[Pages S63-S64]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

ARMS SALES NOTIFICATIONS

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 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:

Defense Security

Cooperation Agency,

Washington, DC.
Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin,
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. 25-04,
concerning the Navy's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and
Acceptance to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative
Office in the United States (TECRO) for defense articles and
services estimated to cost $265 million. We will issue a news
release to notify the public of this proposed sale upon
delivery of this letter to your office.
Sincerely,
Michael F. Miller,
Director.
Enclosures.

Transmittal No. 25-04

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: Taipei Economic and Cultural
Representative Office in the United States (TECRO).
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment <sup>*</sup> $93 million.
Other $172 million.
Total $265 million.
Funding Source: Foreign Military Financing.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or
Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE):
Three hundred nine (309) Multifunctional Information
Distribution System Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS JTRS)
Variant 5 (V5).
Non-Major Defense Equipment:
The following non-MDE items will also be included: non-
recurring engineering; testing, certification, and other
activities necessary to integrate MIDS JTRS V5 Block Upgrade
Three on the recipient's Patriot, HE-2K, P-3, and F-16 Block
20 platforms; communications equipment and services needed to
accelerate the modernization of the recipient's Advanced
Tactical Datalink System; and other related elements of
logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Navy (TW-P-LII).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: TW-P-GQD.
(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: December 20,
2024.
<sup>*</sup> As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export
Control Act.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States
(TECRO)--Command, Control, Communications, and Computers Modernization

The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in
the United States (TECRO) has requested to buy three hundred
nine (309) Multifunctional Information Distribution System
Joint Tactical Radio Systems (MIDS JTRS) Variant 5 (V5). The
following non-MDE items will also be included: non-recurring
engineering; testing, certification, and other activities
necessary to integrate the MIDS JTRS V5 Block Upgrade Three
on the recipient's Patriot, HE-2K, P-3, and F-16 Block 20
platforms; communications equipment and services needed to
accelerate the modernization of the recipient's Advanced
Tactical Datalink System; and other related elements of
logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is
$265 million.
This proposed sale is consistent with U.S. law and policy
as expressed in Public Law 96-8.
This proposed sale serves U.S. national, economic, and
security interests by supporting the recipient's continuing
efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a
credible defensive capability. The proposed sale will help
improve the security of the recipient and assist in
maintaining political stability, military balance, and
economic progress in the region.
The proposed sale will improve the recipient's ability to
meet current and future threats by enhancing communications
and network security for its command, control,
communications, and computers (C4) capabilities. The support
will enhance the recipient's ability to command and control
its forces by accelerating the delivery of infrastructure for
the secure flow of tactical information. The recipient will
have no difficulty absorbing this equipment and these
services.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not
alter the basic military balance in the region.

[[Page S64]]

The principal contractor(s) will be selected through
competitive procurements conducted by the U.S. Government in
accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation. There are
no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this
potential sale.
Implementation of this proposed sale will require the
assignment of five U.S. Government personnel and five
contractor representatives to visit the recipient for a
duration of up to four weeks to provide engineering and
technical support services, as well as program and technical
reviews.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness
as a result of this proposed sale.

Transmittal No. 25-04

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 AN/USQ-190 Multifunctional Information Distribution
System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS JTRS) is a secure,
jam-resistant communication and positioning system that
employs a defined waveform in the 960-1215 megahertz (MHz)
Ultra High Frequency (UHF) range for packet message
communication and 16 Kilobit digital voice and packet message
communication. MIDS significantly increases force command and
control (C2) effectiveness. The Tactical Digital Information
Link-J (TADIL-J) series message standard is employed by the
system as defined in North Atlantic Treaty Organization
(NATO) Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 5516 and U.S.
Military Standard (MIL-STD) 6016. The embedded hardware
features provide communications security. MIDS JTRS builds on
the earlier MIDS-Low Volume Terminal's (MIDS-LVT)
capabilities with the addition of Concurrent Multi-Netting
(CMN) and Concurrent Contention Receive (CCR) functions. CMN
and CCR dramatically expand the number of platforms and
network-enabled systems that can be reliably included in a
Link 16 network. These enhancements allow a single MIDS JTRS
terminal to simultaneously receive messages on up to four
nets within a single Link 16 time slot, compared with on a
single net in terminals without CMN and CCR, allowing a user
to ``hear'' messages from up to three additional sources at
once.
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 the recipient 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 recipient.

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