http://craig.senate.gov/press/

For Immediate Release:
September 12, 2008

Craig: Senate Subcommittee Approves Idaho Projects in Defense Spending Bill

Washington, DC — More than $37 million in projects for Idaho companies or universities have been approved by the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and soon will be considered by the full Senate Appropriations Committee on which Idaho Senator Larry Craig serves.

In addition, Craig said that the Idaho Air National Guard would receive a portion of $20 million in funding the subcommittee approved for Air National Guard units throughout the nation, if these recommendations are enacted.

Craig said that of the $37.5 million for Idaho in the Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Appropriations bill, $3.5 million would go to Sun Valley-based Eye Safety Systems, Inc. to develop and produce face shields to protect combat soldiers, a product Craig has advocated to the Pentagon.

"Idaho has a proud history of providing our military with the cutting-edge technologies and tools they need to safely accomplish their jobs," Senator Craig said. "As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, I have had the privilege of meeting many of our wounded warriors, including several who have had their vision damaged on the battlefield. The face shields included in this bill will help prevent those injuries and provide our military men and women with the protection they need and deserve."

Craig pointed out that the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee actions also highlight Congress' and the Pentagon's confidence in the research and development capabilities of Idaho's institutions of higher learning which will continue to contribute to America's national security commitment with the passage of this bill.

Other Idaho projects included in the pending Fiscal Year 2009 Defense Appropriations bill include:

• $1 million for medical modeling and simulation through synthetic digital genes, Crowley Davis Research in Eagle;
• $2.5 million to develop an anti-submarine warfare sonar system for unmanned underwater vehicles for the Navy, Alion in Bayview;
• $2.5 million to develop new memory devices capable of maintaining information in the absence of electrical power and in the presence of radiation. These devices will be used in the next generation of military technology for use on the battlefield and in satellites. Boise State University, Boise;
• $2 million to develop "smart" prostheses that simulate the intricate operations of the hand, Idaho State University, Pocatello;
• $2 million to evaluate "extremely low frequency" (ELF) signals used by adversaries to detect Navy vessels, University of Idaho, Moscow;
• $4 million to develop advanced "Vacuum Pathogen" collection and concentration systems to trace bio-threat agents in food safety and environmental settings, Microbial-Vac Systems, Inc., Jerome;
• $2 million to create an automatic consumer health information system to ensure patients have appropriate health information to manage their condition, Healthwise, Boise;
• $1.5 million to develop a method for identifying DNA sequences not found in nature, and which can be used as molecular barcodes, to prevent contamination and mislabeling, Boise State University, Boise;
• $2 million to develop autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) capable of working together to assess the signature of enemy ships or submarines to establish a vehicle's stealth condition, University of Idaho, Moscow;
• $1.5 million to develop an effective chemical and biological decontamination formula, Boise Technology, Boise;
• $1.5 million to modernize test support platforms for cost effective and technically accurate testing of Navy submarines and surface ships, Bayview;
• $2 million to improve technologies to manufacture and utilize infrared sensors for the military, ON Semiconductor, Pocatello;
• $2 million to develop computers and technologies capable of operating on limited power, reducing the need for military personnel to carry batteries or other sources of power with them, University of Idaho, Moscow;
• $2 million to develop a suit for military personnel capable of self-decontamination from chemical and biological agents, Boise Technology, Boise;
• $1.5 million to develop a three-dimensional (3-D) packaging of electronic systems for the military, particularly sensor systems for portable applications, Boise State University, Boise;
• $4 million to create electronics in portable military, homeland security, and consumer products that can operate off of reduced power voltage, enabling state of the art electronics to be developed, American Semiconductor, Boise.

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