S.Amdt. 6583

This amendment, submitted by Mr. Schmitt, aims to add a new section to bill S. 4784 called the Strategy to Enhance Defense Cooperation with New Zealand.

The purpose of this addition is to require the Secretary of Defense to create and submit a strategy to the congressional defense committees within 180 days of the Act's enactment. This strategy is intended to:

• Strengthen the defense relationship between the United States and New Zealand.
• Improve military interoperability and support stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region.
• Grow cooperation regarding aerospace capabilities, advanced defense, and space.
• Find specific actions to handle shared security challenges in the Antarctic and Pacific regions.

The amendment specifies that the strategy must include an assessment of current cooperation, a roadmap for expanded military interoperability, an assessment of defense industrial base cooperation, and an assessment of logistics cooperation in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica. It also requires a list of resource requirements, timelines, and responsible Department of Defense components.

Finally, the amendment requires the Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing on the strategy to specific House and Senate committees within 30 days after the strategy is submitted.