The Pacific Deterrence Initiative (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised Nov. 25, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF12303 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Luke A. Nicastro |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
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Summary:
The Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) is a congressionally
established set of defense priorities intended to support U.S.
strategic goals in the Indo-Pacific region.
PDI originated as part of the U.S. government’s effort to
counter the perceived security threat posed by People’s
Republic of China (PRC or China). Its nomenclature and
structure were modelled on the European Deterrence
Initiative (EDI), a similar initiative launched in 2014 to
address Russian aggression in Europe.
Section 1251 of the National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2021 (FY2021 NDAA; P.L. 116-283) created
PDI by directing the Secretary of Defense to establish an
initiative “to carry out prioritized activities to enhance the
United States deterrence and defense posture in the IndoPacific region, assure allies and partners, and increase
capability and readiness in the Indo-Pacific region.”
PDI is not a separate appropriation to fund military
activities; rather, it functions as a budget display, a way of
directing the executive branch to demonstrate how it is
using appropriated funds to accomplish congressional
goals. Additionally, PDI only includes a subset of DOD’s
regional activities, so costs directly associated with it may
not reflect the total cost associated with the U.S. presence in
the Indo-Pacific.
According to the Senate Armed Services Committee
(S.Rept. 116-236), the intent of PDI is to “focus resources
on capability gaps” and “enhance budgetary transparency
and oversight” by requiring the Department of Defense
(DOD) to provide a detailed, region-specific account of
spending and programs related to the purposes identified in
Section 1251 of the FY2021 NDAA.
Since establishing PDI in FY2021, Congress has enacted
provisions re-authorizing the initiative in each successive
NDAA. Annual authorizations of funding and activities for
PDI may be included as part of each NDAA’s
accompanying joint explanatory statement.
