To modify the requirements for transfers of United States defense articles and defense services among the Baltic states.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Grassley (for himself and Mr. Durbin) introduced the following …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill streamlines military cooperation among the Baltic states (Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia) by allowing them to transfer U.S.-provided defense equipment and services to each other without requiring prior U.S. approval. Additionally, it requires the Department of Defense to create a shared ammunition management system for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) so these countries can pool their ammunition for training and operations.
Who Benefits and How
The Baltic states gain significantly increased operational flexibility. They can now rapidly redistribute U.S.-provided weapons, ammunition, and military services among themselves without waiting for Washington's approval, enabling faster response to regional security threats. Defense contractors, particularly those producing HIMARS systems and ammunition, stand to benefit as the streamlined transfer process and ammunition-sharing arrangement may encourage increased procurement of these systems by all three Baltic nations.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The U.S. State Department and Congress face reduced authority over arms transfers in the Baltic region. Traditional oversight mechanisms, including approval requirements and notifications for defense article transfers, are bypassed for intra-Baltic exchanges. The Department of Defense gains new administrative responsibilities, as it must establish and maintain the coalition key system for managing shared HIMARS ammunition across three countries.
Key Provisions
- Exempts transfers of U.S. defense articles and services among Baltic states from normal Arms Export Control Act approval requirements
- Applies specifically to Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia for equipment and services originally provided by the United States
- Directs the Secretary of Defense to establish a common coalition key system enabling Baltic states to share HIMARS ammunition
- Covers both training and operational use of shared ammunition
- References definitions from section 47 of the Arms Export Control Act for "defense article" and "defense service"
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Allows Baltic states (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia) to transfer U.S.-provided defense articles and services among themselves without U.S. approval, and establishes a common coalition key for sharing HIMARS ammunition.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Streamline military cooperation among Baltic allies and improve operational readiness against regional threats"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Baltic states (Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia)
- U.S. defense contractors providing HIMARS systems
- Department of Defense (increased NATO interoperability)
Likely Burden Bearers
- State Department (reduced oversight authority)
- Congress (reduced notification/approval requirements)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Defense
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Estonia, Lithuania, or Latvia
As defined in section 47 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2794)
As defined in section 47 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2794)
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology