S.Amdt. 6719

SA 6719 is an amendment proposed by Mr. Bennet to be added to the end of title II of another amendment (SA 6711), which itself is proposed for bill H.R. 5334.

The purpose of this amendment is to add a section requiring the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State to identify and report on defense systems, subsystems, critical components, or capabilities that are suitable for co-production or co-development with India over the next five years.

Key Requirements

• Reporting: Within one year of the Act's enactment, the Secretary of Defense must submit a report to specific congressional committees. This report must identify suitable systems and include a strategy for each, covering the mechanism for co-production, timelines, the lead office responsible, and known obstacles.

• Considerations: When identifying these systems, officials must consider:

  • Operational demand and capability gaps for both the U.S. and India.
  • The industrial capacity of the Indian Government and its defense firms.
  • The potential to improve supply chain resilience and interoperability.
  • Shared development of hardware (like space technologies, combat vehicles, and munitions) and capabilities (like cyber platforms, AI, and software).
  • Export control and technology security requirements.
  • The risk of sensitive technology transfer based on India's relationships with countries including the Russian Federation, China, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

• Accountability: The Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State must provide an annual briefing to the appropriate committees of Congress starting two years after the Act's enactment. These briefings must cover progress on the identified systems and explain any additions or removals from the list.