ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION

ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S1661-S1662] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] ARMS SALES NOTIFICATION 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. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: United States Department of State, Washington, DC. Congressional Notification Transmittal Letter Please find enclosed the following notification from the Department of State. Department Notification Number: RSAT 26-21 Pursuant to the reporting requirements of Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), as amended, we are forwarding Transmittal No. 26-21 concerning the Army's proposed Letter(s) of Offer and Acceptance to the Government of Belgium for defense articles and services estimated to cost $156.1 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. 26-21 Notice of Proposed Issuance of Letter of Offer Pursuant to Section 36(b)(1) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended (i) (U) Prospective Purchaser: Government of Belgium (ii) (U) Total Estimated Value: Major Defense Equipment * $0 million. Other $156.1 million. Total $156.1 million. (iii) (U) Description and Quantity or Quantities of Articles or Services under Consideration for Purchase: Foreign Military Sales case BE-B-WDQ was below congressional notification threshold at $86.95 million ($0 in major defense equipment (MDE)) and included AN/PRC-117G radios; AN/PRC-152A radios; AN-PRC-160 radios; AN/PRC-158 radios; and AN/PRC-163 radios. The Government of Belgium has requested that the case be amended to include additional non-MDE items. This amendment will cause the case to exceed the notification threshold, and thus notification of the entire program is required. The above notification requirements are combined as follows: MDE: None Non-MDE: The following non-MDE items will be included: AN/ PRC-117G radios; AN/PRC-152A radios: AN-PRC-160 radios; AN/ PRC-158 radios; AN/PRC-163 radios, AN/PRC-167 radios; KIK-11 tactical key loader, AN/PRC-117G accessories, dismount kit, vehicular integration, and batteries; AN/PRC-152A accessories, dismount kit, and vehicular integration; AN/PRC- 158 accessories, dismount kit, vehicular integration, and training; AN/PRC-160 accessories, dismount kit, vehicular integration, batteries, and training; AN/PRC-163 ancillaries, batteries, and dismount accessories; AN/PRC-167 ancillaries, batteries, and dismount accessories; RF-9820S radio and dismount accessories; radio specific audio, power, and configuration accessories; U.S. government and contractor technical engineering, logistics, and personnel services; and other related elements of logistics and program support. (iv) (U) Military Department: Army (BE-B-WDQ). (v) (U) Prior Related Cases, if any: None. (vi) (U) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid, Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None known at this time. (vii) (U) Sensitivity of Technology Contained in the Defense Article or Defense Services Proposed to be Sold: See Attached Annex. (viii) (U) Date Report Delivered to Congress: March 24, 2026. *As defined in Section 47(6) of the Arms Export Control Act. POLICY JUSTIFICATION (U) Belgium--Communications Equipment (U) The Government of Belgium has requested to buy additional AN/PRC-163 radios; AN/PRC-167 radios; AN/PRC-160 radios; KIK-11 tactical key loader, AN/PRC-117G accessories, dismount kit, vehicular integration, and batteries; AN/PRC 152A accessories, dismount kit, and vehicular integration; AN/PRC-158 accessories, dismount kit, vehicular integration, and training; AN/PRC-160 accessories, dismount kit, vehicular integration, batteries, and training; AN/PRC-163 ancillaries, batteries, and dismount accessories; AN/PRC-167 ancillaries, batteries, and dismount accessories; RF-9820S radio and dismount accessories; radio specific audio, power, and configuration accessories; U.S. government and contractor technical engineering, logistics, and personnel services; and other related elements of logistics and program support that will be added to a previously implemented case whose value was under the congressional notification threshold. The original Foreign Military Sales case, valued at $86.95 million, included the following non-major defense equipment items: AN/PRC 117G radios; AN/PRC-152A radios; AN-PRC-160 radios; AN/PRC-158 radios; and AN/PRC-163 radios. The estimated total cost is $156.1 million. (U) 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. (U) The proposed sale will enable the Belgium Army to communicate across moderate to extended distances using encryption that [[Page S1662]] prevents interception. The proposed sale will support its goal of improving national and territorial defense, as well as interoperability with U.S. and NATO forces. Belgium will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces. (U) The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. (U) The principal contractor will be L3 Harris, located in Melbourne, FL. 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. (U) Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the assignment of any additional U.S. Government or contractor representatives to Belgium. (U) There will be no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale. Transmittal No. 26-21 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. (U) The AN/PRC-163 multi-channel handheld radio is a versatile, secure solution that leverages crossbanding to provide simultaneous data and voice across satellite communications (SATCOM), line-of-sight, and mobile ad-hoc networking modes. As mission needs evolve, this software- defined handheld supports fast, infield updates to new capabilities. An external mission module hardware interface allows warfighters to quickly add options including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance video and SATCOM. The radio supports U.S. Type-1 security and includes an embedded selective availability anti-spoofing module (SAASM) global positioning system (GPS) receiver for accurate timing and location information. 2. (U) The AN/PRC-167 is a multi-domain, multi-channel tactical narrow, and wide-band dual transceiver radio system providing Type-1 encryption and SAASM GPS location and timing capabilities. The system can provide wide-band high-assurance self-healing networking capabilities and mobile user objective system over-the-horizon capabilities. Each transceiver is software-programmable and operates in the 30-5 12 megahertz and 764-2600 megahertz frequency ranges. The system can operate using the following waveforms: narrow-band analog/PCM AM/FM, CVSD ASK/FSK cipher text, wideband 2400 bps and LPC/2400 MELP--SATCOM. 3. (U) The AN/PRC-158 is a very high frequency (VHF)/ultra- high frequency multiband multi-channel (dual channel) radio. It is a portable, compact, tactical software-defined combat- net radio manufactured by L3/Harris Corporation. The AN/PRC- 158 includes Type-1 encryption and a SAASM GPS receiver. The AN/PRC-158 has been fielded since 2005 by the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps, and various select countries. 4. (U) The AN/PRC-160 radio is a tactical wideband high frequency (HF)/VHF transceiver providing Type-1 encryption and SAASM GPS location and timing capabilities. The system provides continuous frequency coverage from 1.5 to 60 megahertz. The manpack version provides 20 watts HF and 10 watts VHF and transmits power from a single battery. The system transmits in bandwidths from 3 kilohertz to 24 kilohertz with data rates up to 120 kilobytes per second. The software programmable system can operate using NATO standard 2G, 3G, and 4(J automatic link establishment waveforms and is compatible with AM single sideband and CW modes. 5. (U) The AN/PRC-117G is an advanced, software-defined multiband radio designed to provide secure voice, data, and video communication for U.S. military and allied forces. It supports a wide range of waveforms, including SATCOM, single channel ground and airborne radio system (SINCGARS), and wideband networking waveforms like ANW2C, enabling reliable communication in both line-of-sight and beyond-line-of-sight scenarios. With National Security Agency-certified Type-1 encryption, the AN/PRC-117G ensures secure communication in contested environments and seamle