Bennet, Ricketts Introduce Bill to Strengthen Deterrence in the Indo-Pacific

Mar 26, 2026| Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the First Island Chain Deterrence Act. This legislation would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO), a nonpartisan and independent agency that works for Congress, to produce a report on how delays of U.S. weapons sales to Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines affect the Department of Defense's (DoD) ability to build, posture, and sustain deterrence along the First Island Chain, the chain of archipelagos extending from the Kuril Islands and Japan, through the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, and the Philippines, to Borneo. This reflects nearly 80 years of bipartisan U.S. policy.

"Since the Truman Administration, Democratic and Republican administrations alike have recognized that a credible defense of the First Island Chain is essential to a stable Indo-Pacific and thus U.S. national security," said Bennet. "But our commitment is only as strong as our ability to arm our allies and partners. Right now, delays and backlogs are undermining that credibility. This bipartisan legislation will clearly identify what the Pentagon must do to close the gap."

"Our allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific act as force multipliers in our collective effort to deter Communist China's aggression," said Ricketts. "They are drastically increasing their defense spending to match the threat. To enhance their defense capabilities, they need the weapons they purchase from us faster. This bipartisan legislation will help uncover bottlenecks in our arms sales process and support President Trump's National Defense Strategy to erect a strong denial defense along the First Island Chain."

U.S. policymakers have long understood the importance of bolstering First Island Chain defense to prevent a hostile actor from gaining the power projection capabilities to threaten U.S. allies, partners, and territory in the Pacific; challenge the U.S. ability to operate freely in the waters of the Western Pacific; and disrupt crucial semiconductor and technology supply chains.

The Trump Administration's 2026 National Defense Strategy emphasized this priority, stating the Administration's plans to "erect a strong denial defense along the First Island Chain." This legislation defines "a strong denial defense" as the prevention of an adversary from taking aggressive action by demonstrating that such an action's success would be untenable.

Yet bureaucratic bottlenecks and a strained defense industrial base continue to cause significant delays and backlogs in U.S. arms deliveries, even to close allies and partners - including those along the First Island Chain. These delays undermine our shared ability to deter China in the Indo-Pacific, incent allies and partners to seek alternative suppliers, and risk negative effects on performance during wartime. Accordingly, this bill will require a GAO examination of why these arms delivery delays exist and how these delays affect the United States's ability to ensure deterrence along the First Island Chain.

Bennet is a leading advocate of cooperation with Indo-Pacific allies to enhance regional deterrence.

As part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Bennet secured passage of his legislation requiring the Secretary of Defense to develop and implement a strategy to strengthen U.S.-led multilateral efforts to deter China's aggression in the Indo-Pacific. Bennet also helped secure passage of legislation in the FY2026 NDAA to bolster the AUKUS partnership, bar U.S. investment in China's military technologies, and counter China's efforts to open new military bases globally. Additionally, Bennet and Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) secured language - in line with their Quad Space Act - in the NDAA report requiring Department of Defense officials to brief Congress on efforts to coordinate best practices in space with allies and partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, and India.

As part of the FY 2025 NDAA, Bennet also helped secure passage of the Coordinating AUKUS Engagement with Japan Act, which requires the Department of Defense and Department of State to determine how Japan can contribute to the AUKUS partnership comprising Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

The text of the bill is available HERE.

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