Arms Sales Notification, 49789-49792 [2017-23402]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Office of the Secretary

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 207 (Friday, October 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49789-49792]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-23402]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Transmittal No. 17-26]


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: Pamela Young, (703) 697-9107, 
[email protected] or Kathy Valadez, (703) 697-9217, 
[email protected]; DSCA/DSA-RAN.

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 17-26 with 
attached Policy Justification and Sensitivity of Technology.

    Dated: October 24, 2017.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN27OC17.000

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Transmittal No. 17-26
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 Kuwait
    (ii) Total Estimated Value:

Major Defense Equipment *...............  $ 0.0 million
Other...................................  $342.6 million
                                         -------------------------------
  Total.................................  $342.6 million
 

    (iii) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or 
Services Under Consideration for Purchase:
    Major Defense Equipment (MDE): None
    Non-MDE:
    Non-MDE items and services for three-years (with option for two 
additional years) of follow-on support of two (2) C-17 aircraft 
includes participation in the Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment 
Program (GISP), contract logistic support, Class I modifications and 
kits support, in-country contractor support, alternate mission 
equipment, major modification

[[Page 49791]]

and retrofit, software support, aircraft maintenance and technical 
support, support equipment, personnel training and training equipment, 
additional spare and repair parts, technical orders and publications, 
airworthiness certification support, engine spares, engine maintenance 
and logistics support, inspections support, on-site COMSEC support, 
Quality Assurance and other U.S. Government and contractor engineering, 
logistics and program support. Required upgrades will include fixed 
installation satellite antenna, Mode 5, plus installation and 
sustainment, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out, and other 
related elements of logistics and program support.
    (iv) Military Department: Air Force (X7-D-QAH)
    (v) Prior Related Cases, if any: KU-D-SAA
    (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 12, 2017

    * As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act.

POLICY JUSTIFICATION

Kuwait--Continuation of C-17 Logistics Support Services and Equipment

    The Government of Kuwait has requested three years (with option for 
two additional years) of follow-on support of two (2) C-17 aircraft, 
which includes participation in the Globemaster III Integrated 
Sustainment Program (GISP), contract logistic support, Class I 
modifications and kits support, in-country contractor support, 
alternate mission equipment, major modification and retrofit, software 
support, aircraft maintenance and technical support, support equipment, 
personnel training and training equipment, additional spare and repair 
parts, technical orders and publications, airworthiness certification 
support, engine spares, engine maintenance and logistics support, 
inspections support, on-site COMSEC support, Quality Assurance and 
other U.S. Government and contractor engineering, logistics, and 
program support. Required upgrades will include fixed installation 
satellite antenna, Mode 5, plus installation and sustainment, Automatic 
Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast Out, and other related elements of 
logistics and program support. The estimated cost is $342.6 million.
    This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and 
national security of the United States by helping to improve the 
security of a friendly country. Kuwait plays a large role in U.S. 
efforts to advance stability in the Middle East, providing basing, 
access, and transit for U.S. forces in the region.
    This proposed sale is required to maintain the operational 
readiness of the Kuwaiti Air Force C-17 aircraft. Kuwait's current FMS 
contract supporting its C-17's will expire in September of 2017. Kuwait 
will have no difficulty absorbing this support.
    The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the 
basic military balance in the region.
    The prime contractor will be the Boeing Company, Chicago, IL. The 
purchaser typically requests offsets. Any offset agreement will be 
defined in negotiations between the purchaser and the contractor.
    There is an on-going Foreign Military Sale (FMS) case providing C-
17 sustainment services. There are currently nine (9) contractors from 
Boeing Company (aircraft) in-country providing Contractor Engineering 
Technical Services (CETS) on a continuing basis.
    There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a 
result of this proposed sale.
Transmittal No. 17-26
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. This sale will involve the release of sensitive technology to 
the Government of Kuwait in the performance of services to sustain two 
(2) Kuwaiti C-17 aircraft. While much of the below equipment supporting 
the C-17 is not new to the country, there will be replenishment spares 
of these following sensitive technologies purchased to support the 
fleet.
    2. The Force 524D is a 24-channel Selective Availability Anti-
Spoofing Module (SAASM) based Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver 
with Precise Positioning Service (PPS) capability built upon Trimble's 
next generation GPS technology. The Force 524D retains backward 
compatibility with the proven Force 5GS while adding new functionality 
to interface with digital antenna electronics to significantly improve 
Anti-Jam (AJ) performance. The host platform can select the radio 
frequency (RF) or Digital Antenna Electronics (DAE) interface. In the 
digital mode, the Force 524D is capable of controlling up to 16 
independent beams. The hardware and software associated with the 542D 
receiver card is UNCLASSIFIED.
    3. The C-17 aircraft will be equipped with the GPS Anti-Jam System 
(GAS-1) antenna which consists of a multi-element Controlled Reception 
Pattern Antennas (CRPA) and separate antenna electronics which is able 
to recognize multiple sources of deliberate jamming and other 
electrical interference allowing the navigation equipment to function 
safely, accurately, and efficiently in the presence of multiple 
jammers. The hardware is UNCLASSIFIED.
    4. The GPS Inertial Reference Unit (IRU) is a type of inertial 
sensor which uses only gyroscopes to determine a moving aircraft's 
change in angular direction over a period of time. Unlike the inertial 
measurement unit, IRUs are generally not equipped with accelerometers, 
which measure acceleration forces.
    IRUs are used for altitude control and navigation of vehicles with 
relatively constant acceleration rates, such as larger aircraft as well 
as geosynchronous satellites and deep space probes. The GPS IRU is 
UNCLASSIFIED.
    5. Crypto appliqu[eacute] for Mode 5 Identification Friend or Foe 
(IFF), which includes hardware that is UNCLASSIFIED.
    6. Software, hardware, and other data/information, which is 
sensitive, is reviewed prior to release to protect system 
vulnerabilities, design data, and performance parameters. Potential 
compromise of these systems is controlled through management of the 
basic software programs of highly sensitive systems and software-
controlled weapon systems on a case-by-case basis.
    7. Kuwait is both willing and able to protect United States 
Classified Military Information (CMI). Kuwaiti physical and document 
security standards are equivalent to U.S. standards. Kuwait has 
demonstrated its willingness and capability to protect sensitive 
military technology and information released to its military in the 
past. Kuwait is firmly committed to its relationship with the U.S. and 
to its promise to protect CMI and prevent its transfer to a third 
party. The Government of Kuwait signed a Technical Security Arrangement 
(TSA) with the USG on 01 January 1989 that commits them to the 
protection of CMI.
    8. If a technologically advance adversary were to obtain knowledge 
of the specific hardware or software source code in this proposed sale, 
the information could be used to develop

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countermeasures which might reduce weapon system effectiveness or be 
used in the development of systems with similar or advanced 
capabilities. The benefits to be derived from this sale in the 
furtherance of the U.S. foreign policy and national security 
objectives, as outlined in the Policy Justification, outweigh the 
potential damage that could result if the sensitive technology were 
revealed to unauthorized persons.
    9. All defense articles and services listed on this transmittal are 
authorized for release and export to the Government of Kuwait.

[FR Doc. 2017-23402 Filed 10-26-17; 8:45 am]
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