[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 157 (Monday, October 2, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6256-S6257]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Mr. CORKER. Mr. President, section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control
Act requires that Congress receive prior notification of certain
proposed arms sales as defined by that statute. Upon such notification,
the Congress has 30 calendar days during which the sale may be
reviewed. The provision stipulates that, in the Senate, the
notification of proposed sales shall be sent to the chairman of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
In keeping with the committee's intention to see that relevant
information is available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to
have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received.
If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such annex is
available to all Senators in the office of the Foreign Relations
Committee, room SD-423.
[[Page S6257]]
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Defense Security
Cooperation Agency,
Arlington, VA.
Hon. Bob Corker,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Pursuant to the reporting requirements
of Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended, we are forwarding herewith Transmittal No. 17-44,
concerning the Air Force's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and
Acceptance to the Commonwealth of Australia for defense
articles and services estimated to cost $815 million. After
this letter is delivered to your office, we plan to issue a
news release to notify the public of this proposed sale.
Sincerely,
Charles W. Hooper,
Lieutenant General, USA, Director.
Enclosures.
Transmittal No. 17-44
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Australia.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment* $661 million.
Other $154 million.
Total $815 million.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Up to three thousand nine hundred (3,900) GBU-53/B Small
Diameter Bomb Increment II (SDB II).
Up to thirty (30) GBU-53/B Guided Test Vehicles (GTV).
Up to sixty (60) GBU-53/B Captive Carry Reliability
Trainers (CCRT).
Non-MDE: Also included in this sale are Weapon Load Crew
Trainers (WLCT), Practical Explosive Ordinance Disposal
Trainers (PEST), containers, support and ground crew test
equipment, site survey, transportation, warranties, repair
and return, maintenance, publications and technical
documentation, personnel training and training equipment,
U.S. Government and contractor representative engineering,
logistics, and technical support services, and other related
elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Air Force (X7-D-YAH).
(v) Prior Related Cases. if any: None.
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed
to be Paid: None.
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense
Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: See Attached
Annex.
(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: September 29,
2017.
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control
Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
Australia--GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb Increment II (SDB II)
The Government of Australia has requested a possible sale
of up to three thousand nine hundred (3,900) GBU-53/B Small
Diameter Bomb Increment II (SDB II), up to thirty (30) GBU-
53/B Guided Test Vehicles (GTV), up to sixty (60) GBU-53/B
Captive Carry Reliability Trainers (CCRT). Also included in
this sale are Weapon Load Crew Trainers (WLCT), Practical
Explosive Ordinance Disposal Trainers (PEST), containers,
support and ground crew test equipment, site survey,
transportation, warranties, repair and return, maintenance,
publications and technical documentation, personnel training
and training equipment, U.S. Government and contractor
representative engineering, logistics, and technical support
services, and other related elements of logistics and program
support. The estimated total case value is $815 million.
This sale will support the foreign policy and national
security of the United States by helping to improve the
security of a major non-NATO ally that continues to be an
important force for political stability and economic progress
in the Western Pacific. It is vital to the U.S. national
interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a
strong and ready self-defense capability.
The proposed sale of SDB II supports and complements the
ongoing sale of the F-35A to the Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF). This capability will strengthen combined operations,
particularly air to ground strike missions in all-weather
conditions, and increase interoperability between the United
States and the RAAF. Australia will have no difficulty
absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.
The proposed sale will improve Australia's F-35
survivability and will enhance its capability to deter global
threats, strengthen its homeland defense and cooperate in
coalition defense initiatives.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not
alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractor will be Raytheon Missile Systems,
Tucson, AZ. There are no known offset agreements proposed in
connection with this potential sale.
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the
assignment of any additional U.S. Government personnel or
contractor representatives to Australia.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness
as a result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 17-44
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act
Annex Item No. vii
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
1. The GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb Increment H (SDB II) is
a 250-lb class precision-guided air-to-ground munition used
to defeat moving or mobile targets through adverse weather
from standoff range. SDB II has deployable wings and fins and
uses Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System
(INS/GPS) guidance, network-enabled datalink, (Link-16 and
UHF) and a multi-mode seeker to autonomously search, acquire,
track, and defeat targets from a standoff range. SDB II
employs a multi-effects warhead for maximum lethality against
armored and soft targets. Sensitive areas include operating
manuals and maintenance technical orders containing
performance information, operating and test procedures, and
other information related to support operations and repair.
The GBU-53/B SDB II hardware, including guidance, multi-mode
seeker, and datalink, is UNCLASSIFIED. The software is
UNCLASSIFIED.
a. SDB II Guided Test Vehicles (GTV) are telemetry test
vehicles used for land or sea range based testing of the SDB
II weapons system. The GTV have common flight characteristics
of an SDB H but with an inert warhead. In place of the multi-
effects warhead is a Flight Termination, Tracking, and
Telemetry (FTTT) subassembly that mirrors the multi-effects
warhead's size and mass properties, but provides safety
flight termination, free flight tracking and telemetry, and
transmission of encrypted data from the vehicle to the
ground. The SDB II GTV can have either inert or live fuses.
All other flight control, guidance, data-link, and seeker
functions are representative of the SDB II. The hardware,
including guidance, multi-mode seeker, and datalink, is
UNCLASSIFIED. The software is UNCLASSIFIED.
b. SDB II Captive Carry Reliability Test (CCRT) vehicles
are SDB II variants primarily used for captive flight
reliability testing. The CCRT has common characteristics of
an SDB II but with an inert warhead and fuze. The CCRT does
not have an FTTT subassembly in place of the warhead; it
instead uses ballast to mimic the warhead's mass properties.
The CCRT is a flight capable representative of the SDB II
and, although not its primary objective, could be dropped as
a test round on ranges not requiring telemetry, digital
tracking, or a Flight Termination System (FTS). All other
flight control, guidance, data-link, and seeker functions are
representative of the SDB II. The hardware, including
guidance, multi-mode seeker, and datalink, is UNCLASSIFIED.
The software is UNCLASSIFED.
2. If a technologically advanced adversary obtains
knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the
information could be used to develop countermeasures or
equivalent systems that might reduce weapon system
effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with
similar or advanced capabilities.
3. A determination has been made that the Commonwealth of
Australia can provide substantially the same degree of
protection for the sensitive technology being released as the
U.S. Government. This sale is necessary in furtherance of the
U.S. foreign policy and national security objectives outlined
in the Policy Justification.
4. All defense articles and services listed in this
transmittal are authorized for release and export to the
Commonwealth of Australia.
____________________