S.Amdt. 3695

SA 3695 aims to add a new section (SEC. 1248) to bill S. 2296. Its purpose is to require the Secretary of Defense, working with the Secretary of State, to create and use a strategy to strengthen multilateral deterrence against regional aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.

The amendment seeks to expand coordination with allies and partners, specifically mentioning Australia, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. It focuses on the following:

• Military Coordination: Enhancing basing agreements, command and control structures, intelligence-sharing, and operations.
• Strategic Actions: Using reciprocal access agreements to expand regional access for ally military forces, improving interoperability, pre-positioning munitions, and sharing infrastructure.
• Specific Regional Focus: Expanding the scale of military exercises and maritime operations in the Aleutian Islands, the South China Sea, and the Taiwan Strait.
• Operational Planning: Considering security for trade routes and military avenues of approach across the North, Central, and South Indo-Pacific region.

The amendment also adds accountability by requiring the Secretary of Defense to submit a written strategy to congressional committees within 180 days of the Act's enactment, and a progress report by March 15, 2027.