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UPDATE:
Senate Passes Defense Appropriations Bill Conference Report Sen.
Salazar Secures Critical Projects for Colorado’s Military Installations
in Senate Defense Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON,
DC- Tonight, the Senate passed the Department of Defense Appropriations
Act Conference Report, which funds our Nation’s military. United States
Senator Ken Salazar announced that key Colorado military installations
will receive over $224 million under the bill. Senator Salazar was successful
in securing $142.2 million to accelerate weapons destruction at the
Pueblo Chemical Depot with the goal of meeting the congressionally ratified
treaty deadline of 2012 for chemical demilitarization activities.
In addition, Senator Salazar
succeeded in including language in the bill to require the Department
of Defense to complete chemical weapons destruction activities by 2017
if it fails to meet the Congressionally-ratified treaty deadline of
2012.
"Colorado is
proud to house some of our Nation's top military installations and defense
related businesses," said Senator Salazar. "We are one step
closer to providing this funding which is vital to the military installations
in Colorado and ultimately, the safety and security of our Nation and
of our men and women serving in uniform.”
Included below is a
summary of the other projects, grouped by region, Senator Salazar secured
in the Defense Appropriations Act of 2008:
Pueblo
Chemical Depot
- $142.4 million
for chemical demilitarization activities at the Pueblo Chemical Depot
and language requiring the Department of Defense to complete chemical
weapons destruction activities by 2017.
Non-Regional
Initiatives:
- $46 million to
Curb Encroachment Around Military Bases: The Readiness and
Environmental Protection Initiative (REPI) allows the Department of
Defense to work with government and private partners to establish
buffer zones to protect military training and testing areas. The program
has been successful in addressing encroachment issues at Fort Carson.
Pikes
Peak Region
- $3.2 million
for Upgrades to Data Networks at Cheyenne Mountain and USNORTHCOM:
Funding will help upgrade NORTHCOM’s data network at the Cheyenne
Mountain Air Station, to ensure that its facilities remain redundant
with those in the joint command center at Peterson Air Force Base.
In case of a network failure at NORTHCOM’s headquarters at Peterson,
the upgraded data system in Cheyenne Mountain will allow swift recovery
of the network. Funding will also be used on equipment which enables
federal, state, and local governments and agencies to coordinate and
share information in the event of an emergency or natural disaster.
- $1.6 million
for Security Upgrades at Schriever Air Force Base: Funding
will upgrade an aging and increasingly inefficient electronic security
system protecting space platforms at Schriever. This upgrade is needed
because the current system has been in place for eighteen years, despite
the fact that it only has an eight year life cycle. The upgrade will
enhance the system’s effectiveness and its ability to deter and detect
an intruder.
- $500,000 for
the Center for Space and Defense Studies at the United States Air
Force Academy: Funding will be applied to support space and
defense studies at the Air Force Academy. Specifically, funds will
be used to enhance the academy’s curriculum in space studies, foster
intellectual development on contemporary issues of space policy study,
and promote cadet and faculty research, internships, and scholarships.
The programs supported will increase the number of future Air Force
officers with an understanding of the importance of space for the
national and economic security of the nation.
- $3.2 million
for a Naval Postgraduate School Ph.D. Program in Homeland Defense
at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs: In partnership
with the Naval Postgraduate School and USNORTHCOM, the University
of Colorado at Colorado Springs is establishing the nation’s first
mission-focused, operationally-responsive, and federally-funded Ph.D.
program in Homeland Defense. These students will be trained to conduct
both basic and applied research on homeland defense and security.
Funding will allow three cohorts of 10-15 students (military personnel)
each to complete the three year program. It will also allow for the
hiring of tenure-track faculty and the construction of “smart classrooms”
to support the program.
- $1.6 million
for STEM Curriculum Development at the University of Colorado at Colorado
Springs, to Expand the Pipeline of Engineers: The University
of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) is working with the national
Space Education Consortium to develop a replicable curriculum and
program to expand K-12 students’ interest in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The Partnership in
Innovative Preparation for Educators and Students (PIPES) program
is designed, through a system of tracks designed for students, teachers,
administrators, and STEM experts, to expose students to the possibilities
of careers in science, space, and security industries, and the post-secondary
education these careers require.
- $800,000 for
Digital Engine/Hydraulic Valve Actuation Technology (Sturman Industries,
Woodland Park, CO): The project would develop an engine for
Army combat vehicles that would combine advanced fuel injectors with
hydraulic valve actuation-digital technology. This cutting-edge prototype
engine would allow 50% greater engine efficiency, increased torque
and horsepower, and greater fuel flexibility.
- $2 million for
the Joint National Integration Center (JNIC) at Schriever Air Force
Base: The JNIC, managed by the Missile Defense Agency, is
the premier center for commanders to develop and test operational
concepts to respond to ballistic missile threats. The funding will
be used to purchase additional computing hardware and applications
software needed for Ballistic Missile Defense System integration,
to interface that hardware and software, and to develop warfighter
modeling and simulation capabilities.
North
Central Region
- $2 million for
the Department of Defense’s Center for Geosciences/Atmospheric Research
at Colorado State University: Funding will allow for ongoing
research into environmental conditions that affect military, counter-terror,
humanitarian, peacekeeping, and training operations. This research
is important to ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of special
operations in theater. The DOD Center for Geosciences/Atmospheric
Research at Colorado State University provides research on priority
environmental problems and questions of concern to the U.S. Army,
Navy, and Air Force. Currently, researchers are studying ways to forecast
floods in northern Iraq, detect caves in Afghanistan, predict clouds
and icing that impede use of manned and unmanned aircraft, and better
understand environmental conditions in complex urban areas.
Denver
Metro Region
- $1.6 million
for Respiratory Biodefense Research at National Jewish Medical and
Research Center: Funds will allow for continued research
into preventing and treating respiratory injuries from bioterrorism.
National Jewish is studying the mechanisms of injury to develop effective
means of detection, prevention and therapy. The initiative is studying
threats posed by anthrax, influenza, multi-drug resistant tuberculosis,
and SARS.
- $1.6 million
for a Micro Satellite Target System for the Air Force (MicroSat Systems,
Inc., Littleton, CO): The Missile Defense Agency is developing
a network of ground radar systems as part of the Ballistic Missile
Defense System that can search for, acquire, and identify missile
threats. These ground-based radar systems require frequent testing
and calibration to ensure they are performing adequately. The Micro
Satellite Target System (MTS) program is developing a low-cost micro
satellite that can be placed in orbit to support radar calibration
and testing. The MTS acts as a simulated re-entry vehicle, flying
in an orbit that emulates threat trajectories. The first MTS is currently
being built and will be ready for integration and testing in May 2008.
Funds will be used to complete the satellite and perform tests required
to launch it in late 2008/early 2009.
- $1.6 million
for Environmental Sensors for Special Forces (ATA Technologies, Littleton,
CO): The United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM)
has a need for small, lightweight and easily-deployable sensors that
can measure weather conditions and a variety of other environmental
and situational parameters. These sensors are useful to Special Forces
personnel on both the ground and in the air. The SOCOM METOC Program
has developed and is currently using a system that is deployed by
hand, requiring personnel to physically go to the desired location
to set up the sensors. The program plan calls for the development
of an air-droppable version of the system, which allows the sensors
to be deployed by releasing them from a helicopter or plane. The funding
will allow the completion of development of this air-droppable version
of the system so that it will be ready for operation in 2010.
- $1 million for
Senior Scout Integrated Mission Trainer (Lockheed Martin Corporation
Littleton, CO): Funding will be used to develop, procure,
and implement the essential hardware and software for the Senior Scout
Mission Trainer. The Senior Scout is an Intelligence, Surveillance,
and Reconnaissance (ISR) system that can be installed in a C-130E/H
aircraft. This system is able to detect and geo-locate Signals of
Interest (SOI), and report them to air and ground commanders. The
Senior Scout will be used by the National Guard in GWOT and counter-drug
missions.
- $1 million for
Advanced Materials Processing for Ultra-Efficient Power Systems (Vforge,
Lakewood, CO): The Advanced Metals Processing project will
develop and test die-cast copper rotors in electrical motors and generators
with the goal of reducing the cost of producing these cast copper
components. The Army Objective Force initiative, in cooperation with
the Army Research Labs and the Defense Logistics Agency, uses these
components in legacy defense weapon systems and lightweight induction
motors. Copper rotors increase motor energy efficiency and life and
reduce manufacturing costs and motor weight/size.
- $1.6 million
for Lightweight Motors for the Future Combat System (Vforge, Lakewood,
CO): Future Combat Systems (FCS) is the Army's modernization
program. It consists of a family of manned and unmanned systems connected
by a common network. This project will test, evaluate, and integrate
an ultra-efficient copper rotor in the hybrid drive system in Heavy
Expanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT-A3) vehicles. Early tests
have shown copper rotors yield a 20% improvement in fuel economy,
an important development given that a gallon of fuel in-theater can
cost up to $600.
- $1.6 million
for National Item Identification Number Validation and Correction
(IHS, Inc., Englewood, CO): The
Naval Air Depots (Fleet Readiness Centers) perform aircraft maintenance
and repair and overhaul of components, airframes and engines for the
Navy and Marine Corps. Currently, parts suppliers for aircraft acquire
a National Item Identification Number (NIIN) from the Defense Logistics
Agency. However, many inventoried parts that were manufactured more
than a decade ago do not have NIIN numbers or have different part
numbers than matching parts that are currently being manufactured.
This causes a breakdown of the automated material ordering process
in over 53% of work orders, leading to significant delays and cost
increases. The NIIN Validation and Correction project would fix this
problem by reconciling redundant part numbers, assigning all inventoried
parts a NIIN, and making all parts compatible with the Navy Depot
Maintenance Systems.
- $1 million for
the Medical Image Database Holographic Archiving Library System (MIDHALS)
(InPhase Technologies, Longmont, CO): The
MIDHALS project will integrate available holographic data storage
technology with other storage systems to improve storage, distribution,
retrieval, and analysis of picture and archived medical documents
for the Army.
- $1 million for
the Implantable Middle-Ear Hearing System, (Otologics, Boulder): This
project is will provide funds to continue to develop a minimally invasive,
implantable hearing system to meet the requirements of the armed services,
allowing highly trained individuals with hearing impairment to remain
in their positions, enhancing their quality of life and improving
operational effectiveness.
- $2.4 million
for the Anti-Torpedo Torpedo (Barber-Nichols Inc, Arvada):
Funding will be allocated toward designing methods of reducing the
unit and production costs of the U.S. Navy’s Anti-Torpedo Torpedo,
which protects larger naval vessels from attack.
West
Slope
- $4 million for
Modular Ballistic Panels to Better Protect Soldiers from Mortar Attacks
(Polystrand, Inc., Montrose, CO): The University of Maine
has helped develop modular ballistic panels that are ready for pilot
manufacturing and demonstration to the U.S. Army. The panels would
be used in tents in mobile forward operating bases to provide additional
protection against mortar attacks. Funding would allow for initial
purchase, production, and demonstration of the panels to be manufactured
in Montrose. Prototype panels are already in theater with the National
Guard.
- $3.2 million
for Combat Support Hospitals (Alaska Structures/Weatherport LLC, Delta,
CO): Combat support hospitals are mobile hospitals that
can be assembled in Corps Support Areas to treat wounded service members.
This funding will help the Army begin to fulfill its requirement for
10 more 84-bed combat support hospital shelters, and for 30 more 164-bed
combat support hospitals.
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