[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 145 (Tuesday, September 15, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4728-S4729]
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:
[[Page S4729]]
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 26-35.
Pursuant to the reporting requirements of Section 36(b)(1)
of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), as amended, we are
forwarding Transmittal No. 26-35 concerning the Air Force's
proposed Letter(s) of Offer and Acceptance to the Government
of Saudi Arabia for defense articles and services estimated
to cost $5 billion. 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,
Katherine Bowles,
Senior Bureau Official,
Bureau of Legislative Affairs.
Transmittal No. 26-35
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: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment* $2.0 billion.
Other $3.0 billion.
Total $5.0 billion.
Funding Source: National Funds.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Five thousand four (5,004) KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack
Munition (JDAM) guidance kits.
Five thousand (5,000) KMU-556 JDAM guidance kits.
Five thousand four (5,004) BLU-111 500-lb general purpose
bombs.
Five thousand (5,000) BLU-117 2,00-lb general purpose
bombs.
Non-MDE: The following non-MDE items will also be included:
FMU-139 fuze systems; DSU-38 and DSU-40 target detectors;
containers and support equipment; spare parts, consumables
and accessories, and repair and return support; 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 (SR-D-YAJ).
(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.
(viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: September 1,
2026.
* As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export
Control Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia--Joint Direct Attack Munitions--Extend Range
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has requested to buy five
thousand four (5,004) KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munition
(JDAM) guidance kits; five thousand (5,000) KMU-556 JDAM
guidance kits; five thousand four (5,004) BLU-111 500-lb
general purpose bombs; and five thousand (5,000) BLU-117
2,000-lb general purpose bombs. The following non-major
defense equipment will also be included: FMU-139 fuze
systems; DSU-38 and DSU-40 target detectors; containers and
support equipment; spare parts, consumables and accessories,
and repair and return support; 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 $5.0 billion.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals
and national security objectives of the United States by
improving the security of a Major non-NATO Ally that is a
force for political stability and economic progress in the
Gulf Region.
The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia's airborne
defense capability to counter current and future regional
threats, strengthen its homeland defense, and improve
interoperability with systems operated by U.S. forces and
other Gulf Region partners. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 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 military balance in the region.
The principal contractor will be The Boeing Corporation,
located in Arlington, VA. 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 the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness
because of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 26-35
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 Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-
ER) consist of a bomb body paired with a warhead-specific
tail kit containing an Inertial Navigation System/Global
Positioning System Precision Positioning Service guidance
capability that converts unguided free-fall bombs into
accurate, adverse weather ``smart'' munitions. The extended
range wing kit can be readily installed on existing JDAM MK-
82 500-lb weapons and JDAM MK-84 2,000-lb weapons in the
field. The JDAM weapon can be used against a variety of land
and surface targets during the day or night. It can also
receive target coordinates via preplanned mission data from
the delivery aircraft, by onboard aircraft sensors during
captive carry, or from a third-party source via manual or
automated aircrew cockpit entry.
a. The GBU-31 is a 2,000-lb JDAM, and consists of a KMU-556
tail kit and BLU-117 or MK-84 bomb body.
b. The GBU-38 is a 500-lb JDAM, and consists of a KMU-572
tail kit and BLU-111 or MK-82 bomb body.
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. The U.S. Government has determined that Saudi Arabia 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 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
____________________