March 3, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 42 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Pages S1293-S1294]
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 unaminous 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. 20-03 
     concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and 
     Acceptance to the Government of Morocco for defense articles 
     and services estimated to cost $239.35 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,
                                                Charles W. Hooper,
                                Lieutenant General, USA, Director.
       Enclosures.


                         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 
     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 de-
     processing/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

[[Page S1294]]

     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.

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