To amend title 14, United States Code, to require the establishment of the Center of Expertise in Indo-Pacific Maritime Governance, and for other purposes.
Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Pacific Ready Coast Guard Act directs the Coast Guard to significantly expand its presence and capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. It establishes a new Center of Expertise in Indo-Pacific Maritime Governance, modeled after International Law Enforcement Academies and Department of Defense Institutes, to provide education, training, and research in maritime governance best practices. The bill also requires the Coast Guard to produce annual operational plans and detailed budget displays for Pacific operations, and mandates several reports on forward operating bases, a standing maritime group, and Coast Guard attache deployments.
Who Benefits and How
Defense contractors and maritime services firms benefit from the infrastructure expansion, as the bill requires reports on establishing forward operating bases (with a completion timeline of January 1, 2030) and a standing maritime group. Indo-Pacific partner nations benefit from the new Center of Expertise, which will be jointly operated with a foreign country that furnishes administrative services and facilities. The Coast Guard itself gains institutional resources, interagency data access, and personnel details from other federal agencies. Congressional oversight committees gain transparency through annual plans, budget displays, and multiple required reports and briefings.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Coast Guard bears the primary compliance burden, facing new annual reporting requirements for operational plans, budget displays, and congressional briefings, plus three one-time feasibility/status reports (on forward operating bases, a standing maritime group, and attache deployments). The foreign partner country selected by the Commandant must furnish administrative services and facilities for the Center, either directly, through funding, or by coordinating with local higher education institutions. Other federal agencies face potential resource burdens as the bill authorizes the Center to request access to their data, archives, resources, and personnel details.
Key Provisions
- Establishes Center of Expertise in Indo-Pacific Maritime Governance under 14 USC Chapter 3
- Center to be jointly operated with a foreign partner country selected by the Commandant
- Federal agencies may grant data access and detail personnel to the Center upon request
- Annual operational plan for Pacific operations due December 31 each year, with congressional briefings
- Annual detailed budget display for Pacific operations due February 15 each year
- Report on feasibility of a standing Indo-Pacific maritime group due within 120 days of enactment
- Report on forward operating bases due within 1 year, with completion target of January 1, 2030
- Report on Coast Guard attaches in Indo-Pacific embassies due within 6 months
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Expands Coast Guard presence and capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region by establishing a Center of Expertise in Indo-Pacific Maritime Governance, requiring annual operational plans and budget displays for Pacific operations, and mandating reports on forward operating bases, a standing maritime group, and attache deployments.
Key Policy Areas
Defense, Foreign Affairs, Government Operations
Primary Purpose
Expands Coast Guard presence and capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region by establishing a Center of Expertise in Indo-Pacific Maritime Governance, requiring annual operational plans and budget displays for Pacific operations, and mandating reports on forward operating bases, a standing maritime group, and attache deployments.
Policy Domains
Report on Coast Guard Attaches
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Coast Guard (expanded diplomatic presence in Indo-Pacific)
- Department of State (enhanced maritime capability in embassies)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Coast Guard (must produce report within 6 months and plan for expansion)
- Department of State (consulted; may need to accommodate additional attaches)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Center of Expertise in Indo-Pacific Maritime Governance
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Coast Guard (new institutional capability and interagency resource access)
- Indo-Pacific partner nations (maritime governance training and capacity building)
- Defense contractors providing maritime training and education services
- Higher education institutions in the partner country (potential service provision role)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Foreign partner country (must furnish administrative services and facilities)
- Federal agencies (may be asked to share data, archives, resources, and personnel)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Report on Standing Indo-Pacific Maritime Group
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Indo-Pacific partner nations (multilateral cooperation framework)
- Coast Guard (expanded mission authority and international partnerships)
- Maritime security industry (potential for multilateral operations and equipment needs)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Coast Guard (must produce feasibility report within 120 days)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Annual Plan and Budget Display for Pacific Operations
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Congressional oversight committees (gain detailed annual plans and budget transparency)
- Defense and maritime industry (long-term demand projections signal procurement opportunities)
- Coast Guard Pacific operations (institutionalized planning and resource justification)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Coast Guard (annual planning, budget display preparation, and briefing obligations)
- Department of State and Department of Defense (consulted annually on plans)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Report on Forward Operating Bases
Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Defense construction and logistics contractors (base establishment contracts)
- Coast Guard (expanded operational footprint in Indo-Pacific)
- U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (enhanced Coast Guard support capability)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation- Coast Guard (must produce detailed report and plan within 1 year)
- U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (consulted on report)
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
Sponsors
Trent Kelly
R-MS | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Kelly of Mississippi (for himself and Mr. Case) introduced …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Coast Guard, Defense construction contractors, Defense/maritime training contractors
Coast Guard faces effects in multiple directions
Congressional committees, Congressional oversight committees
Foreign partner country, Foreign partner country (administrative burden), Indo-Pacific partner nations
Positive-direction: Indo-Pacific partner nations
Negative-direction: Foreign partner country, Foreign partner country (administrative burden)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "commandant"
- → Commandant of the Coast Guard (establishes and manages the Center)
- "foreign_partner"
- → Representatives of a foreign country selected by the Commandant
- "federal_agencies"
- → Heads of any Federal agency (may grant data/personnel access)
- "commandant"
- → Commandant of the Coast Guard (submits plan and budget display)
- "secretary_state"
- → Secretary of State (consulted on operational plan)
- "secretary_defense"
- → Secretary of Defense (consulted on operational plan)
- "congressional_committees"
- → Appropriate congressional committees (receive plans and briefings)
- "commandant"
- → Commandant of the Coast Guard (submits feasibility report)
- "commandant"
- → Commandant of the Coast Guard (submits report)
- "indopacom_commander"
- → Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (consulted)
- "commandant"
- → Commandant of the Coast Guard (submits report)
- "secretary_state"
- → Secretary of State (consulted)
Note: {'note': 'Refers to Commandant of the Coast Guard throughout. Single actor, no ambiguity.', 'term': 'The Commandant'}
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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