[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5924-S5925]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        ARMS SALES NOTIFICATIONS

  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 still available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous 
consent to have printed in the Record the notifications that have been 
received. If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such 
an 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)(l) of the Arms Export Control Act, as 
     amended, we are forwarding herewith Transmittal No. 24-85. 
     concerning the Air Force's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and 
     Acceptance to the Government of Italy for defense articles 
     and services estimated to cost $738 million. We will issue a 
     news release to notify the public of this proposed sale upon 
     delivery of this letter to your office.
           Sincerely,
                                                  J. Aaron Harding
                         (For Michael F. Miller, Acting Director).
       Enclosures.


                         Transmittal No. 24-85

       Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to 
     Section 36(b)(l) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended
       Prospective Purchaser: Government of Italy.
       (ii) Total Estimated Value:
       Major Defense Equipment* $212 million.
       Other $526 million.
       Total $738 million.
       (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
     Services under Consideration for Purchase:
       Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
       Six (6) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) MQ-9 Block 5 Aircraft.
       Three (3) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) MQ-9 Mobile Ground 
     Control Stations (MGCS).
       Twelve (12) AN/DAS-4 Multi-spectral Target Systems.
       Nine (9) LYNX AN/APY-8 Block 20A Synthetic Aperture Radars 
     with Maritime Wide Area Surveillance (MWAS) capability.
       One (1) Embedded Global Positioning & Inertial Navigation 
     System (EGI).
       Non-Major Defense Equipment: The following non-MDE items 
     will also be included: Reaper/Predator engines; Ruggedized 
     Aircraft Maintenance Test Stations (RAMTS); AN/ARC-210 Ultra 
     High Frequency (UHF)/Very High Frequency (VHF) Radios (RT-
     2036); Ground Data Terminals (GDT) (line of sight link); AN/
     PYQ-10 Simple Key Loaders; KIV-77 Identification Friend or 
     Foe (IFF) Cryptographic Applique; Transponder IFF AN/APX-119; 
     KYl00M Narrowband/Wideband terminal communications security 
     (COMSEC) device; UAS MQ-9 Fixed Ground Control System (FGCS); 
     satellite communications (SATCOM) Earth Terminal Subsystems 
     (SETSS); precision navigation; integration and test support 
     and equipment; aircraft or engine support equipment; spare 
     parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return 
     support; major modifications, maintenance, and maintenance 
     support; facilities and construction support; transportation 
     and airlift support; classified and unclassified software 
     delivery and support; classified and unclassified 
     publications and technical documentation; personnel training 
     and training equipment; special insurance and warranties; 
     studies and surveys; U.S. Government and contractor 
     engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and 
     other related elements of logistics and program support.
       (iv) Military Department: Air Force (IT-D-SAB).
       (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: IT-D-SAG.
       (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: August 15, 2024.
       *As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control 
     Act.


                          POLICY JUSTIFICATION

                      Italy--MQ-9 Block 5 Aircraft

       The Government of Italy has requested to buy six (6) 
     Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) MQ-9 Block 5 Aircraft; three (3) 
     Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) MQ-9 Mobile Ground Control 
     Stations (MGCS); twelve (12) AN/DAS-4 Multi-spectral Target 
     Systems; nine (9) LYNX AN/APY-8 Block 20A Synthetic Aperture 
     Radars with Maritime Wide Area Surveillance (MWAS) 
     capability; and one (1) Embedded Global Positioning & 
     Inertial Navigation System (EGI). The following non-MDE items 
     will also be included: Reaper/Predator engines; Ruggedized 
     Aircraft Maintenance Test Stations (RAMTS); AN/ARC-210 Ultra 
     High Frequency (UHF)/Very High Frequency (VHF) Radios (RT-
     2036); Ground Data Terminals (GDT) (line of sight link); AN/
     PYQ-10 Simple Key Loaders; KIV-77 Identification Friend or 
     Foe (IFF) Cryptographic Applique; Transponder IFF AN/APX-119; 
     KYl00M Narrowband/Wideband terminal communications security 
     (COMSEC) device; UAS MQ-9 Fixed Ground Control System (FGCS); 
     satellite, communications (SATCOM) Earth Terminal Subsystems 
     (SETSS); precision navigation; integration and test support 
     and equipment; aircraft or engine support equipment; spare 
     parts, consumables and accessories, and repair and return 
     support; major modifications, maintenance, and maintenance 
     support; facilities and construction support; transportation 
     and airlift support; classified and unclassified software 
     delivery and support; classified and unclassified 
     publications and technical documentation; personnel training 
     and training equipment; special insurance and warranties; 
     studies and surveys; U.S. Government and contractor 
     engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and 
     other related elements of logistics and program support. The 
     estimated total cost is $738 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 a force for 
     political stability and economic progress in Europe.
       The proposed sale will improve Italy's capability to meet 
     current and future threats by expanding and improving the 
     Italian Air Force's MQ-9 fleet and advancing U.S. and NATO 
     policy goals of security and interoperability. Italy already 
     has MQ-9 Block 5 aircraft with strike capabilities in its 
     inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing these 
     articles 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 General Atomics, located 
     in San Diego, CA. There are no known offset agreements 
     proposed in connection with this potential sale.
       Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the 
     assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor 
     representatives to Italy.
       There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness 
     as a result of this proposed sale.


                         Transmittal No. 24-85

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

                           Annex Item No. vii

       (vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
       1. The MQ-9A Block 5 is a Medium Altitude Long-Endurance 
     (MALE) Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) that can be used for 
     surveillance, military reconnaissance, and targeting 
     missions. Real-time missions are flown under the control of a 
     pilot in a Ground Control Station (GCS). A datalink is 
     maintained that uplinks control commands and downlinks video 
     with telemetry data. Line-of-Sight (LOS) communication is 
     enabled through C-Band datalink and Beyond-Line-of-Sight 
     (BLOS) communication is enabled through Ku-Band Satellite 
     Communication (SATCOM). Control of the aircraft and payload 
     are done through direct manual

[[Page S5925]]

     inputs by the crew or through preprogrammed mission. 
     Preprogrammed missions are planned and uploaded by the pilots 
     via the GCS and are executed through the control of an 
     onboard suite of redundant computers and sensors. Payload 
     imagery and data are downlinked to the GCS. The pilot may 
     initiate pre-programmed missions once the aircraft is 
     airborne and lands the aircraft when the mission is 
     completed. Pilots can change preprogrammed mission parameters 
     as often as required. When operated BLOS, aircraft control is 
     given to other strategically placed Ground Control Stations--
     permitting remote split operations (RSO). The MQ-9A Block 5 
     is designed to carry 850 pounds of internal payload with 
     maximum fuel and can carry multiple mission payloads aloft. 
     The MQ-9A Block 5 will be configured for the following 
     payloads: Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR), Synthetic 
     Aperture Radar (SAR), Electronic Support Measures (ESM), 
     Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), laser designators, and various 
     weapons packages.
       a. The GCS can be either fixed or mobile; both versions 
     incorporate workstations that allow operators to control and 
     monitor the aircraft, as well as record and exploit 
     downlinked payload data.
       b. The M-Code capable Embedded Global Positioning System/
     Inertial Navigation System (GPS/INS) (EGI), with an embedded 
     GPS Precise Positioning Service (PPS) Receiver Application 
     Module-Standard Electronic Module (GRAM-S/M), is a self-
     contained navigation system that provides acceleration, 
     velocity, position, attitude, platform azimuth, magnetic and 
     true heading, altitude, body angular rates, time tags, and 
     coordinated universal time (UTC) synchronized time. The 
     embedded GRAM-S/M enables access to both the encrypted P(Y) 
     and M-Code signals, providing protection against active 
     spoofing attacks, enhanced military exclusivity, integrity, 
     and anti-jam.
       c. The C-Band Line-of-Sight (LOS) Ground Data Terminals and 
     Ku-Band SATCOM GA-ASI Transportable Earth Stations (GATES), 
     or equivalent, provide command, control, and data acquisition 
     for the MQ-9.
       2. The Ruggedized Aircraft Maintenance Test Station (RAMTS) 
     is a mobile test station used to perform diagnostic and 
     operational checks on the MQ-9.
       3. The AN/APY-8 Lynx Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and 
     Ground Moving Target Indicator (GMTI) system provides all-
     weather surveillance, tracking and targeting for military and 
     commercial customers from manned and unmanned vehicles.
       4. The AN/APX-119 is an Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) 
     transponder that provides military aircraft with a secure 
     combat identification capability to help reduce fratricide 
     and enhance battlespace awareness. It also provides safe 
     access to civilian airspace.
       5. The KIV-77 is a cryptographic applique for IFF. It can 
     be loaded with Mode 5 classified elements.
       6. The KY-100M is a cryptographic-modernized lightweight 
     terminal for secure voice and data communications. The KY-
     100M provides wideband as well as narrowband half-duplex 
     communication. Operating in tactical ground, marine, and 
     airborne applications, the KY-100M enables secure 
     communication with a broad range of radio and satellite 
     equipment.
       7. The AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loader is a handheld device 
     used for securely receiving, storing, and transferring data 
     between compatible cryptographic and communications 
     equipment.
       8. The highest level of classification of defense articles, 
     components, and services included in this potential sale is 
     SECRET.
       9. 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.
       10. A determination has been made that Italy 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.
       11. All defense articles and services listed in this 
     transmittal have been authorized for release and export to 
     the Government of Italy.

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