[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 110 (Friday, June 28, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4670-S4671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Mr. RISCH. 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
[[Page S4671]]
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.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Defense Security
Cooperation Agency,
Arlington, VA.
Hon. James E. Risch,
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. 19-24
concerning the Navy's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and
Acceptance to the Government of Germany, through the NATO
Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) acting as its Agent,
for defense articles and services estimated to cost $122.86
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. 19-24
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: The Government of Germany
through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) acting
as its Agent.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $105.23 million.
Other $17.63 million.
Total $122.86 million.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Up to ninety-one (91) AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation
Guided Missile (AARGM) Tactical Missiles.
Up to eight (8) AGM-88E AARGM Captive Air Training Missiles
(CATM).
Non-MDE: Also included are up to six (6) telemetry/flight
termination systems, Flight Data Recorders (FDR), U.S.
Government and contractor engineering, technical and
logistics support services and miscellaneous support
equipment, and other related elements of logistical and
program support.
(iv) Military Department: Navy.
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: GY-P-GLC, GY-P-GLO, GY-P-
GPN, GY-P-ALB.
(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 Annex
Attached.
(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: June 28, 2019.
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control
Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
Germany--AGM-88E AARGM Missiles
The Government of Germany has requested to buy, through the
NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) acting as its
Agent, up to ninety-one (91) AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation
Guided Missile (AARGM) Tactical Missiles, and up to eight (8)
AGM-88E AARGM Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM). Also
included are up to six (6) telemetry/flight termination
systems, Flight Data Recorders (FDR), U.S. Government and
contractor engineering, technical and logistics support
services and miscellaneous support equipment, and other
related elements of logistical and program support. The total
estimated cost is $122.86 million.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and
national security of the United States by helping to improve
the security of a NATO ally, which is an important force for
political and economic stability in Europe. It is vital to
the U.S. national interests that Germany develops and
maintains a strong and ready self-defense capability.
The AGM-88E AARGM is an upgrade to the older generation
AGM-88B High-Speed AntiRadiation Missile (HARM), which
Germany first purchased in 1988. The AGM-88E AARGMs in this
case will be manufactured using a mixture of new components
and older sections from Germany's existing stock of AGM-88Bs
provided as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). Germany
will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and support
into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not
alter the basic military balance in the region.
Germany has requested that the NSPA act as its agent for
the FMS procurement and case management to support the AARGM
program. The principal U.S. contractor will be NGIS,
Ridgecrest, CA. The integration efforts will be via a Direct
Commercial Sale (DCS), initiated by the Luftwaffe, between
the Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) and the AARGM Original
Equipment Manufacturer, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems,
formerly known as Orbital ATK (OA). There are no known offset
agreements associated with this potential sale.
Implementation of this proposed sale will require five U.S.
government personnel and three contractor representatives to
travel to Germany to provide Program Management Reviews. Two
visits are planned per year over the next five years.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness
as a result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 19-24
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 AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile
(AARGM) AGM-88E weapon system is an air-to-ground missile
intended to suppress or destroy land or sea-based radar
emitters associated with enemy air defenses and provides
tactical air forces with a lethal countermeasure to enemy
radar directed, surface-to-air missiles, and air defense
artillery weapons systems. Destruction or suppression of
enemy radars denies the enemy the use of air defense systems,
thereby improving the survivability of our tactical aircraft.
It uses a multimode seeker that incorporates global
positioning system/inertial measurement unit (GPS/IMU)
midcourse guidance, a radio frequency (RF) radiation homing
receiver, an active millimeter. When assembled, the AGM-88E
AARGM is classified SECRET. The AARGM Guidance Section
(seeker hardware) and Control Section with the Target
Detector is classified CONFIDENTIAL.
2. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain
knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the
information could be used to develop countermeasures 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 Government of
Germany can provide substantially the same degree of
protection for the technology being released as the U.S.
Government. This sale supports the U.S. foreign policy and
national security objectives as outlined in the Policy
Justification.
4. All defense articles and services listed in this
transmittal have been authorized for release and export to
Germany.
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