(9) In June 2016, then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said at the Shangri-La Dialogue that the United States will stand with regional partners to uphold core principles, like freedom of navigation and overflight, and the peaceful resolution of disputes through legal means and in accordance with international law … and that the United States remains committed to working with China to ensure a principled future. . (10) Admiral Harris testified in April 2017, [The United States Pacific Command] requires a force posture that credibly communicates United States resolve, strengthens alliances and partnerships, prevents conflicts, and in the event of crisis, responds rapidly across the full range of military operations, and [the United States Pacific Command’s] force posture is supported by the deployment of rotational forces and the fielding of new capabilities and concepts that address operational shortfalls and critical gaps. . Admiral Harris also noted that threats in the [Indo-Asia-Pacific region] require United States military forces in the region maintain a high level of readiness to respond rapidly to a crisis … and the ability of the United States to surge and globally maneuver ready forces is an asymmetric advantage that must be maintained. . (b) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the security, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Asia-Pacific region is vital to the national interests of the United States