S.Amdt. 5896

This amendment, known as the Taiwan Relations Reinforcement Act, aims to add a new section (SEC. 1252) to the bill. Its purpose is to require the Secretary of War, working with the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, to provide reports to specific congressional committees regarding the ability of the United States to follow the Taiwan Relations Act.

The amendment adds requirements for the following:

• Reporting: An initial report must be submitted within 180 days of the Act's enactment, followed by annual reports for the next 5 years.

• Assessments: The reports must evaluate if U.S. military posture, plans, and capabilities can deter things like a large-scale amphibious invasion, blockades, or major air and missile strikes against Taiwan. It also requires an assessment of the U.S. ability to comply with the Taiwan Relations Act if the U.S. is simultaneously responding to aggression from a terrorist organization or the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, or the Russian Federation.

• Operational Details: The reports must cover operational readiness, logistics, munitions sufficiency, the ability of the defense industrial base to sustain a conflict for at least one year, and the contributions of allies and partners.

• Gap Analysis: The reports must identify current and projected capability gaps over the next 10 years, the changes needed to fix those gaps, and the estimated costs and timelines to reach a level of capability that can deter or defeat aggression against Taiwan.

• Briefings: The Secretary of War must provide a classified briefing to the committees within 30 days after submitting each report.