[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 202 (Tuesday, December 1, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7133-S7134]
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. 20-84
concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and
Acceptance to the Government of Croatia for defense articles
and services estimated to cost $757.0 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. 20-84
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 Croatia.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $218.0 million.
Other $539.0 million.
Total $757.0 million.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase: The U.S.
Government has offered Croatia, under the grant Excess
Defense Articles (EDA) program, eighty-four (84) M2A2
Operation Desert Storm (ODS) Bradley Fighting vehicles in as-
is, where is condition. This notification is for
refurbishment/modernization and support of seventy-six (76)
of the vehicles consisting of:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Eighty-four (84) M240 Machine Guns.
One thousand one hundred three (1,103) TOW 2A Radio
Frequency (RF) Missiles.
Sixteen (16) TOW 2A Radio Frequency (RF) Fly-to-Buy Lot
Acceptance Missiles.
One hundred (100) TOW 28 Radio Frequency (RF) Missiles.
Eight (8) TOW 2B Radio Frequency (RF) Fly-to-Buy Lot
Acceptance Missiles.
Five hundred (500) TOW Bunker Buster (BB) Radio Frequency
(RF) Missiles.
Eight (8) TOW BB Fly-to-Buy Lot Acceptance Missiles.
Non-MDE: Also included are M257 Smoke Grenade Launchers;
ammunition; radios; simulator; special armor; Hunter/Killer
technology, which may include an exportable Commander's
Independent Viewer (CIV); spare and repair parts; support
equipment; upgrade/maintenance of engines and transmissions;
refurbishment of TOW launchers; depot level support;
communication support equipment; tool and test equipment;
training; U.S. Government and contractor engineering,
technical, and logistics support services; and other related
elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Army (HR-B-UBV).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: HR-B-IAG.
(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: December 1, 2020.
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control
Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
Croatia--Bradley Fighting Vehicle Refurbishment/Modernization
The Government of Croatia has requested to buy
refurbishment/modernization and support for seventy-six (76)
M2A2 Operation Desert Storm (ODS) Bradley Fighting vehicles
consisting of: eighty-four (84) M240 machine guns; one
thousand one hundred three (1,103) TOW 2A Radio Frequency
(RF) missiles; sixteen (16) TOW 2A Radio Frequency (RF) fly-
to-buy lot acceptance missiles; one hundred (100) TOW 2B
Radio Frequency (RF) missiles; eight (8) TOW 2B Radio
Frequency (RF) fly-to-buy lot acceptance missiles; five
hundred (500) TOW Bunker Buster (BB) Radio Frequency (RF)
missiles; and eight (8) TOW BB fly-to-buy lot acceptance
missiles. Also included are M257 Smoke Grenade Launchers;
ammunition; radios; simulator; special armor; Hunter/Killer
technology, which may include an exportable Commander's
Independent Viewer (CIV); spare and repair parts; support
equipment; upgrade/maintenance of engines and transmissions;
refurbishment of TOW launchers; depot level support;
communication support equipment; tool and test equipment;
training; U.S. Government and contractor engineering,
technical, and logistics support services; and other related
elements of logistics and program support. The total
estimated program cost is $757 million.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and
national security of the United States by improving the
security of a NATO Ally that continues to be an important
force for political stability and economic progress in
Europe.
This proposed sale of the Bradley vehicle refurbishment/
modernization will contribute to Croatia's goal of updating
its military capability while further enhancing
interoperability with the United States and other allies.
Croatia will have no difficulty absorbing these equipment and
support into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment will not alter the
basic military balance in the region.
The prime contractors will be BAE Systems, York,
Pennsylvania; and Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson, Arizona.
There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection
with this potential sale.
Implementation of the proposed sale will require U.S.
Government and contractor personnel to visit Croatia on a
temporary basis in conjunction with program oversight and
support requirements, as well as to provide training and
maintenance support in country.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness
as a result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 20-84
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 Modernized Bradley M2 components which are
considered to contain sensitive technology are as follow:
a. Exportable version of the Second Generation Thermal
``Night Vision'' Viewer, also known as the Second-Generation
Forward Looking infrared (SG-FLIR). For the Modernized
Bradley M2, the SG-FLIR system includes:
(1) Improved Bradley Acquisition Subsystem (IBAS) is a
second-generation forward looking infrared (FLIR) and an
electro-optical/TV imaging system. The IBAS has direct-view
optics (DVO) and the eye-safe laser rangefinder (ELRF). The
IBAS interfaces with the Bradley fire control system and can
be used for surveillance and as a back-up engagement sight
for the commander.
(2) Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer (CIV) is another
version of the second-generation forward looking infrared
(FLIR) and an electro-optical/TV imaging system. The CIV
allows the commander to scan for targets and maintain
situational awareness while remaining under armor and without
interfering with the gunner's acquisition and engagement of
targets.
(3) High Definition (HD) Long-Wave SG-FLIR sight is
currently under development for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
The HD Long-wave FLIR is being developed as an eventual
upgrade to the capability of the IBAS and CIV. This case may
include the non-recurring engineering costs associated with
developing an exportable version of HD Long-wave FLIR for
International use.
b. Exportable version of the Drivers Vision Enhancer (DVE),
the ``Night Vision'' Viewer utilized by the Bradley drivers
is a passive thermal imaging system, or ``night vision''
device used to enhance a driver's viewing capabilities while
operating during degraded visual conditions, such as
darkness, fog, smoke or dust. It provides for an improved
situational awareness, applicable to both driving and
surveillance. The DVE system consists of a Display Control
Module (DCM), Sensor Module (SM), and Pan and Tilt Modules
(PTM). The DVE is currently available in the standard and
wide (DVE-Wide) configurations. The DVE-Wide provides drivers
with wider fields of view.
c. Exportable version of the Inertial Navigation Unit (INU)
is a navigation device that uses motion sensors or
accelerometers and rotation sensors or gyroscopes to
continuously calculate the position, the orientation, and the
velocity of Bradley vehicle without the need for external
references. It is a supplementary, and complementary to the
global positioning system (GPS). In the event of a lack of a
GPS signal, the INU maintains position, velocity, and
situational awareness.
d. The Radio Frequency TOW 2A (RF) Missile (BGM-71E-4B-RF)
is a direct attack missile designed to defeat armored
vehicles, reinforced urban structures, field fortification
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and other such targets. TOW Missiles are fired from a variety
of TOW Launchers in the U.S. Army, USMC and FMS customer
forces. The TOW 2A RF missile can be launched from the same
launcher platforms as the existing wire-guided TOW 2A missile
without modification to the launcher. The TOW 2A missile
(both wire and RF) contains two tracker beacons (Xenon and
thermal) for the launcher to track and guide the missile in
flight. Guidance commands from the launcher are provided to
the missile by the RF link contained within the missile case.
The hardware, software, and technical publications provided
with the sale thereof are unclassified. However, the system
itself contains sensitive technology that instructs the
system on how to operate in the presence of countermeasures.
e. The Radio Frequency TOW 2B (RF) Missile (BGM-71F-3-RF)
is a fly-over shootdown missile designed to defeat armored
vehicles. TOW Missiles are fired from a variety of TOW
Launchers in the U.S. Army, USMC and FMS customer forces. The
TOW 2B RF missile can be launched from the same launcher
platforms as the existing wire-guided TOW 2B missile without
modification to the launcher. The TOW 2B missile (both wire
and RF) contains two tracker beacons (Xenon and thermal) for
the launcher to track and guide the missile in flight.
Guidance commands from the launcher are provided to the
missile by the RF link contained within the missile case. The
hardware, software, and technical publications provided with
the sale thereof are unclassified. However, the system itself
contains sensitive technology that instructs the system on
how to operate in the presence of countermeasures.
f. The Radio Frequency TOW Bunker Buster (BB) Missile (BGM-
71H-1-RF) is a variant of the TOW 2A that replaces the TOW 2A
warhead with a high explosive blast-fragmentation warhead.
The bulk charge warhead is effective against reinforced
concrete walls, light armored vehicles, and earth and timber
bunkers. Guidance commands from the launcher are provided to
the missile by the RF link contained within the missile case.
2. The highest level of classification of defense articles,
components, and services included in this potential sale is
SECRET.
3. If a technologically advanced adversary were to obtain
knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the
information could be used to develop countermeasures or
equivalent systems which might reduce weapon system
effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with
similar or advanced capabilities.
4. A determination has been made that Croatia can provide
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 enclosed Policy
Justification.
5. All defense articles and services listed in this
transmittal have been authorized for release and export to
Croatia.
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