Dan Coats: “last year DOD had an initiative to have NATO adopt the JSTARS system as the NATO alliance ground surveillance system…”

“last year DOD had an initiative to have NATO adopt the JSTARS system as the NATO alliance ground surveillance system, but NATO subsequently decided not to acquire the B-707-based US JSTARS aircraft. After that decision, the US offered a concept to integrate a variant of the US JSTARS Radar Technology Insertion Program (RTIP) sensor into an aircraft of NATO's choice. In April, NATO's Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) approved a one year concept definition study to flesh out this alternative. However, the April decision was too late to affect the budget request, so that unless the Department gets the authority that would be provided by this amendment, the concept definition effort would slip by a year.”