,,ii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #caca ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,november #b1 #bjba,mr4 ,hawley introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to accelerate deployment by ,taiwan of the asymmetric defense capabilities required to deter or1 if necessary1 defeat an invasion of ,taiwan by the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,arm ,taiwan ,act of #bjba4 #b4 ,findings2 sense of ,congress 7a7 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,the ,department of ,defense has warned that the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china may conclude that it can successfully invade and seize control of ,taiwan in the latter half of the #bjbjs4 7#b7 ,in ,october #bjba1 the ,minister of ,national ,defense of ,taiwan1 ,chiu ,kuo-cheng1 echoed these warnings when he stated that the ,people's ,republic of ,china-- 7,a7 is capable now of invading ,taiwan2 and 7,b7 will have lowered the costs and losses associated with invading ,taiwan to a minimum after #bjbe4 7#c7 ,if the ,people's ,republic of ,china were to invade and seize control of ,taiwan1 it would deal a severe blow to ,united ,states interests by-- 7,a7 destroying one of the world's leading democracies2 7,b7 casting doubt on the ability and resolve of the ,united ,states to uphold its security commitments2 7,c7 incentivizing other countries in the ,indo-,pacific region to bandwagon with the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 and 7,d7 facilitating the formation of a regional order dominated by the ,people's ,republic of ,china in which the ,government of the ,people's ,republic of ,china may-- 7i7 regulate or otherwise limit the ability of individuals in the ,united ,states to trade in the ,indo-,pacific region1 which would have dire effects on the livelihoods and freedoms of such individuals2 and 7ii7 use the ,indo-,pacific region as a secure base from which to project military power into other regions1 including the ,western ,hemisphere4 7#d7 ,taiwan's proximity to the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 coupled with investments by the ,people's ,republic of ,china in capabilities designed to delay intervention by the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces in support of ,taiwan1 means that ,taiwan may be forced to delay1 degrade1 and deny an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china with limited support from the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces for the initial days1 weeks1 or months of such an invasion4 7#e7 ,if ,taiwan is unable to delay1 degrade1 and deny an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china with limited support from the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces1 especially in the initial period of war1 then the ,people's ,republic of ,china may conclude that it is1 or may actually be1 capable of-- 7,a7 invading and seizing control of ,taiwan before the ,united ,states or any other partner country of ,taiwan is able to respond effectively1 thereby achieving a fait accompli2 and 7,b7 potentially rendering any attempt by the ,united ,states or any other partner country of ,taiwan to reverse territorial gains by the ,people's ,republic of ,china prohibitively difficult1 costly1 or both4 7#f7 ,to defend itself effectively1 especially in the initial period of war1 it is imperative that ,taiwan accelerate deployment of cost-effective and resilient asymmetric defense capabilities1 including mobile coastal and air defenses1 naval mines1 missile boats1 man-portable anti-armor weapons1 civil defense forces1 and their enablers4 7#g7 ,the deployment of such asymmetric defense capabilities by ,taiwan would not only improve the ability of ,taiwan to defend itself1 but also reduce operational risk to members of the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces under a ,taiwan contingency4 7#h7 ,the ,president of ,taiwan1 ,tsai ,ing-,wen1 has-- 7,a7 vowed to bolster the national defense of ,taiwan and demonstrate ,taiwan's determination to defend itself so as to ensure that ,taiwan will not be forced to take the path that the ,people's ,republic of ,china has laid out for ,taiwan2 and 7,b7 advocated the deployment of asymmetric defense capabilities4 7#i7 ,the ,government of ,taiwan has begun taking steps to improve ,taiwan's defenses1 including by increasing ,taiwan's defense budget and through ,taiwan's new proposed special defense budget1 but far more is needed1 and quickly1 to ensure that ,taiwan is able to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability4 7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the threat of an invasion of ,taiwan by the ,people's ,republic of ,china is increasing rapidly and expected to reach especially dangerous levels by the latter half of the #bjbjs2 7#b7 the ,united ,states has a strong interest in preventing the ,people's ,republic of ,china from invading and seizing control of ,taiwan1 especially by ensuring that ,taiwan is able to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability2 7#c7 the ,united ,states should establish a security assistance initiative so as to accelerate1 to the greatest extent possible1 ,taiwan's deployment of cost-effective and resilient asymmetric defense capabilities2 7#d7 the ,united ,states should provide such assistance on the condition that ,taiwan-- 7,a7 matches investments by the ,united ,states in its asymmetric defense capabilities2 7,b7 increases its defense spending to a level commensurate with the threat it faces2 7,c7 prioritizes acquiring cost-effective and resilient asymmetric defense capabilities as rapidly as possible1 including from foreign suppliers1 if necessary2 and 7,d7 demonstrates progress on defense reforms required to maximize the effectiveness of its asymmetric defenses1 with special regard to ,taiwan's reserve forces2 and 7#e7 in the course of executing such a security assistance initiative1 the ,united ,states should-- 7,a7 seek to co-produce or co-develop cost-effective and resilient asymmetric defense capabilities with suppliers in ,taiwan1 including by providing incentives to that effect1 so long as those suppliers can produce such capabilities at a reasonable cost1 in the quantities required1 as rapidly1 and to the same quality and technical standards as suppliers in the ,united ,states or other countries2 and 7,b7 encourage other countries1 particularly ,united ,states allies and partners1 to sell1 lease1 or otherwise provide appropriate asymmetric defense capabilities to ,taiwan so as to facilitate ,taiwan's rapid deployment of the asymmetric defense capabilities required to deter or1 if necessary1 defeat an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china4 #c4 ,taiwan ,security ,assistance ,initiative 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,defense shall establish an initiative1 to be known as the ,taiwan ,security ,assistance ,initiative 7referred to in this ,act as the ,initiative71 to accelerate ,taiwan's deployment of asymmetric defense capabilities required to deter or1 if necessary1 defeat an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china4 7b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated #c1jjj1jjj1jjj for the ,department of ,defense for each of fiscal years #bjbc through #bjbg to provide assistance to the ,government of ,taiwan under this section4 7c7 ,authority ,to provide assistance 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,defense1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall use the funds authorized to be appropriated under subsection 7b7 to provide assistance to the ,government of ,taiwan for the purpose described in subsection 7d74 7d7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,initiative is to provide assistance1 including equipment1 training1 and other support1 to the ,government of ,taiwan so as to accelerate ,taiwan's deployment of asymmetric defense capabilities required to achieve1 with limited support from the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces for the initial days1 weeks1 or months after the initiation of an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china of ,taiwan1 the following objectives3 7#a7 ,to delay1 degrade1 and deny attempts by ,people's ,liberation ,army forces to enter or transit the ,taiwan ,strait and adjoining seas4 7#b7 ,to delay1 degrade1 and deny attempts by ,people's ,liberation ,army forces to secure a lodgment on ,taiwan and expand or otherwise use that lodgment to seize control of a population center or other key territory in ,taiwan4 7#c7 ,to prevent the ,people's ,republic of ,china from decapitating1 seizing control of1 or otherwise neutralizing or rendering ineffective the ,government of ,taiwan4 7e7 ,asymmetric defense capabilities ,in this section1 the term asymmetric defense capabilities includes1 in such quantities as the ,secretary of ,defense determines to be necessary to achieve the purpose specified in subsection 7d71 the following3 7#a7 ,mobile1 ground-based coastal defense cruise missiles and launchers4 7#b7 ,mobile1 ground-based short-range and medium-range air defense systems4 7#c7 ,smart1 self-propelled naval mines and coastal minelaying platforms4 7#d7 ,missile boats and fast-attack craft equipped with anti-ship and anti-landing craft missiles4 7#e7 ,unmanned aerial and other mobile1 resilient surveillance systems to support coastal and air defense operations4 7#f7 ,equipment to support target location1 tracking1 identification1 and targeting1 especially at the local level1 in communications degraded or denied environments4 7#g7 ,man-portable anti-armor weapons1 mortars1 and small arms for ground combat operations4 7#h7 ,equipment and technical assistance for the purpose of developing civil defense forces1 composed of civilian volunteers and militia4 7#i7 ,training and equipment1 including appropriate war reserves1 required for ,taiwan forces to independently maintain1 sustain1 and employ capabilities described in paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#h74 7#aj7 ,concept development for coastal defense1 air defense1 decentralized command and control1 civil defense1 logistics1 planning1 and other critical military functions1 with an emphasis on operations in a communications degraded or denied environment4 7#aa7 ,any other capability the ,secretary of ,defense considers appropriate for the purpose described in subsection 7d74 7f7 ,availability of funds 7#a7 ,plan ,not later than ,december #a1 #bjbb1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress a plan for using funds authorized to be appropriated under subsection 7b7 for the purpose specified in subsection 7d74 7#b7 ,initial certification ,amounts authorized to be appropriated under subsection 7b7 for fiscal year #bjbc may not be obligated or expended until the date on which the ,secretary of ,defense1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 certifies that the ,government of ,taiwan has committed-- 7,a7 to spending an equivalent amount on asymmetric defense capabilities in fiscal year #bjbc2 7,b7 to spending not less than three percent of ,taiwan's national gross domestic product on defense on an annual basis by the end of fiscal year #bjbg1 including expenditures under the normal defense budget and any supplemental or special defense budgets of ,taiwan2 7,c7 to acquiring asymmetric defense capabilities as rapidly as possible1 including from suppliers in the ,united ,states or other countries1 if the ,secretary of ,defense determines that such suppliers will be able to provide such capabilities at a reasonable cost1 in sufficient quantities1 of sufficient quality and technical standards1 and more rapidly than suppliers in ,taiwan2 and 7,d7 to undertaking the defense reforms required to maximize the effectiveness of an asymmetric defense against an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 including by improving organization1 mobilization1 and training of the reserve forces and other military personnel of ,taiwan4 7#c7 ,subsequent certifications ,amounts authorized to be appropriated under subsection 7b7 for each of fiscal years #bjbd1 #bjbe1 #bjbf1 and #bjbg may not be obligated or expended until the date on which the ,secretary of ,defense1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 certifies that the ,government of ,taiwan has committed-- 7,a7 to spending an equivalent amount on asymmetric defense capabilities in the applicable fiscal year and upheld its commitment to spend an equivalent amount as the ,united ,states in the preceding fiscal year on asymmetric defense capabilities to be deployed by ,taiwan2 7,b7 to spending not less than three percent of ,taiwan's national gross domestic product on defense on an annual basis by the end of fiscal year #bjbg1 including expenditures under the normal defense budget and any supplemental or special defense budgets of ,taiwan1 and demonstrated progress toward that spending target in the preceding fiscal year2 7,c7 to acquiring asymmetric defense capabilities as rapidly as possible1 including from suppliers in the ,united ,states or other countries1 if the ,secretary of ,defense determines that such suppliers will be able to provide such capabilities at reasonable cost1 in sufficient quantities1 of sufficient quality and technical standards1 and more rapidly than suppliers in ,taiwan1 and upheld its commitment to acquire asymmetric defense capabilities as rapidly as possible in the preceding fiscal year2 and 7,d7 to undertaking the defense reforms required to maximize the effectiveness of an asymmetric defense against an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 including by improving the organization1 mobilization1 and training of the reserve forces and other military personnel of ,taiwan1 and demonstrated progress on such reforms in the preceding fiscal year4 7#d7 ,notification to ,congress ,not later than #cj days after making a certification under paragraph 7#b7 or 7#c71 the ,secretary of ,defense shall submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress a notice and explanation of such certification4 7#e7 ,remaining funds 7,a7 ,in general ,subject to subparagraph 7,b71 amounts appropriated for a fiscal year pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under subsection 7b7 that are not obligated and expended during that fiscal year shall be added to the amount that may be used for the ,initiative in the subsequent fiscal year4 7,b7 ,rescission ,amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of appropriation under subsection 7b7 that remain unobligated by the end of fiscal year #bjbg shall be rescinded and deposited into the general fund of the ,treasury4 7g7 ,defense articles and services from ,united ,states inventory and other sources 7#a7 ,in general ,in addition to assistance provided pursuant to subsection 7c71 the ,secretary of ,defense1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 may make available to the ,government of ,taiwan1 in such quantities as the ,secretary of ,defense considers appropriate for the purpose described in subsection 7d71 the following3 7,a7 ,weapons and other defense articles from the ,united ,states inventory and other sources4 7,b7 ,excess defense articles from the ,united ,states inventory4 7,c7 ,defense services4 7#b7 ,replacement ,amounts for the replacement of any item provided to the ,government of ,taiwan under paragraph 7#a77;,a7 may be made available from the amount authorized to be appropriated under subsection 7b74 7h7 ,termination of authority ,assistance may not be provided under this section after ,september #cj1 #bjbg4 #d4 ,limitation on conventional arms sales 7a7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 historically1 the ,government of ,taiwan has prioritized the acquisition of conventional weapons that would be of limited utility in deterring or defeating an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china at the expense of the timely acquisition of cost-effective and resilient asymmetric defense capabilities2 7#b7 the ,united ,states ,government has often shared responsibility for the misguided prioritization of defense acquisitions described in paragraph 7#a7 by approving sales of conventional weapons to ,taiwan1 despite knowledge that such sales would do little to enhance1 and may even undermine1 the ability of ,taiwan to deter or defeat an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 7#c7 the misguided prioritization of defense acquisitions described in paragraph 7#a7 has not only undermined the ability of ,taiwan to deter or defeat an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china1 but has also placed at greater risk of death or injury members of the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces who may come under attack or be asked to come to the aid of ,taiwan to repel such an invasion2 and 7#d7 any future sales1 leases1 or other provision of conventional weaponry to ,taiwan by the ,united ,states should be conditioned on meaningful progress by the ,government of ,taiwan on the acquisition of appropriate asymmetric defense capabilities4 7b7 ,statement of policy ,for each of fiscal years #bjbc through #bjbg1 the ,united ,states ,government shall not sell1 lease1 or otherwise provide military capabilities to ,taiwan other than asymmetric defense capabilities described in subsection 7e7 of section #c until the earlier of-- 7#a7 the date on which the ,secretary of ,defense has submitted a notification under subsection 7f77#d7 of that section for the fiscal year in which the ,government of ,taiwan has requested the sale1 lease1 or other provision of military capabilities other than such asymmetric defense capabilities2 or 7#b7 the date on which the ,secretary of ,defense certifies to the appropriate committees of ,congress that the sale1 lease1 or other provision to ,taiwan of military capabilities other than such asymmetric defense capabilities-- 7,a7 is necessary to enhance the ability of ,taiwan to deter or1 if necessary1 defeat an invasion by the ,people's ,republic of ,china2 or 7,b7 will not slow1 delay1 limit1 or otherwise detract from or undermine the ability of ,taiwan to deploy such asymmetric defense capabilities4 #e4 ,definition of appropriate committees of ,congress ,in this ,act1 the term appropriate committees of ,congress means-- 7#a7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2 and 7#b7 the ,committee on ,armed ,services and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives4