To establish a joint commission on North Korea, and for other purposes.

This bill authorizes the Department of State to seek to establish a joint commission with countries in the Indo-Asia Pacific region to:

• support professional dialogues to coordinate the detection of North Korean violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions, develop responses, and enhance monitoring of nuclear weapons proliferation capabilities;
• coordinate sub-cabinet level political discussions on contingency responses to such violations;
• facilitate technical discussions among the Departments of State, Defense (DOD), Energy, and the Treasury, the Intelligence Community, and their counterparts in countries in the region on technical aspects of North Korea's nuclear program and accompanying U.S. sanctions;
• coordinate information sharing among the intelligence services of the participating countries to identify immediate threats; and
• create guidelines for coordinating multilateral direct action against shared threats.

The bill declares that it is U.S. policy: (1) to continue to maintain robust and multifaceted diplomatic engagement in the region, to include promoting U.S. values and economic interests and a strong military posture; and (2) that diplomacy, development, and defense should be used to enhance U.S. national security, promote U.S. interests, reassure U.S. allies, deter aggression, and respond swiftly to crises.

DOD may conduct routine and enhanced ports of call with key allies in the region.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov