[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 51 (Friday, March 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14210-14211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-05385]



[[Page 14210]]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Transmittal No. 16-81]


36(b)(1) Arms Sales Notification

AGENCY: Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text 
of a section 36(b)(1) arms sales notification. This is published to 
fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-164 dated 
July 21, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pamela Young, (703) 697-9107 or Kathy 
Valadez, (703) 697-9217; DSCA/SA&E-RAN.
    The following is a copy of a letter to the Speaker of the House of 
Representatives, Transmittal 16-81 with attached Policy Justification 
and Sensitivity of Technology.

    Dated: March 14, 2017.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17MR17.002


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Transmittal No. 16-81
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: Singapore
    (ii) Total Estimated Value:

Major Defense Equipment *................  $42 million
Other....................................  $24 million
                                          ------------------------------
  Total..................................  $66 million
 

    (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
    Major Defense Equipment (MDE): Two thousand (2,000) XM395 
Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative (APMI) rounds
    Non-MDE includes: U.S. Government and contractor services, mortar 
tube compatibility testing and/or modification, and other associated 
support equipment and services.
    (iv) Military Department: Army (VGG)
    (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None
    (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 Annex Attached.
    (viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: 13 March 2017

    * As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

Government of Singapore--XM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative 
(APMI) Rounds

    The Government of Singapore has requested a possible sale of two 
thousand (2,000) XM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative (APMI) 
rounds; U.S. Government and contractor services; and other associated 
support equipment and services. The total estimated cost is $66 
million.
    This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and 
national security of the United States by helping to improve the 
security of a friendly country which has been, and continues to be an 
important partner and force for political stability and economic 
progress in the Asia Pacific region.
    The Government of Singapore intends to use these defense articles 
and services to modernize its armed forces to meet current and future 
threats, to strengthen its homeland defense, and to provide greater 
security for its economic infrastructure. The Government of Singapore 
will have no difficulty absorbing XM395 APMI mortar rounds into its 
armed forces.
    The proposed sale of this equipment and support does not alter the 
basic military balance in the region.
    The prime contractor will be Orbital ATK. There are no known offset 
agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale.
    Implementation of this proposed sale will require U.S. Government 
personnel or U.S. contractor representatives to travel to Singapore for 
a period of one (1) week for equipment fielding and acceptance testing 
by the Quality Assurance Team.
    There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a 
result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 16-81
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 XM395 Accelerated Precision Mortar Initiative (APMI) is a 
Global Position System (GPS), Precise Positioning Service (PPS) guided 
120mm high explosive mortar cartridge capable of enemy defeat with low 
collateral damage. It utilizes a Precision Light-Weight Universal 
Mortar Setting System (PLUMSS) that contains an Improved Platform 
Integration kit (iPIK) to load GPS coordinates, mission trajectory and 
fuze mode data into the mortar round. The GPS PPS crypto key is loaded 
into the iPIK by system key loader PYQ-10. Both the XM395 and the iPIK 
contain a Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM). The 
XM395 has 90% commonality with the Army's M1156 Precision Guided Kit. 
The overall system classification is SECRET.
    2. XM395 utilizes the Army's M782 Multi-Option for Artillery (MOFA) 
Proximity Height of Burst (HOB) Technology. The HOB sensor is comprised 
of components with technologies deemed as state of the art, requiring 
specialized production skills. The sensitive/critical technology is 
primarily in the design, development, production and manufacturing of 
the components (integrated circuits and assembly), and the integration 
methodology required to integrate those components onto an assembly to 
process embedded data (the software--algorithm--working parameters). 
The overall system classification is SECRET.
    3. Disclosure of this technology could result in an adversary 
developing countermeasures, thus lessening the effect of the 
projectile. Disclosure of test data, countermeasures, vulnerability/
susceptibility analyses, and threat definition could allow reverse 
engineering and use by an adversary for possible use against U.S. and 
Coalition forces. Compromise could jeopardize the U.S. inventory 
through jammer development by adversaries. The risk of compromise has 
been assessed as moderate. Risk is reduced for fuze/munitions if 
adequately controlled and protected in storage and on the battlefield. 
Risk is mitigated by the prevention of disclosure of sensitive 
classified information (the know-how, software, and associated 
documentation).
    4. A determination has been made that the recipient country 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.
    5. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal 
have been authorized for release and export to Singapore.

[FR Doc. 2017-05385 Filed 3-16-17; 8:45 am]
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