[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 169 (Tuesday, September 29, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S5938]
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. 20-43
concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and
Acceptance to the Government of Switzerland for defense
articles and services estimated to cost $2.2 billion. After
this letter is delivered to your office, we plan to issue a
news release to notify the public of this proposed sale.
Sincerely,
Heidi H. Grant,
Director.
Enclosures.
Transmittal No. 20-43
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 Switzerland.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $1.1 billion.
Other $1.1 billion.
Total $2.2 billion.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase: The Government of
Switzerland has requested the possible sale of five (5)
Patriot Configuration-3+ Modernized Fire Units, consisting
of:
Major Defense Equipment (MdE):
Five (5) AN/MPQ-65 Radar Sets.
Five (5) AN/MSQ-132 Engagement Control Stations.
Seventeen (17) M903 Launching Stations.
Up to seventy (70) Patriot MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced
Missile Tactical (GEM-T) Missiles.
Seven (7) Antenna Mast Groups.
Five (5) Electrical Power Plants (EPP) III.
Six (6) Multifunctional Information Distribution System Low
Volume Terminal (MIDS-LVT) (11) Block Upgrade Two (BU2).
Non-MDE: Communications equipment; tools and test
equipment; range and test programs; support equipment to
include associated vehicles; prime movers; generators;
publications and technical documentation; training equipment;
spare and repair parts; personnel training; Technical
Assistance Field Team (TAFT); U.S. Government and contractor
technical, engineering, and logistics support services;
Systems Integration and Checkout (SICO); field office
support; and other related elements of logistics and program
support.
(iv) Military Department: Army (SZ-B-UAS).
(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 30,
2020.
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control
Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
Switzerland--Patriot Configuration-3+ Modernized Fire Units
The Government of Switzerland has requested the possible
sale of five (5) Patriot Configuration-3+ Modernized Fire
Units, consisting of: five (5) AN/MPQ-65 Radar Sets; five (5)
AN/MSQ-132 Engagement Control Stations; seventeen (17) M903
Launching Stations; up to seventy (70) Patriot MIM-104E
Guidance Enhanced Missile Tactical (GEM-T) Missiles; seven
(7) Antenna Mast Groups; five (5) Electrical Power Plants
(EPP) III; and six (6) Multifunctional Information
Distribution System Low Volume Terminal (MIDS-LVT) (11) Block
Upgrade Two (BU2). Also included are communications
equipment; tools and test equipment; range and test programs;
support equipment to include associated vehicles; prime
movers; generators; publications and technical documentation;
training equipment; spare and repair parts; personnel
training; Technical Assistance Field Team (TAFT); U.S.
Government and contractor technical, engineering, and
logistics support services; Systems Integration and Checkout
(SICO); field office support; and other related elements of
logistics and program support. The total estimated cost is
$2.2 billion.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and
national security of the United States by helping to improve
the security of a friendly European nation which is an
important force for political stability and economic progress
within Europe.
The proposed sale of the Patriot missile system will
improve Switzerland's missile defense capability. Switzerland
will use the Patriot to defend its territorial integrity and
for regional stability. The proposed sale supports
Switzerland's goal of improving national and territorial
defense. Switzerland will have no difficulty absorbing this
equipment into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not
alter the basic military balance in the region.
The prime contractors will be Raytheon Corporation,
Tewksbury, Massachusetts and Lockheed-Martin, Dallas, Texas.
The purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset
agreement will be defined in negotiations between the
purchaser and the contractor.
Implementation of this proposed sale will require
approximately twenty-five (25) U.S. Government and forty (40)
contractor representatives to travel to Switzerland for an
extended period for equipment de-processing/fielding, system
checkout, training, and technical and logistics support.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness
as a result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 20-43
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 Patriot Air Defense System is a surface-to-air
missile defense system, which continues to hold a significant
technology lead over other systems in the world. The Patriot
Air Defense System contains communication, identification,
navigation, and tactical software. The items requested
represent significant technological advances for Switzerland.
2. The Patriot sensitive/critical technology is primarily
in the area of design and production know-how and inherent in
the design, development and/or manufacturing data related to
certain components.
3. The highest level of classification of defense articles,
components, services, and information on system performance
capabilities, effectiveness, survivability, missile seeker
capabilities, select software/software documentation and test
data included in this potential sale are classified up to and
including SECRET.
4. Loss of this hardware, software, documentation and/or
data could permit development of information which may lead
to a significant threat to future U.S. military operations.
If an adversary were to obtain this sensitive technology, the
missile system effectiveness could be compromised through
reverse engineering techniques.
5. A determination has been made that Switzerland 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.
6. All defense articles and services listed in this
transmittal have been authorized for release and export to
the Government of Switzerland.
____________________