diff --git a/.changeset/shaggy-pens-sort.md b/.changeset/shaggy-pens-sort.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b36496d9a6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/shaggy-pens-sort.md
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+'@aws-amplify/cli-core': patch
+'@aws-amplify/backend-cli': patch
+---
+
+add a required input prompt for use in region input
diff --git a/packages/cli-core/API.md b/packages/cli-core/API.md
index b966cfeca1..616c6aee11 100644
--- a/packages/cli-core/API.md
+++ b/packages/cli-core/API.md
@@ -13,7 +13,12 @@ import { WriteStream } from 'node:tty';
 export class AmplifyPrompter {
     static input: (options: {
         message: string;
+        required?: never;
         defaultValue?: string;
+    } | {
+        message: string;
+        required: true;
+        defaultValue?: never;
     }) => Promise<string>;
     static secretValue: (promptMessage?: string) => Promise<string>;
     static yesOrNo: (options: {
diff --git a/packages/cli-core/src/prompter/amplify_prompts.ts b/packages/cli-core/src/prompter/amplify_prompts.ts
index d398687cbe..447049ef4e 100644
--- a/packages/cli-core/src/prompter/amplify_prompts.ts
+++ b/packages/cli-core/src/prompter/amplify_prompts.ts
@@ -43,16 +43,32 @@ export class AmplifyPrompter {
    * @param options for displaying the prompt
    * @param options.message display for the prompt
    * @param options.defaultValue if user submits without typing anything. Default: "."
+   * @param options.required if the user input is required, incompatible with options.defaultValue
    * @returns Promise<string> the user input
    */
-  static input = async (options: {
-    message: string;
-    defaultValue?: string;
-  }): Promise<string> => {
-    const response = await input({
+  static input = async (
+    options:
+      | {
+          message: string;
+          required?: never;
+          defaultValue?: string;
+        }
+      | {
+          message: string;
+          required: true;
+          defaultValue?: never;
+        }
+  ): Promise<string> => {
+    if (options.required) {
+      return input({
+        message: options.message,
+        validate: (val: string) =>
+          val && val.length > 0 ? true : 'Cannot be empty',
+      });
+    }
+    return input({
       message: options.message,
       default: options.defaultValue ?? '',
     });
-    return response;
   };
 }
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/configure/configure_profile_command.test.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/configure/configure_profile_command.test.ts
index f387069205..1c316875a2 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/configure/configure_profile_command.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/configure/configure_profile_command.test.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ void describe('configure command', () => {
     emitSuccessMock.mock.resetCalls();
   });
 
-  void it('configures a profile with an IAM user', async (contextual) => {
+  void it('fails to configure a profile with a name that already has a profile', async (contextual) => {
     const mockProfileExists = mock.method(
       profileController,
       'profileExists',
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ void describe('configure command', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  void it('configures a profile with an IAM user', async (contextual) => {
+  void it('configures a profile with an existing IAM user credentials', async (contextual) => {
     const mockProfileExists = mock.method(
       profileController,
       'profileExists',
@@ -84,10 +84,10 @@ void describe('configure command', () => {
       }
     );
 
-    const mockInput = contextual.mock.method(
+    const mockRequiredInput = contextual.mock.method(
       AmplifyPrompter,
       'input',
-      (options: { message: string; defaultValue?: string }) => {
+      (options: { message: string; required: true }) => {
         if (options.message.includes('Enter the AWS region to use')) {
           return Promise.resolve(testRegion);
         }
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ void describe('configure command', () => {
 
     assert.equal(mockProfileExists.mock.callCount(), 1);
     assert.equal(mockSecretValue.mock.callCount(), 2);
-    assert.equal(mockInput.mock.callCount(), 1);
+    assert.equal(mockRequiredInput.mock.callCount(), 1);
     assert.equal(mockHasIAMUser.mock.callCount(), 1);
     assert.equal(mockAppendAWSFiles.mock.callCount(), 1);
     assert.deepStrictEqual(mockAppendAWSFiles.mock.calls[0].arguments[0], {
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ void describe('configure command', () => {
     });
   });
 
-  void it('configures a profile without an IAM user', async (contextual) => {
+  void it('configures a profile without an existing IAM user', async (contextual) => {
     const mockProfileExists = mock.method(
       profileController,
       'profileExists',
diff --git a/packages/cli/src/commands/configure/configure_profile_command.ts b/packages/cli/src/commands/configure/configure_profile_command.ts
index 7be59b0a49..72d3a1d785 100644
--- a/packages/cli/src/commands/configure/configure_profile_command.ts
+++ b/packages/cli/src/commands/configure/configure_profile_command.ts
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ export class ConfigureProfileCommand
 
     const region = await AmplifyPrompter.input({
       message: `Enter the AWS region to use with the '${profileName}' profile (eg us-east-1, us-west-2, etc):`,
+      required: true,
     });
 
     await this.profileController.createOrAppendAWSFiles({