strategy required by this subsection shall include a consideration of—

(A)

security assistance programs for the Baltic countries authorized as of the date on which the strategy is submitted;

(B)

the ongoing security threats to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's eastern flank posed by Russian aggression, including as a result of the Russian Federation’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine with support from Belarus; and

(C)

the ongoing security threats to the Baltic countries posed by the presence, coercive economic policies, and other malign activities of the People’s Republic of China.

(e)

Authorization of appropriations

(1)

In general

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Defense $350,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2024, 2025, and 2026 to carry out the Initiative.

(2)

Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense should seek to require matching funds from each of the Baltic countries that participate in the Initiative in amounts commensurate with amounts provided by the Department of Defense for the Initiative.

(f)

Baltic countries defined

In this section, the term Baltic countries means—

(1)

Estonia;

(2)

Latvia; and

(3)

Lithuania.