[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 145 (Tuesday, September 15, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Page S4723]
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 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:
U.S. Department of State,
Washington, DC.
CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION TRANSMITTAL LETTER
Please find enclosed the following notification from the
Department of State.
Department Notification Number: RSAT 26-92.
Pursuant to the reporting requirements of Section 36(b)(1)
of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), as amended, we are
forwarding Transmittal No. 26-92 concerning the Navy's
proposed Letter(s) of Offer and Acceptance to the Government
of Italy for defense articles and services estimated to cost
$364 million. We will issue a news release to notify the
public of this proposed sale upon delivery of this letter to
your office.
Recipients:
Speaker of the House of Representatives
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
Sincerely,
Kaitlyn Wolfe,
Senior Bureau Official,
Bureau of Legislative Affairs.
Transmittal No. RSAT 26-92
Notice of Proposed Issuance Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended
(i) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Italy.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $255 million.
Other $109 million.
Total $364 million.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Five thousand thirty-one (5,031) Guidance Sections Single
Variant Air-to-Air Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II
WGU-59B/B.
Non-MDE: The following non-MDE items will also be included:
LAU-131 A/A launchers; Mk-152 high explosive warheads; MK66
rocket motors; proximity fuzes; WTU-1/B practice warheads;
inert MK66 rocket motors; other support equipment;
publications and technical documentation; transportation;
U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and
logistics support services; and other related elements of
logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Navy (IT-P-ALC).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None.
(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.
(i) Date Report Delivered to Congress: August 21, 2026.
* As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export
Control Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
Italy--Guidance Section Single Variant Air-to-Air Advanced Precision
Kill Weapon System-II
The Government of Italy has requested to buy five thousand
thirty-one (5,031) Guidance Sections Single Variant Air-to-
Air Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II WGU 59B/B. The
following non-major defense equipment items will also be
included: LAU-131 A/A launchers; Mk-152 high explosive
warheads; MK66 rocket motors; proximity fuzes; WTU-1/B
practice warheads; inert MK66 rocket motors; other support
equipment; publications and technical documentation;
transportation; 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 $364 million.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy 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 strengthening its homeland
defense and serving as a deterrent to regional threats. This
enhanced capability will protect Italy and local allied land
forces and will significantly improve Italy's contribution to
NATO integrated air missile defense. Italy will have no
difficulty absorbing these articles and services 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 BAE Systems, located in
Nashua, NH. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of
any offset agreement proposed in connection with this
potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in
negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.
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. 26-92
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 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System-II (APKWS-II)
is a design conversion of an unguided hydra 2.75-inch rocket
with a laser guidance kit to give it precision-kill
capability. The APKWS AUR consists of an APKWS-II guidance
section developed by BAE systems, a 2.75-inch MK66 Mod 4
rocket motor, and a fuzed M151 or Mk-152 high explosive
warhead. These guided rockets are steered to the target by
following reflected laser beam energy directed onto the
target either by the launching aircraft, a second aircraft,
or ground-based troops operating a laser designator. The
APKWS-II is a tactical rocket system that can be launched
from several platforms, including rotary wing, fixed wing,
and ground-based vehicles, offering multi-mission, multi-
target capability, and precision-strike lethality.
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 that
might reduce system effectiveness or be used in the
development of a system with similar or advanced
capabilities.
4. 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
proposed sale is necessary in furtherance of the U.S. foreign
policy and national security objectives outlined in the
Policy Justification.
5. 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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