Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization Act

The Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization Act would create a Task Force on the Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization. The goal is to assess how the United States should respond to perceived threats from China and North Korea and to determine whether a US-led collective security agreement with Indo-Pacific allies and partners could serve as a deterrent to further aggression. The task force would examine the security situation in the region, identify potential allies (including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, India, and others the group deems appropriate), and report back with findings and recommendations on the terms of such an agreement. The act would not itself establish a treaty, but it seeks to study whether one could be feasible and effective. The task force would be chaired by the Secretary of State and would include senior officials from the Defense, Treasury, and Commerce departments, the Director of National Intelligence, and top U.S. State and Defense aides focused on East Asia/Pacific and Indo-Pacific security. A report detailing the analysis and recommended terms for a collective security arrangement would be due within one year to both the House and Senate foreign affairs and armed services committees.