[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15155-15157]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-05468]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Transmittal No. 20-03]


Arms Sales Notification

AGENCY: Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Arms sales notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text 
of an arms sales notification.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karma Job at [email protected] 
or (703) 697-8976.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 36(b)(1) arms sales notification is 
published to fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-
164 dated July 21, 1996. The following is a copy of a letter to the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Transmittal 20-03 with 
attached Policy Justification and Sensitivity of Technology.

    Dated: March 10, 2020.
Aaron T. Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

[[Page 15156]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN17MR20.006

BILLING CODE 5001-06-C
Transmittal No. 20-03
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 Morocco
    (ii) Total Estimated Value:

Major Defense Equipment *...............  $211.18 million
Other...................................  $ 28.17 million
                                         -------------------------------
  TOTAL.................................   $239.35 million
 

    (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
    Major Defense Equipment (MDE):

Twenty five (25) M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and 
Evacuation System (HERCULES) Vehicles and/or M88A1 Long Supply HERCULES 
Refurbished Vehicles
Twenty-five (25) M2 .50 Caliber Machine Guns

    Non-MDE:
    Also included are twenty five (25) export Single Channel Ground and 
Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS); twenty five (25) AN/PSN-13A Defense 
Advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) Receiver (DAGR) with 
Selective-Availability/Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM); thirty (30) AN/
VAS-5B Driver Vision Enhancer (DVE) kits; twenty five (25) M239 or M250 
smoke grenade launchers; one thousand eight hundred (1,800) M76 (G826) 
or L8A1/L8A3 (G815) smoke grenade rounds; spare

[[Page 15157]]

parts; support equipment; depot level support; Government-Furnished 
Equipment (GFE); repair parts; communication support equipment; 
communication equipment integration; tools and test equipment; 
training; training simulators; repair and return program; U.S. 
Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support 
services; Technical Assistance Field Team (TAFT); and other related 
elements of logistics and program support. Additionally, the following 
recommended basic load ammunition may be included upon request from 
customer: Twenty five thousand (25,000) A576 cartridges, .50 caliber 
linked 4 API/API-T F/M2; three hundred (300) G815 - grenade, smoke 
screening L8A1/A3; two thousand five hundred (2,500) A541 - 50 armor 
piercing incendiary, tracer M20 F/M2; ninety-one thousand eight hundred 
(91,800) A557 - cartridge, .50 caliber 4 ball/1 tracer linked M33 F/M2; 
fifty four thousand (54,000) A598 - cartridge, .50 caliber blank F/M2; 
other technical assistance and support equipment; and other related 
elements of logistics and program support.
    (iv) Military Department: Army (MO-B-UTS)
    (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 Attached Annex.
    (viii) Date Report Delivered to Congress: March 3, 2020
    * As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

Morocco--M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and 
Evacuation System (HERCULES), Support, and Equipment

    The Government of Morocco has requested to buy twenty five (25) 
M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation 
System (HERCULES) vehicles and/or M88A1 long supply HERCULES 
refurbished vehicles; and twenty-five (25) M2 .50 caliber machine guns. 
Also included are twenty five (25) export Single Channel Ground and 
Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS); twenty five (25) AN/PSN-13A Defense 
Advanced Global Positioning System (GPS) Receiver (DAGR) with 
Selective-Availability/Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM); thirty (30) AN/
VAS-5B Driver Vision Enhancer (DVE) kits; twenty five (25) M239 or M250 
smoke grenade launchers; one thousand eight hundred (1,800) M76 (G826) 
or L8A1/L8A3 (G815) smoke grenade rounds; spare parts; support 
equipment; depot level support; Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE); 
repair parts; communication support equipment; communication equipment 
integration; tools and test equipment; training; training simulators; 
repair and return program; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, 
technical, and logistics support services; Technical Assistance Field 
Team (TAFT); and other related elements of logistics and program 
support. Additionally, the following recommended basic load ammunition 
may be included upon request from customer: twenty five thousand 
(25,000) A576 cartridges, .50 caliber linked 4 API/API-T F/M2; three 
hundred (300) G815 - grenade, smoke screening L8A1/A3; two thousand 
five hundred (2,500) A541 - 50 armor piercing incendiary, tracer M20 F/
M2; ninety-one thousand eight hundred (91,800) A557 - cartridge, .50 
caliber 4 ball/1 tracer linked M33 F/M2; fifty four thousand (54,000) 
A598 - cartridge, .50 caliber blank F/M2; other technical assistance 
and support equipment; and other related elements of logistics and 
program support. The total estimated cost is $239.35 million.
    This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national 
security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a 
major non-NATO ally that continues to be an important force for 
political stability and economic progress in North Africa.
    The proposed sale will improve Morocco's capability to meet current 
and future combat vehicle recovery requirements. Morocco will use the 
enhanced capability to enable armored forces training to strengthen its 
homeland defense and deter regional threats. Morocco intends to use 
these defense articles and services to modernize its armed forces by 
updating their combat vehicle recovery capability in pace with their 
armored unit upgrades. Morocco will have no difficulty absorbing these 
vehicles into its armed forces.
    The proposed sale of this equipment and services will not alter the 
basic military balance in the region.
    The principal contractor will be BAE, York, Pennsylvania. The 
purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset agreement will be 
defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor(s).
    Implementation of this sale will require the assignment of 
approximately 30 U.S. Government or contractor representatives to 
travel to Morocco for equipment deprocessing/fielding, system checkout 
and new equipment training.
    There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a 
result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 20-03
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 M88A2 Improved Recovery Vehicle HERCULES (Heavy Equipment 
Recovery Combat Utility Lift and Evacuation System) recovers tanks 
mired to different depths, removes and replaces tank turrets and power 
packs, and uprights overturned heavy combat vehicles. The main winch on 
the M88A2 is capable of a 70-ton, single-line recovery, allowing the 
HERCULES to provide recovery of the 70-ton M1A2 Abrams tanks. The 
highest level of information that could be transferred with the sale of 
HERCULES is UNCLASSIFIED.
    2. 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.
    3. A determination has been made that Morocco 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.
    4. All defense articles and services listed in this transmittal are 
authorized for release and export to the Government of Morocco.

[FR Doc. 2020-05468 Filed 3-16-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 5001-06-P