S.Amdt. 3361

SA 3361 is an amendment to bill S. 2296, which deals with military and defense appropriations for fiscal year 2026. The purpose of this amendment is to create a formal process for assessing and combating arms sales from the People's Republic of China.

It aims to add the following requirements to the bill:

• Assessment of Chinese Arms Sales: The Director of National Intelligence, working with the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State, must publish an assessment of arms sales from the People's Republic of China. This must happen within 1 year of the Act and annually for the following 3 years. The report will analyze:

  • Available weapons systems and their capabilities.
  • Impact on the balance of power in geographic combatant command areas.
  • Chinese equipment that serves as direct alternatives to U.S. equipment.
  • Security risks regarding intelligence collection or compromised U.S. assets.
  • Likely buying countries, including estimated value, quantity, and type of weapons.
  • Equipment currently in development that may be available within 5 years.
  • Incentives for buyers, such as financing, cost, and speed of delivery.
  • The strategy of the People's Republic of China regarding arms sales.

• Strategy to Combat Arms Sales: The Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense must develop a strategy to discourage the purchase of new Chinese weapons systems. This strategy must include:

  • An information campaign to warn countries about reliability issues, lack of combat record, and inability to integrate with U.S. systems.
  • Ways to make U.S. equipment more attractive through reforms to financing and sales processes.
  • Actions for U.S. defense firms to provide competitive alternatives.
  • An analysis of whether economic restrictions or sanctions against buyers would work.
  • A plan to fight Chinese disinformation regarding U.S. or ally weapon performance.
  • A coordination plan with Congress.