,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cjfd ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #c1 #bjai,mr4 ,conaway introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to require a comprehensive1 multilateral assessment of the military requirements of ,baltic countries to deter and resist aggression by the ,russian ,federation1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,baltic ,reassurance ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,russian ,federation seeks to diminish the ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7 and recreate its sphere of influence in ,europe using coercion1 intimidation1 and outright aggression4 7#b7 ,deterring the ,russian ,federation from such aggression is vital for transatlantic security4 7#c7 ,the illegal occupation of ,crimea by the ,russian ,federation and its continued engagement of destabilizing and subversive activities against independent and free states is of increasing concern4 7#d7 ,the ,russian ,federation also continues to disregard treaties1 international laws and rights to freedom of navigation1 territorial integrity1 and sovereign international borders4 7#e7 ,the ,russian ,federation's continued occupation of ,georgian and ,ukrainian territories and the sustained military buildup in the ,russian ,federation's ,western ,military ,district and ,kaliningrad has threatened continental peace and stability4 7#f7 ,the ,baltic countries of ,estonia1 ,latvia1 and ,lithuania are particularly vulnerable to an increasingly aggressive and subversive ,russian ,federation4 7#g7 ,in a declaration to celebrate #ajj years of independence of ,estonia1 ,latvia1 and ,lithuania issued on ,april #c1 #bjah1 the ,trump ,administration reaffirmed ,united ,states commitments to these ,baltic countries to improve military readiness and capabilities through sustained security assistance and explore new ideas and opportunities1 including air defense1 bilaterally and in ,,nato1 to enhance deterrence across the region4 7#h7 ,these highly valued ,,nato allies of the ,united ,states have repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to advancing mutual interests as well as those of the ,,nato alliance4 7#i7 ,the ,baltic countries also continue to participate in ,united ,states-led exercises to further promote coordination1 cooperation1 and interoperability among allies and partner countries1 and continue to demonstrate their reliability and commitment to provide for their own defense4 7#aj7 ,lithuania1 ,latvia1 and ,estonia each hosts a respected ,,nato ,center of ,excellence that provides expertise to educate and promote ,,nato allies and partners in areas of vital interest to the alliance4 7#aa7 ,united ,states support and commitment to allies across ,europe has been a lynchpin for peace and security on the continent for over #gj years4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress as follows3 7#a7 ,the ,united ,states is committed to the security of the ,baltic countries and should strengthen cooperation and support capacity-building initiatives aimed at improving the defense and security of such countries4 7#b7 ,the ,united ,states should lead a multilateral effort to develop a strategy to deepen joint capabilities with ,lithuania1 ,latvia1 ,estonia1 ,,nato allies1 and other regional partners1 to deter against aggression from the ,russian ,federation in the ,baltic region1 specifically in areas that would strengthen interoperability1 joint capabilities1 and military readiness necessary for ,baltic countries to strengthen their national resilience4 7#c7 ,the ,united ,states should explore the feasibility of providing long range1 mobile air defense systems in the ,baltic region1 including through leveraging cost-sharing mechanisms and multilateral deployment with ,,nato allies to reduce financial burdens on host countries4 #d4 ,defense ,assessment 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,defense shall1 in consultation with appropriate counterparts of ,lithuania1 ,latvia1 ,estonia1 ,north ,atlantic ,treaty ,organization 7,,nato7 allies1 and other regional partners1 conduct a comprehensive1 multilateral assessment of the military requirements of such countries to deter and resist aggression by the ,russian ,federation that-- 7#a7 provides an assessment of past and current initiatives to improve the efficiency1 effectiveness1 readiness1 and interoperability of ,lithuania1 ,latvia1 and ,estonia's national defense capabilities2 and 7#b7 assesses the manner in which to meet those objectives1 including future resource requirements and recommendations1 by undertaking activities in the following areas3 7,a7 ,activities to increase the rotational and forward presence1 improve the capabilities1 and enhance the posture and response readiness of the ,united ,states or forces of ,,nato in the ,baltic region4 7,b7 ,activities to improve air defense systems1 including modern air-surveillance capabilities4 7,c7 ,activities to improve counter-unmanned aerial system capabilities4 7,d7 ,activities to improve command and control capabilities through increasing communications1 technology1 and intelligence capacity and coordination1 including secure and hardened communications4 7,e7 ,activities to improve intelligence1 surveillance1 and reconnaissance capabilities4 7,f7 ,activities to enhance maritime domain awareness4 7,g7 ,activities to improve military and defense infrastructure1 logistics1 and access1 particularly transport of military supplies and equipment4 7,h7 ,investments to ammunition stocks and storage4 7,i7 ,activities and training to enhance cyber security and electronic warfare capabilities4 7,j7 ,bilateral and multilateral training and exercises4 7,k7 ,new and existing cost-sharing mechanisms with ,united ,states and ,,nato allies to reduce financial burden4 7b7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report that includes each of the following3 7#a7 ,a report on the findings of the assessment conducted pursuant to subsection 7a74 7#b7 ,a list of any recommendations resulting from such assessment4 7#c7 ,an assessment of the resource requirements to achieve the objectives described in subsection 7a77#a7 with respect to the national defense capability of ,baltic countries1 including potential investments by host countries4 7#d7 ,a plan for the ,united ,states to use appropriate security cooperation authorities or other authorities to-- 7,a7 facilitate relevant recommendations included in the list described in paragraph 7#b72 7,b7 expand joint training between the ,armed ,forces and the military of ,lithuania1 ,latvia1 or ,estonia1 including with the participation of other ,,nato allies2 and 7,c7 support ,united ,states foreign military sales and other equipment transfers to ,baltic countries especially for the activities described in subparagraphs 7,a7 through 7,i7 of subsection 7a77#b74 #e4 ,congressional defense committees defined ,in this ,act1 the term congressional defense committees means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#b7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations1 and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate4