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S. 1517Senate118th Congress (2023-2025)In Committee

Southeast Asia Partnership Expansion Act

Sponsored by Tammy DuckworthSen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Introduced May 10, 2023

AI-Generated Summary

Updated January 20, 2026 at 7:20 AM UTC

The Southeast Asia Partnership Expansion Act extends and broadens a pilot program that supports defensive cyber cooperation with U.S. military partners in Southeast Asia. It lengthens the program’s end date to December 31, 2029 and adds the Philippines and Malaysia to the list of covered foreign military partners. The bill also updates language to refer to "defensive cyber" activities and clarifies which congressional committees oversee the program.

Key Provisions

  • Extends the pilot program’s deadline from 2024 to December 31, 2029.
  • Expands the definition of "covered foreign military partner" to include Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
  • Changes references from specific countries to "covered foreign military partners" and adds the term "defensive" before "cyber" to focus on defensive activities.
  • Allows the program to work with any covered foreign military partner, not just the originally named nations.
  • Specifies that the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees and the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees are the appropriate congressional committees overseeing the program.

Legislative Activity

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SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Foreign Relations Committee

May 10, 2023

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

May 10, 2023

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Foreign Relations Committee

May 10, 2023

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued May 10, 2023

II

118th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1517

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 10, 2023

Ms. Duckworth introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

A BILL

To extend and modify a pilot program to improve cyber cooperation with foreign military partners in Southeast Asia.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Southeast Asia Partnership Expansion Act.

2.

Extension and modification of pilot program to improve cyber cooperation with foreign military partners in Southeast Asia

(a)

In general

Subsection (a) of section 1256 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 3956; 10 U.S.C. 333 note) is amended—

(1)

in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking in Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia and inserting with covered foreign military partners;

(2)

in paragraph (1)—

(A)

by inserting defensive before cyber; and

(B)

by striking Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia and inserting covered foreign military partners; and

(3)

in paragraph (2), by striking Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia on and inserting covered foreign military partners on defensive.

(b)

Elements

Subsection (b) of such section is amended—

(1)

in paragraph (1), by striking Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia and inserting covered foreign military partners; and

(2)

in paragraph (2), by striking Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia and inserting covered foreign military partners.

(c)

Reports

Subsection (c)(2)(B) of such section is amended by striking Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia and inserting covered foreign military partners.

(d)

Certification

Subsection (d) of such section is amended—

(1)

by inserting with any covered foreign military partner after scheduled to commence; and

(2)

by striking Vietnam, Indonesia, or Thailand and inserting the covered foreign military partner.

(e)

Extension

Subsection (e) of such section is amended by striking December 31, 2024 and inserting December 31, 2029.

(f)

Definitions

Subsection (f) of such section is amended to read as follows:

(f)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

Appropriate committees of Congress

The term appropriate committees of Congress means—

(A)

the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and

(B)

the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.

(2)

Covered foreign military partner

The term covered foreign military partner means—

(A)

Vietnam;

(B)

Thailand;

(C)

Indonesia;

(D)

the Philippines; and

(E)

Malaysia.

.

(g)

Conforming amendments

(1)

Section 1256 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 3956; 10 U.S.C. 333 note) is amended, in the section heading, by striking Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia and inserting covered foreign military partners in Southeast Asia.

(2)

The table of contents for the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 3388) is amended by striking the item relating to section 1256 and inserting the following:

Sec. 1256. Pilot program to improve cyber cooperation with covered foreign military partners in Southeast Asia.

.

(3)

The table of contents for title XII of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 134 Stat. 3905) is amended by striking the item relating to section 1256 and inserting the following:

Sec. 1256. Pilot program to improve cyber cooperation with covered foreign military partners in Southeast Asia.

.