Southeast Asia Partnership Expansion Act

S 1517, the Southeast Asia Partnership Expansion Act, amends an existing U.S. military cyber cooperation pilot program to expand its scope beyond Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia to include the Philippines and Malaysia as official partners. The bill replaces specific country names with the flexible term "covered foreign military partners" in all relevant sections of the law, allowing future additions without new legislation. It also extends the program's deadline from December 31, 2024, to December 31, 2029. This change directly affects the U.S. Department of Defense and the military forces of the five Southeast Asian nations now designated as partners.