[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 92 (Thursday, May 26, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2742-S2743]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Mr. MENENDEZ. 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. Robert Menendez,
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. 22-28,
concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and
Acceptance to the Government of Australia for defense
articles and services estimated to cost $385 million. After
this letter is delivered to your office, we plan
[[Page S2743]]
to issue a news release to notify the public of this proposed
sale.
Sincerely,
James A. Hursch,
Director.
Enclosures.
Transmittal No. 22-28
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.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $350 million.
Other $35 million.
Total $385 million.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Twenty (20) M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System
(HIMARS).
Thirty (30) M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System
(GMLRS).
Thirty (30) Alternative Warhead (AW) Pods with Insensitive
Munitions Propulsion Systems (IMPS).
Thirty (30) M31A2 GMLRS Unitary (GMLRS-U) High Explosive
Pods with IMPS.
Thirty (30) XM403 Extended Range (ER)-GMLRS AW Pods.
Thirty (30) EM404 ER GMLRS Unitary Pods.
Ten (10) M57 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).
Non-MDE: Also included are Reduced Range Practice Rocket
Pods (RRPRP); Vehicular Intercom System (AN/VIC-3) 3-Station;
radio communication mounts; machine gun mounts; battle
management system vehicle integration kits; wheel guards;
ruggedized laptops; training equipment publications; spare
and repair parts; support equipment; tools; test equipment;
technical data; U.S. Government and Contractor support;
technical and logistical support services; and other related
elements of program and logistic support.
(iv) Military Department: Army (AT-B-UMK).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: AT-B-UMJ, AT-B-UKI.
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed
to be Paid: None known at this time.
(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: May 26, 2022.
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control
Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
Australia--HIMARS Launchers
The Government of Australia has requested to buy twenty
(20) M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
thirty (30) M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems
(GMLRS); thirty (30) Alternative Warhead (AW) Pods with
Insensitive Munitions Propulsion Systems (IMPS); thirty (30)
M31A2 GMLRS Unitary (GMLRS-U) High Explosive Pods with IMPS;
thirty (30) XM403 Extended Range (ER)-GMLRS AW Pods; thirty
(30) EM404 ER GMLRS Unitary Pods; and ten (10) M57 Army
Tactical Missile System (ATACMS). Also included are Reduced
Range Practice Rocket Pods (RRPRP); Vehicular Intercom System
(AN/VIC-3) 3-Station; radio communication mounts; machine gun
mounts; battle management system vehicle integration kits;
wheel guards; ruggedized laptops; training equipment
publications; spare and repair parts; support equipment;
tools; test equipment; technical data; U.S. Government and
Contractor support; technical and logistical support
services; and other related elements of program and logistic
support. The total estimated program cost is $385 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. It is vital to the U.S. national
interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a
strong and ready self-defense capability.
The proposed sale will improve Australia's capability to
meet current and future threats, and will enhance
interoperability with U.S. forces and other allied forces.
Australia will use the capability to strengthen its homeland
defense and provide greater security for its critical
infrastructure. Australia 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 principal contractors will be Lockheed Martin Inc.,
Bethesda, MD; Chelton Inc., Marlow, United Kingdom; and L3
Harris Corp., Melbourne, FL. The purchaser typically requests
offsets. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations
between the purchaser and the contractor(s).
Implementation of this proposed sale will require the
assignment of two (2) U.S. Government and five (5) U.S.
contractor representatives in Australia for a period of one
year.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness
as a result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 22-28
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 M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS)
is a C-130 transportable wheeled launcher mounted on a 5-ton
Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles truck chassis. HIMARS is
the modern Army-fielded version of the Multiple Launch Rocket
System (MLRS) M270 launcher, and can fire all of the MLRS
Family of Munitions (FOM) including Guided Multiple Launch
Rocket System (GMLRS) variants and the Army Tactical Missile
System (ATACMS). Utilizing the MLRS FOM, the HIMARS can
engage targets between 15 and 300 kilometers with Global
Positioning System (GPS)-aided precision accuracy.
2. The M31A2 GMLRS Unitary is the Army's primary munition
for units fielding the M142 HIMARS and M270Al MLRS Launchers.
The M31 Unitary is a solid propellant artillery rocket that
uses GPS/Precise Positioning Service (PPS)-aided inertial
guidance to accurately and quickly deliver a single high-
explosive blast fragmentation warhead to targets at ranges
from 15-70 kilometers. The rockets are fired from a launch
pod container that also serves as the storage and
transportation container for the rockets. Each rocket pod
holds six (6) total rockets.
3. The M30A2 GMLRS Alternative Warhead shares a greater
than 90% commonality with the M31A1 Unitary. The primary
difference between the GMLRS-U and GMLRS-AW is the
replacement of the Unitary's high explosive warhead with a
200-pound fragmentation warhead of pre-formed tungsten
penetrators which is optimized for effectiveness against
large area and imprecisely located targets. The munitions
otherwise share a common motor, GPS/PPS-aided inertial
guidance and control system, fusing mechanism, multi-option
height of burst capability, and effective range of 15-70km.
4. The M57 ATACMS-Unitary is a conventional, semi-ballistic
missile that utilizes a 500-pound high explosive warhead. It
has an effective range of between 70 and 300 kilometers, and
has increased lethality and accuracy over previous versions
of the ATACMS due to a GPS/ PPS aided navigation system.
5. The Extended Range (ER) GMLRS provides a persistent,
responsive, all-weather, rapidly deployed, long range,
surface-to surface, area- and point-precision strike
capability. The XM403 Alternative Warhead (AW) carries a 200-
pound fragmentation assembly filled with high explosives
which, upon detonation, accelerates two layers of preformed
penetrators optimized for effectiveness against large area
and imprecisely located targets. The XM404 Unitary variant is
a 200-pound class unitary with a steel blast-fragmentation
case, designed for low collateral damage against point
targets. The ER GMLRS maintains the accuracy and
effectiveness demonstrated by the baseline GMLRS out to a
maximum range of 150 km while also including a new Height of
Burst (HOB) capability.
6. The highest level of classification of defense articles,
components, and services included in this potential sale is
SECRET.
7. 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 of a system with similar or advanced
capabilities.
8. 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 sale
is necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and
national security objectives outlined in the Policy
Justification.
9. All defense articles and services listed in this
transmittal have been authorized for release and export to
the Government of Australia.
____________________