By Caribbean News Global 
WASHINGTON, USA – The State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) of equipment and services to support participation in the Patriot International Engineering Services Program (IESP) and Field Surveillance Program (FSP) for five years, including engineering services support, designed to sustain, maintain, and improve the Patriot Air Defense System for an estimated cost of $100 million, according to a Defense Security Cooperation Agency press release.
“The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress of this possible sale,” February 7, 2022,” stating, “TECRO has requested to buy equipment and services to support participation in the Patriot International Engineering Services Program (IESP) and Field Surveillance Program (FSP) for five years, including engineering services support, designed to sustain, maintain, and improve the Patriot Air Defense System within the performance envelope described in the system specification through the investigation and resolution of identified problems; missile field surveillance support for legacy (Guidance Enhanced Missile (GEM)) and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missiles, designed to ensure the reliability and performance of the Patriot missile through storage and aging programs, surveillance firing programs, and configuration management; legacy and PAC-3 missile stockpile reliability testing, to provide quantitative reliability assessments of the deployed missile round; US government and contractor technical and logistics support, and other related elements of program support. Participation in the shared IESP and FSP for the life of the Patriot system is a requirement of the US government.”
The “certification notifying Congress” continued: “The total estimated program cost is $100.00 million. This proposed sale is consistent with US law and policy as expressed in Public Law 96-8,” adding, “This proposed sale serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability. The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, economic and progress in the region. The proposed sale will help to sustain the recipient’s missile density and ensure readiness for air operations. The recipient will use this capability as a deterrent to regional threats and to strengthen homeland defense. The recipient will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment 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 prime contractors will be Raytheon Technologies in Andover, MA; and Lockheed Martin in Camden, AK. There are no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale. Implementation of this proposed sale will not require the permanent assignment of any additional US government or contractor representatives to recipient. Support teams will travel to recipient on a temporary basis. There will be no adverse impact on US defense readiness as a result of this proposed sale, reads a Defense Security Cooperation Agency press release.
“This notice of a potential sale is required by law. The description and dollar value is for the highest estimated quantity and dollar value based on initial requirements. Actual dollar value will be lower depending on final requirements, budget authority, and signed sales agreement(s), if and when concluded,” said the February 7, transmittal No. 21-66.
