Arms Sales Notification
Floor Speech
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Mr. RISCH. Mr. 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.
Department of State, Washington, DC. CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION TRANSMITTAL LETTER
Please find enclosed the following notification from the Department of State.
Department Notification Number: RSAT 26-52.
Pursuant to the reporting requirements of Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), as amended, we are forwarding Transmittal No. 26-52 concerning the Air Force's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and Acceptance to the Government of Belgium for defense articles and services estimated to cost $236 million. We will issue a news release to notify the public of this proposed sale upon delivery of this letter to your office.
Recipients:
Speaker of the House of Representatives
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Sincerely, Paul D. Guaglianone, Senior Bureau Official, Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Transmittal No. 26-52 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 Belgium.
(ii) Total Estimated Value:
Major Defense Equipment * $0 million.
Other $236 million.
Total $236 million.
(iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase:
Major Defense Equipment (MDE): None.
Non-MDE: The following non-MDE items will be included: AGM- 184 Joint Strike Missiles; spare parts, consumables and accessories, repair and return support; training aids, devices, and spare parts; testing and multi-purpose missile equipment; classified and unclassified software delivery and support; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; transportation support; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support.
(iv) Military Department: Air Force (BE-D-YAB).
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None.
(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: May 18, 2026.
* As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act. POLICY JUSTIFICATION Belgium--AGM-184 Joint Strike Missiles
The Government of Belgium has requested to buy AGM-184 Joint Strike Missiles; spare parts, consumables and accessories, repair and return support; training aids, devices, and spare parts; testing and multi-purpose missile equipment; classified and unclassified software delivery and support; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; transportation support; U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is up to $236 million.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally which is an important force for political stability and economic progress in Europe.
The proposed sale will improve Belgium's capability to meet current and future threats by enhancing the lethality of its F-35 platform and assisting the Belgium Ministry of Defense with completing its core tasks of contributing to the collective defense of NATO. Belgium will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region.
The principal contractors will be Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace AS, located in Kongsberg, Norway; and RTX Corporation, located in Arlington, VA. At this time, the U.S. Government is not aware of any offset agreement proposed in connection with this potential sale. Any offset agreement will be defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.
Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Belgium.
There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. Transmittal No. 26-52 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 AGM-184 Joint Strike Missile is an air-launched, low-radar signature, high subsonic, long-range, precision- guided, network enabled, stand-off cruise missile. It is primarily integrated into the F-35 but can also be deployed on other platforms. It incorporates sophisticated guidance systems which include a combination of Global Positioning System, and Precise Positioning Services, Inertial Navigation System, and Terrain Contour Matching for enroute guidance and imaging infrared seeker with Autonomous Target Recognition, capable of identifying specific targets for terminal guidance. The missile can engage both ships and land targets and is capable of sea-skimming or following complex terrain to evade detection. The warhead is a 260-pound class blast- fragmentation warhead.
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 Belgium 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 Government of Belgium.
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