[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 3, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1293-S1294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Mr. RISCH. Madam 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 unaminous 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. 20-03
concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and
Acceptance to the Government of Morocco for defense articles
and services estimated to cost $239.35 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. 20-03
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: Kingdom of Morocco.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment* $211.18 million.
Other $28.17 million.
Total $239.35 million.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Twenty five (25) M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat
Utility Lift and Evacuation System (HERCULES) Vehicles and/or
M88A1 Long Supply HERCULES Refurbished Vehicles.
Twenty-five (25) M2 .50 Caliber Machine Guns.
Non-MDE: Also included are twenty five (25) export Single
Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS); twenty
five (25) AN/PSN-13A Defense Advanced Global Positioning
System (GPS) Receiver (DAGR) with Selective-Availability/
Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM); thirty (30) AN/VAS-5B Driver
Vision Enhancer (DVE) kits; twenty five (25) M239 or M250
smoke grenade launchers; one thousand eight hundred (1,800)
M76 (G826) or L8A1/L8A3 (G815) smoke grenade rounds; spare
parts; support equipment; depot level support; Government-
Furnished Equipment (GFE); repair parts; communication
support equipment; communication equipment integration; tools
and test equipment; training; training simulators; repair and
return program; U.S. Government and contractor engineering,
technical, and logistics support services; Technical
Assistance Field Team (TAFT); and other related elements of
logistics and program support. Additionally, the following
recommended basic load ammunition may be included upon
request from customer: twenty five thousand (25,000) A576
cartridges, .50 caliber linked 4 API/API-T F/M2; three
hundred (300) G815--grenade, smoke screening L8A1/A3; two
thousand five hundred (2,500) A541--50 armor piercing
incendiary, tracer M20 F/M2; ninety-one thousand eight
hundred (91,800) A557--cartridge, .50 caliber 4 ball/1 tracer
linked M33 F/M2; fifty four thousand (54,000) A598--
cartridge, .50 caliber blank F/M2; other technical assistance
and support equipment; and other related elements of
logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Army (MO-B-UTS).
(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: March 3, 2020.
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control
Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
Morocco--M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and
Evacuation System (HERCULES), Support, and Equipment
The Government of Morocco has requested to buy twenty five
(25) M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and
Evacuation System (HERCULES) vehicles and/or M88A1 long
supply HERCULES refurbished vehicles; and twenty-five (25) M2
.50 caliber machine guns. Also included are twenty five (25)
export Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System
(SINCGARS); twenty five (25) AN/PSN-13A Defense Advanced
Global Positioning System (GPS) Receiver (DAGR) with
Selective-Availability/Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM); thirty
(30) AN/VAS-5B Driver Vision Enhancer (DVE) kits; twenty five
(25) M239 or M250 smoke grenade launchers; one thousand eight
hundred (1,800) M76 (G826) or L8A1/L8A3 (G815) smoke grenade
rounds; spare parts; support equipment; depot level support;
Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE); repair parts;
communication support equipment; communication equipment
integration; tools and test equipment; training; training
simulators; repair and return program; U.S. Government and
contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support
services; Technical Assistance Field Team (TAFT); and other
related elements of logistics and program support.
Additionally, the following recommended basic load ammunition
may be included upon request from customer: twenty five
thousand (25,000) A576 cartridges, .50 caliber linked 4 API/
API-T F/M2; three hundred (300) G815--grenade, smoke
screening L8A1/A3; two thousand five hundred (2,500) A541--50
armor piercing incendiary, tracer M20 F/M2; ninety-one
thousand eight hundred (91,800) A557--cartridge, .50 caliber
4 ball/1 tracer linked M33 F/M2; fifty four thousand (54,000)
A598--cartridge, .50 caliber blank F/M2; other technical
assistance and support equipment; and other related elements
of logistics and program support. The total estimated cost is
$239.35 million.
This proposed 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 North Africa.
The proposed sale will improve Morocco's capability to meet
current and future combat vehicle recovery requirements.
Morocco will use the enhanced capability to enable armored
forces training to strengthen its homeland defense and deter
regional threats. Morocco intends to use these defense
articles and services to modernize its armed forces by
updating their combat vehicle recovery capability in pace
with their armored unit upgrades. Morocco will have no
difficulty absorbing these vehicles into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and services will not
alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractor will be BAE, York, Pennsylvania.
The purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset
agreement will be defined in negotiations between the
purchaser and the contractor(s).
Implementation of this sale will require the assignment of
approximately 30 U.S. Government or contractor
representatives to travel to Morocco for equipment de-
processing/fielding, system checkout and new equipment
training.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness
as a result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 20-03
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 M88A2 Improved Recovery Vehicle HERCULES (Heavy
Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation System)
recovers tanks mired to different depths, removes and
replaces tank turrets and power packs, and uprights
overturned heavy combat vehicles. The main winch on the M88A2
is capable of a 70-ton, single-line recovery, allowing the
HERCULES to provide recovery of the 70-ton M1A2 Abrams tanks.
The highest level of information that could be transferred
with the sale of HERCULES is UNCLASSIFIED.
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
[[Page S1294]]
of a system with similar or advanced capabilities.
3. A determination has been made that Morocco 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
Government of Morocco.
____________________