H.R. 3721 — Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization Act

This section states congressional findings that China and North Korea have engaged in aggressive behavior toward the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific—such as China's establishment of overseas military bases in the South China Sea, deployments near Japan's Senkaku Islands, invasions of Taiwan's airspace, and a surveillance balloon over the United States, and North Korea's missile tests near South Korea and Japan and deepening ties with hostile regimes—and that both nations pose significant security risks requiring U.S. cooperation with allies to deter further aggression.

This section establishes a Task Force on the Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization, chaired by the Secretary of State and consisting of the Secretaries of Defense, the Treasury, and Commerce; the Director of National Intelligence; the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs. The President must establish the task force within 180 days of enactment to (1) analyze the conduct of China and North Korea and the security situation in the Indo-Pacific; and (2) determine whether a collective security agreement with U.S. allies and partners—potentially including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, India, and others—could deter further aggression. Within one year of establishment, the Secretary of State must submit a report with the task force's analysis and recommendations on such an agreement to the House and Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs/Foreign Relations and Armed Services.