[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 192 (Tuesday, November 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6640-S6641]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION
Mr. RISCH. Madam 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 available to the full Senate, I ask unanimous consent to
have printed in the Record the notifications which have been received.
If the cover letter references a classified annex, then such 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,
Arlington, VA.
Hon. James E. Risch,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Pursuant to the reporting requirements
of Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as
amended, we are forwarding herewith Transmittal No. 20-73
concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and
Acceptance to the Government of Australia for defense
articles and services estimated to cost $46 million. After
this letter is delivered to your office, we plan to issue a
news release to notify the public of this proposed sale.
Sincerely,
Heidi H. Grant,
Director.
Enclosures.
Transmittal No. 20-73
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: Government of Australia.
[[Page S6641]]
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment* $40 million.
Other $6 million.
Total $46 million.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Two hundred (200) Javelin FGM-148E missiles.
Non-MDE: U.S. Government technical assistance and other
related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Army (AT-B-ULI).
(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: October 30, 2020.
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control
Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
Australia--Javelin Missiles
The Government of Australia has requested to buy two
hundred (200) Javelin FGM-148E missiles with U.S. Government
technical assistance and other related elements of logistics
and program support. The total estimated cost is not to
exceed $46 million.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and
national security objectives of the United States. Australia
is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific.
The strategic location of this political and economic power
contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic
stability in the region.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is seeking to fill a
short-term shortfall in its Javelin missile inventory in
order to maintain the appropriate level of readiness.
Australia will not have any difficulty absorbing these
missiles into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not
alter the basic military balance in the region.
These missiles will be provided from U.S. Army stocks.
There are no known offsets associated with this sale.
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the
assignment of U.S. Government or contractor representatives
to Australia.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness
as a result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 20-73
Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to
Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act
Annex Item No. vii
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology:
1. The Javelin Weapon System is a medium-range, man
portable, shoulder-launched, fire-and-forget, anti-tank
system for infantry, scouts, and combat engineers. It may
also be mounted on a variety of platforms including vehicles,
aircraft and watercraft. The system weighs 49.5 pounds and
has a maximum range in excess of 2,500 meters. The system is
highly lethal against tanks and other systems with
conventional and reactive armors. The system possesses a
secondary capability against bunkers.
2. Javelin's key technical feature is the use of fire-and-
forget technology, which allows the gunner to fire and
immediately relocate or take cover. Additional special
features are the top attack and/or direct fire modes, an
advanced tandem warhead and imaging infrared seeker, target
lock-on before launch, and soft launch from enclosures or
covered fighting positions. The Javelin missile also has a
minimum smoke motor thus decreasing its detection on the
battlefield.
3. The Javelin Weapon System is comprised of two major
tactical components, which are a reusable Command Launch Unit
(CLU) and a round contained in a disposable launch tube
assembly. The CLU incorporates an integrated day-night sight
that provides a target engagement capability in adverse
weather and countermeasure environments. The CLU may also be
used in a stand-alone mode for battlefield surveillance and
target detection. The CLU's thermal sight is a second
generation Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor.
4. The missile is autonomously guided to the target using
an imaging infrared seeker and adaptive correlation tracking
algorithms. This allows the gunner to take cover or reload
and engage another target after firing a missile. The missile
has an advanced tandem warhead and can be used in either the
top attack or direct fire modes (for target undercover). An
onboard flight computer guides the missile to the selected
target.
5. The Javelin Missile System hardware and the
documentation are UNCLASSIFIED.
6. If a technologically advanced adversary obtains
knowledge of the specific hardware and software elements, the
information could be used to develop countermeasures or
equivalent systems that might reduce weapon system
effectiveness or be used in the development of a system with
similar or advanced capabilities.
7. A determination has been made that Australia can provide
substantially the same degree of protection for the sensitive
technology being released as the U.S. Government. This
proposed sale is necessary to further the U.S. foreign policy
and national security objectives outlined in the Policy
Justification.
8. All defense articles and services listed on this
transmittal are authorized for release and export to the
Government of Australia.
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