S.Amdt. 6618

SA 6618, submitted by Mr. Booker, aims to add a new section to bill S. 4784 titled "Assessment of Maritime Chokepoint Resilience."

The purpose of this amendment is to require the Secretary of Defense to conduct an assessment and submit a report to congressional defense committees within 180 days of the Act's enactment.

The amendment seeks to add requirements for the Secretary of Defense to assess and report on the following:

• The readiness of the United States Armed Forces to respond to disruptions at major global maritime chokepoints, specifically including the Suez Canal, Bab-el Mandeb, Strait of Malacca, and Strait of Hormuz.

• The ability of the Department of Defense to maintain access and freedom of navigation during conflict or crisis.

• Vulnerabilities to maritime access and the force posture, structure, and operational requirements needed to maintain access, including when disruptions occur at multiple chokepoints at once.

• Threats from asymmetric capabilities, such as missiles, unmanned systems, mines, and small boat attacks, against allied and United States maritime operations.

• Operational planning and coordination with interagency entities, partners, and allies for responding to disruptions, including simultaneous disruptions at multiple chokepoints.

• Global force management tradeoffs and capability gaps in supporting forces, logistics, air, and naval requirements to ensure freedom of navigation and continued access through these chokepoints.