The Hill

The top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee is proposing a new fund focused on countering China in the Indo-Pacific region, starting with $6 billion next year.

Dubbed the Indo-Pacific Deterrence Initiative, the draft legislation unveiled Thursday by Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) is modeled off the European Deterrence Initiative created in 2014 to counter Russia.

“Senior officials from both parties, military commanders, and international security experts have told us for years that the Indo-Pacific must be this country’s priority theater,” Thornberry said in a statement. “They are absolutely correct, and it is time to put our money where our mouth is.”

The $6 billion in Thornberry’s legislation would cover missile defense, intelligence activities, the prepositioning of equipment, troop rotations, military construction, work with allies and partners, and training exercises.

“These are not all new programs, but by pulling them together under one policy we will be better able to judge our own commitment here at home, demonstrate our resolve to our allies and partners, and deter China,” Thornberry said in his statement.

Click here to read the rest of the article and find the details of the proposed bill.