[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 176 (Wednesday, October 25, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5177-S5178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

                                 ______
                                 

                        ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION

  Mr. CARDIN. 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,

                                                   Washington, DC.
     Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin,
     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. 23-70, 
     concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and 
     Acceptance to the Government of Latvia for defense articles 
     and services estimated to cost $220 million. We will issue a 
     news release to notify the public of this proposed sale upon 
     delivery of this letter to your office.
           Sincerely,
                                                  James A. Hursch,
                                                         Director.
       Enclosures.


                         transmittal no. 23-70

     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 Republic of 
     Latvia.
       (ii) Total Estimated Value:
       Major Defense Equipment * $195 million.
       Other $25 million.
       Total $220 million.
       Funding Source: National Funds and Foreign Military 
     Financing.
       (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
     Services under Consideration for Purchase:

[[Page S5178]]

       Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
       Six (6) M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems 
     (HIMARS)
       Twelve (12) M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System 
     (GMLRS) Alternative Warhead (AW) Pods with Insensitive 
     Munitions Propulsion System (IMPS)
       Twelve (12) M31A2 GMLRS Unitary (GMLRS-U) High Explosive 
     Pods with IMPS
       Ten (10) M57 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Pods
       Non-MDE: Also included are Reduced Range Practice Rocket 
     (RRPR) Pods; intercom systems to support the HIMARS Launcher; 
     ruggedized laptops; training; training equipment; 
     publications for HIMARS, munitions, and spares; services; 
     other support equipment; and other related elements of 
     program and logistic support.
       (iv) Military Department: Army (LG-B-UEL).
       (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: LG-B-PCA.
       (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 24, 2023.
       * As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control 
     Act.


                          policy justification

           Latvia-M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems

       The Government of the Republic of Latvia has requested to 
     buy six (6) M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems 
     (HIMARS); twelve (12) M30A2 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket 
     System (GMLRS) Alternative Warhead (AW) Pods with Insensitive 
     Munitions Propulsion System (IMPS); twelve (12) M31A2 GMLRS 
     Unitary (GMLRS-U) High Explosive Pods with IMPS; and ten (10) 
     M57 Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Pods. Also included 
     are Reduced Range Practice Rocket (RRPR) Pods; intercom 
     systems to support the HIMARS Launcher; ruggedized laptops; 
     training; training equipment; publications for HIMARS, 
     munitions, and spares; services; other support equipment; and 
     other related elements of program and logistic support. The 
     estimated total program cost is $220 million.
       This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals 
     and national security objectives of the United States by 
     improving the security of a NATO Ally that is an important 
     force for political stability and economic progress in 
     Europe.
       The proposed sale will improve Latvia's capability to meet 
     current and future threats, and will enhance its 
     interoperability with U.S. and other allied forces. Latvia 
     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 contractor will be Lockheed Martin, Grand 
     Prairie, TX. There are no known offset agreements in 
     connection with this potential sale.
       Implementation of this proposed sale will require the 
     assignment of two (2) U.S. Government and five (5) contractor 
     representatives to Latvia for a period of one year. 
     Additional U.S. Government or contractor representative 
     travel to Latvia will be required for program management 
     reviews. This travel is expected to occur approximately twice 
     a year or as needed to support equipment fielding and 
     training.
       There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness 
     as a result of this proposed sale.


                         transmittal no. 23-70

     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 GPS-aided 
     precision accuracy.
       2. The Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) M31A2 
     Unitary is the Army's primary munition for units fielding the 
     M142 HIMARS and M270A1 Multiple Launcher Rocket System (MLRS) 
     Launchers. The M31 Unitary is a solid propellant artillery 
     rocket that uses Global Positioning System/Precise 
     Positioning Service (GPS/PPS)-aided inertial guidance enabled 
     by SAASM or M-Code to deliver a single high-explosive blast 
     fragmentation warhead accurately and quickly 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, OPS/PPS-aided inertial 
     guidance enabled by SAASM or M-Code, control system, fusing 
     mechanism, multi-option height of burst capability, and 
     effective range of 15-70km.
       4. The M57 Army Tactical Missile System (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/Precise Position System (PPS) aided navigation system.
       5. The highest level of classification of defense articles, 
     components, and services included in this potential sale is 
     SECRET.
       6. 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.
       7. A determination has been made that Latvia 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 Policy Justification.
       8. All defense articles and services listed in this 
     transmittal are authorized for release and export to Latvia.

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