U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa is wrapping up a six-month congressional focus on Asia and the Pacific with the expected introduction Wednesday of a bill that seeks further security assessments in the region and takes steps to reassure regional allies.
The Asia-Pacific Region Priority Act also would give priority to investments in Hawaii’s training ranges, Hanabusa’s office said. Hanabusa, a Democrat and member of the House Armed Services Committee, will join Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Forbes from Virginia in introducing the bill.
The measure comes on the heels of six months of congressional hearings and classified briefings called the Asia-Pacific Oversight Series. Hanabusa and Forbes, chairman of the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, launched the discussion in October.
The sessions, which included round-table talks with ambassadors from the region, "sought to enhance an understanding of Asia-Pacific security issues for both members of Congress and the general public," Hanabusa said in a statement Friday.
"The series relied on government witnesses and some of the best independent thinkers across the country to increase our holistic understanding of the military, economic, and political trends affecting the long-term security outlook in the region."
According to Hanabusa, the legislation would:
» Direct Congress to make "necessary upgrades" to Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawaii island so that it is the "premier training range" in the Pacific. The infrastructure investments would include a runway capable of accommodating C-17 Globemaster cargo jets and moving an existing high-speed vessel to Hawaii to help lower transportation costs. The provision also encourages more use of Pohakuloa by regional partners and allies during exercises such as the Rim of the Pacific war games.
» Create special authority for the Department of Defense to make sure installations have enough room to carry out their missions. The Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai used similar authority in the past "to ensure incompatible uses would not take place around the range, resulting in the long-term conservation and viability of prime lands on Kauai."
» Study munitions shortfalls in the Navy and Air Force that "severely affect readiness throughout" the U.S. Pacific Command.
"The modernization of militaries throughout the Pacific have made it a necessity to continually update the types of munitions needed to preserve national security and maintain the qualitative military edge necessary to ensure the level of peace seen in the region throughout the last few decades," Hanabusa said.
» Establish a Pentagon Unmanned Systems Office to oversee policy for drones and other remotely operated vehicles.
» Conduct an "anti-access" and "area denial" threats assessment. China is increasingly developing sophisticated missiles that could deter freedom of navigation by the United States and other nations in the South China Sea.
The study would charge the Pentagon with identifying "significant gaps and shortfalls" in the ability of the U.S. to counter such threats.
» Initiate an assessment to identify opportunities for increasing missile defense cooperation between the U.S., Japan and South Korea.
"This would serve as a way to counter North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and also be a primary way to strengthen trilateral defense relations through two of our staunchest treaty allies," Hanabusa said.
» Require studies on Department of Defense space and security programs, and maximize investment in related equipment. The measure would include an additional $10 million for the Space Situational Awareness Program, of which $3 million would go directly to the Maui Space Surveillance Complex atop Haleakala.
