Utah Valley Times

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, and Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), member of the Armed Services Committee, introduced the Bolstering Indo-Pacific Capabilities Act today. This bipartisan legislation aims to enhance U.S. military logistics lines and improve readiness, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. The bill seeks to assist the Department of Defense (DOD) in expanding its ability to mitigate logistics vulnerabilities to better enable operations should a conflict arise in the future.

“With each passing day, China’s military continues to improve and expand its capabilities. The Chinese Communist Party’s ambitions are clear,” Senator Romney stated. “In the event of a conflict in the Indo-Pacific, the United States could face challenges effectively moving personnel and equipment in an area that comprises about half of the earth’s surface. By bolstering and protecting supply lines now, the United States would be better able to address a potential contested logistics environment in the future.”

“Ensuring our military supply chains are resilient and robust is critical to our national security,” said Senator Kelly. “As China’s military capabilities continue to expand, this legislation will help us address vulnerabilities and maintain our readiness in contested environments. By strengthening partnerships in the Indo-Pacific, we can better support our troops and uphold our commitments to our allies in the region.”

China's military is rapidly gaining size and capabilities needed to dominate the Indo-Pacific. This threat, coupled with vast geographic expanses of the region, suggests that the United States could be forced to operate in a contested logistics environment should a conflict occur.

A “contested logistics” environment refers to one where an adversary presents challenges across all domains and directly targets logistics operations, facilities, and activities. Threats to logistics could result in troops being unable to move, equipment being unrepaired, and ammunition being resupplied.

The Bolstering Indo-Pacific Capabilities Act outlines measures aimed at addressing these potential threats.