The COUNTER Act of 2025 would require the Director of National Intelligence to deliver a risk assessment on the PRC’s global basing activities within 180 days of enactment. It then obligates the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, in coordination with other senior officials, to produce a comprehensive strategy within 180 days that identifies at least five locations where the PRC maintains or seeks a physical presence and lays out agency-by-agency resource needs to counter these efforts.
The bill also creates an interagency task force within 90 days of strategy transmission to implement the plan and directs not fewer than four‑year reviews to gauge progress and recalibrate as needed.
At a Glance
What It Does
Requires a DNI assessment within 180 days, followed by a State/Defense strategy within another 180 days that pinpoints at least five high‑risk locations and maps agency resources. It establishes an interagency task force to execute the strategy and mandates quadrennial reviews.
Who It Affects
State, Defense, and Intelligence Community components will implement and fund the strategy. U.S. allies and partners may be affected by coordinated actions, while Congress receives formal assessments and strategy briefs.
Why It Matters
It codifies a proactive, executive‑branch approach to counter PRC global basing, integrating intelligence assessments with a concrete interagency plan and ongoing oversight through periodic reviews.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill tackles what it sees as a growing problem: the People's Republic of China expanding its military footprint overseas. First, the Director of National Intelligence must produce a formal assessment detailing the risks posed by PRC global basing within six months of enactment.
Second, the Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense must, within six months, present a strategy to counter those efforts. This strategy must name no fewer than five locations where the PRC currently has or is seeking a physical presence and spell out the staffing and funding needs of each federal agency involved in countering this trend.
Third, an interagency task force—led by State and Defense with other federal players—will carry out the strategy. Finally, the bill requires a quadrennial review, starting four years after the strategy’s submission, to re‑assess the approach and adjust as necessary.
The language frames this as a whole‑of‑government effort, balancing diplomacy, intelligence, and defense planning to preserve freedom of movement and national security interests. The act also defines key terms and sets expectations for interagency coordination and oversight by Congress, underscoring the long and evolving nature of the challenge.
In short, it creates a formal, data‑driven mechanism to deter or roll back overseas basing efforts by the PRC while ensuring that resources, risks, and outcomes are continuously reviewed by multiple branches of government.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The DNI must deliver a classified risk assessment on PRC global basing within 180 days.
The State and Defense secretaries must produce a strategy within 180 days identifying at least five high‑risk locations.
An interagency task force must be established within 90 days of the strategy’s submission.
The strategy must include agency‑by‑agency resource estimates for implementing countermeasures.
Quadrennial reviews are required to renew and refine the strategy every four years.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Short title and purpose
This section designates the act as the COUNTER Act of 2025 and establishes its overarching purpose: to develop a U.S. strategy in response to PRC global basing intentions.
Findings on PRC basing
This section presents findings that the PRC is expanding overseas logistics and basing to project power, could threaten U.S. and allied operations, and has pursued bases in Djibouti, Subic Bay, and Ream Naval Base, among others. It frames these developments as a strategic challenge requiring a coordinated U.S. response.
Sense of Congress
This section expresses the sense of Congress that future countermeasures must be urgent, interagency‑driven, proactive, and capable of shaping partner decisions. It emphasizes long‑term planning, allies’ contributions, and avoiding jeopardizing U.S. and allied movements.
Definitions
This section defines key terms: appropriate congressional committees, PLA, PRC, and PRC global basing, establishing the scope of who and what is covered by the act.
Assessment, Strategy, and Interagency Action
This section details the procedural plan: a DNI assessment within 180 days, a State‑Defense strategy within 180 days identifying at least five high‑risk locations and cataloging agency‑level resources, and an interagency task force within 90 days to implement the plan. It also requires quadrennial reviews and reporting to Congress to track progress and recalibrate as needed.
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Explore Defense in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
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Who Benefits
- The Director of National Intelligence and the intelligence community gain a formal, time‑bound framework for assessing PRC basing risks and sharing findings with Congress.
- The Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense receive a concrete, interagency plan with defined locations and resource requirements to guide policy and operations.
- Congress gains regular, structured assessments and a clear strategy to oversee anti‑basing actions, enabling informed oversight and budgeting.
- U.S. allies and partners may benefit from a coherent, coordinated approach that aligns U.S. strategy with shared regional objectives.
- Policy and defense planners gain precise data on high‑risk locations and the programmatic scope of countermeasures, aiding prioritization and execution.
Who Bears the Cost
- State Department, Department of Defense, and the Intelligence Community must allocate personnel and funding to complete assessments, develop strategies, and staff the interagency task force.
- Federal agencies will bear the cost of implementing the strategy, including potential programmatic initiatives and coordination activities.
- Congress will incur oversight costs associated with additional reporting, briefings, and reviews.
- Budgetary authorities will need to allocate resources to support ongoing quadrennial reviews and any actions arising from the strategy.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The core dilemma is balancing urgent, proactive countermeasures to deter PRC global basing with the need for careful, resource‑constrained interagency coordination and stable, long‑term budgeting.
The act creates a structured, time‑bound process that hinges on interagency collaboration and ongoing congressional oversight. The required 180‑day assessment and strategy timelines risk compressing complex, long‑lead planning into short windows, potentially straining coordination and scoping.
The emphasis on high‑risk locations could foreground a few sites at the expense of broader systemic measures. Additionally, while the quadrennial reviews ensure periodic reevaluation, they may also trigger shifting priorities if political or strategic circumstances change, potentially complicating steady, long‑term planning.
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