[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 192 (Tuesday, November 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6640-S6641]
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 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. 20-73 
     concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and 
     Acceptance to the Government of Australia for defense 
     articles and services estimated to cost $46 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,
                                                   Heidi H. Grant,
                                                         Director.
       Enclosures.


                         Transmittal No. 20-73

     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.

[[Page S6641]]

       (ii) Total Estimated Value:
       Major Defense Equipment* $40 million.
       Other $6 million.
       Total $46 million.
       (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
     Services under Consideration for Purchase:
       Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
       Two hundred (200) Javelin FGM-148E missiles.
       Non-MDE: U.S. Government technical assistance and other 
     related elements of logistics and program support.
       (iv) Military Department: Army (AT-B-ULI).
       (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: October 30, 2020.
       *As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control 
     Act.


                          POLICY JUSTIFICATION

                      Australia--Javelin Missiles

       The Government of Australia has requested to buy two 
     hundred (200) Javelin FGM-148E missiles with U.S. Government 
     technical assistance and other related elements of logistics 
     and program support. The total estimated cost is not to 
     exceed $46 million.
       This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and 
     national security objectives of the United States. Australia 
     is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific. 
     The strategic location of this political and economic power 
     contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic 
     stability in the region.
       The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is seeking to fill a 
     short-term shortfall in its Javelin missile inventory in 
     order to maintain the appropriate level of readiness. 
     Australia will not have any difficulty absorbing these 
     missiles into its armed forces.
       The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not 
     alter the basic military balance in the region.
       These missiles will be provided from U.S. Army stocks. 
     There are no known offsets associated with this sale.
       Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the 
     assignment of U.S. Government 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. 20-73

     Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to 
         Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act

                           Annex Item No. vii

       (vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
       1. The Javelin Weapon System is a medium-range, man 
     portable, shoulder-launched, fire-and-forget, anti-tank 
     system for infantry, scouts, and combat engineers. It may 
     also be mounted on a variety of platforms including vehicles, 
     aircraft and watercraft. The system weighs 49.5 pounds and 
     has a maximum range in excess of 2,500 meters. The system is 
     highly lethal against tanks and other systems with 
     conventional and reactive armors. The system possesses a 
     secondary capability against bunkers.
       2. Javelin's key technical feature is the use of fire-and-
     forget technology, which allows the gunner to fire and 
     immediately relocate or take cover. Additional special 
     features are the top attack and/or direct fire modes, an 
     advanced tandem warhead and imaging infrared seeker, target 
     lock-on before launch, and soft launch from enclosures or 
     covered fighting positions. The Javelin missile also has a 
     minimum smoke motor thus decreasing its detection on the 
     battlefield.
       3. The Javelin Weapon System is comprised of two major 
     tactical components, which are a reusable Command Launch Unit 
     (CLU) and a round contained in a disposable launch tube 
     assembly. The CLU incorporates an integrated day-night sight 
     that provides a target engagement capability in adverse 
     weather and countermeasure environments. The CLU may also be 
     used in a stand-alone mode for battlefield surveillance and 
     target detection. The CLU's thermal sight is a second 
     generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor.
       4. The missile is autonomously guided to the target using 
     an imaging infrared seeker and adaptive correlation tracking 
     algorithms. This allows the gunner to take cover or reload 
     and engage another target after firing a missile. The missile 
     has an advanced tandem warhead and can be used in either the 
     top attack or direct fire modes (for target undercover). An 
     onboard flight computer guides the missile to the selected 
     target.
       5. The Javelin Missile System hardware and the 
     documentation are UNCLASSIFIED.
       6. 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.
       7. A determination has been made that Australia can provide 
     substantially the same degree of protection for the sensitive 
     technology being released as the U.S. Government. This 
     proposed sale is necessary to further the U.S. foreign policy 
     and national security objectives outlined in the Policy 
     Justification.
       8. All defense articles and services listed on this 
     transmittal are authorized for release and export to the 
     Government of Australia.

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