[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 83 (Monday, May 4, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S2207]
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 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. 20-22 
     concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and 
     Acceptance to the Government of the Netherlands for defense 
     articles and services estimated to cost $40.55 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. 20-22

     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 the Netherlands.
       (ii) Total Estimated Value:
       Major Defense Equipment * $33.70 million.
       Other $6.85 million.
       Total $40.55 million.
       (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
     Services under Consideration for Purchase:
       Major Defense Equipment (MDE): One hundred ninety-nine 
     (199) Excalibur Increment IB M982A1 Tactical Projectiles.
       Non-MDE: Also included is U.S. Government technical 
     assistance, training, associated support equipment, and other 
     related elements of logistics and program support.
       (iv) Military Department: Army (NE-B-YAD; NE-B-YAE).
       (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: NE-B-WGT.
       (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: April 10, 2020.
       *As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control 
     Act.


                          POLICY JUSTIFICATION

                 The Netherlands--Excalibur Projectiles

       The Government of the Netherlands has requested to buy one 
     hundred ninety-nine (199) Excalibur Increment IB M982A1 
     tactical projectiles. Also included with this request is U.S. 
     Government technical assistance, training, associated support 
     equipment, and other related elements of logistics and 
     program support. The total estimated program cost is $40.55 
     million.
       This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and 
     national security of the United States by helping to improve 
     security of a NATO ally which is an important force for 
     political stability and economic progress in Northern Europe.
       The Netherlands will integrate these munitions with 
     conventional artillery units equipped with the PzH2000NL 
     self-propelled howitzer (SPH) to provide precision fires 
     capability in order to reduce collateral damage and increase 
     effectiveness in various areas of operation. The Netherlands 
     will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its 
     armed forces.
       The proposed sale of this weapon system will not alter the 
     basic military balance in the region.
       The prime contractor will be the Raytheon Company, 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 or contractor 
     representatives to the Netherlands.
       There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness 
     as a result of this proposed sale.


                         Transmittal No. 20-22

     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 Excalibur M982A1 Increment IB projectile is a Global 
     Positioning System (GPS) Precise Positioning Service (PPS) 
     guided precision munition that uses deployable fins and 
     canards to guide the projectile to the target. The Excalibur 
     is designed for use on digitized 155mm howitzers, including: 
     the M109A6 Paladin, the M109A5 Self-Propelled Howitzer, the 
     M198 Towed Howitzer, and the M777A2 Light Weight Howitzer. 
     The highest classification of items included in this 
     potential sale is up to and including SECRET.
       2. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain 
     knowledge of the hardware and software elements, the 
     information could be used to develop countermeasures or 
     equivalent systems which might reduce system effectiveness or 
     be used in the development of a system with similar or 
     advanced capabilities.
       3. A determination has been made that the Netherlands can 
     provide substantially the same degree of protection for the 
     technology being released as the U.S. Government. This 
     potential sale is necessary in furtherance of 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 
     the Netherlands.

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