H.R. 9366

119 HR 9366 IH: Eastern Frontier Defense Infrastructure Readiness Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-06-18
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 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 9366  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   June 18, 2026   Mr. Self  introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Foreign Affairs    A BILL
To require a report on Eastern Frontier infrastructure readiness.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Eastern Frontier Defense Infrastructure Readiness Act  .
2.
Findings and sense of Congress
(a)
Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
The Government of the Russian Federation continues to pose a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security, as reaffirmed by allies in the Hague Summit Declaration issued on June 25, 2025.
(2)
Under that Declaration, allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization committed to invest five percent of gross domestic product annually on core defense requirements and on defense- and security-related spending by 2035, of which up to 1.5 percent is to be accounted for to protect critical infrastructure, defend networks, ensure civil preparedness and resilience, unleash innovation, and strengthen the defense industrial base.
(3)
The Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, has identified military mobility, host-nation infrastructure, and theater-wide resilience as essential to executing the Alliance’s new family of regional defense plans approved at the 2023 Vilnius Summit.
(4)
Allies located on the Eastern Frontier of the Alliance bear disproportionate first-responder responsibilities under those plans and require infrastructure that can sustain large-scale reinforcement, sustainment, and combat operations in the event of conflict with the Russian Federation. Gaps in transportation, energy, communications, and financial infrastructure along the Eastern Frontier directly affect the ability of the United States Armed Forces and the forces of other allies to deter aggression and, if necessary, to defend allied territory.
(b)
Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that the United States has a vital national security interest in the timely and verifiable integration of the infrastructure of Eastern Frontier allies with the requirements of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
3.
Report on Eastern Frontier infrastructure readiness
(a)
In general
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the Secretary of State and in consultation with the Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the progress of each Eastern Frontier ally in integrating its national infrastructure with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) infrastructure requirements.
(b)
Contents
The report required by subsection (a) shall include the following:
(1)
For each Eastern Frontier ally, an assessment of such ally’s progress, as of the date of the report, in meeting NATO infrastructure requirements, including—
(A)
transportation infrastructure, including roads, bridges, rail, ports, inland waterways, and airfields, with particular attention to military-mobility corridors and dual-use capacity;
(B)
energy infrastructure, including pipelines, refineries, electricity generation and transmission, fuel storage, and grid interconnections;
(C)
communications and digital infrastructure, including telecommunications networks, undersea cables, satellite ground stations, and cybersecurity of national networks;
(D)
financial systems infrastructure, including the resilience and continuity of payment, clearing, and settlement systems necessary to sustain mobilization, host-nation support, and Alliance operations;
(E)
civil preparedness and resilience, including water, medical, and emergency-services infrastructure; and
(F)
defense industrial base infrastructure, including munitions production, maintenance and overhaul capacity, and storage.
(2)
An assessment of the ally’s progress toward, and the credibility of its plan to reach, the 1.5 percent of gross domestic product commitment described in section 2(a)(2), including a description of the categories of expenditure being counted toward that commitment and whether such expenditure is materially improving infrastructure relevant to Alliance defense plans.
(3)
An identification of the most consequential infrastructure shortfalls, including any shortfall that would, in the event of conflict with the Russian Federation—
(A)
impede the timely reinforcement of the ally by United States forces or by other allied forces;
(B)
impede the sustainment of combat operations in the ally’s territory; or
(C)
create a single point of failure exploitable by the Russian Federation, including through cyber or sabotage operations.
(4)
Recommendations to address the shortfalls identified under paragraph (3), including—
(A)
recommended adjustments to United States security cooperation programs under  chapter 16  of title 10, United States Code;
(B)
recommended prioritization within the European Deterrence Initiative;
(C)
recommended use of authorities under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act, in coordination with the Secretary of State;
(D)
opportunities for cost-sharing with the ally, with the Alliance through the NATO Security Investment Program, or with the European Union; and
(E)
any legislative recommendations the Secretary of Defense considers appropriate.
(5)
A description of Russian Federation activities, including cyber operations, sabotage, and hybrid operations, targeting the infrastructure described in paragraph (1).
(c)
Form
The report required by subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, and may contain a classified annex.
4.
Comptroller General review
(a)
In general
Not later than 180 days after the date on which the report required under section 3(a) is submitted, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a review of that report.
(b)
Contents
The review required under subsection (a) shall include—
(1)
an independent assessment of the methodology, data sources, and analytic rigor of the report and an evaluation of the extent to which the recommendations in the report are supported by the underlying findings;
(2)
an assessment of the extent to which expenditures counted by Eastern Frontier allies toward the 1.5 percent of gross domestic product commitment are materially improving North Atlantic Treaty Organization infrastructure requirements; and
(3)
any recommendations of the Comptroller General to improve the prioritization of United States security assistance and security cooperation for Eastern Frontier allies.
(c)
Form
The review required by subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, and may contain a classified annex.
5.
Authorization for security assistance and security cooperation prioritization
(a)
In general
The Secretary of Defense is authorized to prioritize security assistance in the European Deterrence Initiative, and in programming security cooperation activities under  chapter 16  of title 10, United States Code, for Eastern Frontier allies.
(b)
Annual briefing
Not later than 30 days after the date of the submission of the President’s budget under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, for each of fiscal years 2028 through 2032, the Secretary of Defense shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing on the manner in which the budget request implements subsection (a).
6.
Definitions
In this Act:
(1)
The term  appropriate congressional committees  means—
(A)
the Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, and Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
(B)
the Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Relations, and Appropriations of the Senate.
(2)
The term  Eastern Frontier ally  means each of the following member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization:
(A)
The Republic of Estonia.
(B)
The Republic of Latvia.
(C)
The Republic of Lithuania.
(D)
The Republic of Poland.
(E)
The Czech Republic.
(F)
The Slovak Republic.
(G)
Hungary.
(H)
Romania.
(I)
The Republic of Bulgaria.
(J)
The Republic of Finland.
(K)
The Kingdom of Sweden.
(L)
The Kingdom of Norway.