Senate approves nearly $40 million for Montana defense projects

Measure includes pay raise for troops, critical funding for wildfires, LIHEAP

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Montana U.S. Senators Max Baucus and
Jon Tester today praised the Senate for passing a measure that contains $39.6
million for various military and defense research projects across the Big Sky State.

The money is part of an overall bill that funds the U.S.
Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans’
Affairs.

The legislation also increases pay for
U.S. troops by 3.9 percent.  It also
boosts funding for millions of Americans who rely on the Low Income Home Energy
Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, raising the average grant from $355 to $550.  And
it increases funding for fighting western wildfires by $910
million.

The Senators secured funding for the following
Montana
projects:

BOZEMAN:

• $1.6 million for
  Montana State University’s Mil
  Tech Extension Program, which helps small business bring critical new
  technology to the U.S. military.

BROWNING:

• $1.6 million for
  the Blackfeet Nation’s Adaptive Lightweight
  Materials Technology for Missile Defense project, which builds and
  tests lightweight materials to improve missile performance at lower costs.
  

BUTTE:

• $1.6 million for
  MSE’s DEPUTEE program
  to develop a non-lethal vehicle disabling technology to protect
  sites important to national nuclear security.

• $2 million for
  Montana Tech’s Low Acoustic and Thermal
  Signature Battlefield Power Source research, which is developing a
  battlefield fuel cell for use as a power source.

• $1.6 million for
  MSE’s Cryofracture/Plasma Arc Demobilization
  Program, which will build a system that freezes, crushes and safely
  destroys dangerous or outdated munitions.

• $3.2 million for
  MSE’s Mariah Hypersonic Wind Tunnel
  Development Program, which is developing state-of-the-art wind tunnel
  technology required to test a new generation of missiles, space vehicles and
  aircraft using new propulsion technology. 

• $800,000 for MSE’s
  Watchkeeper Program, a rapidly
  deployable and self-contained sensor network that can identify hostile forces
  for the U.S. military.

• $3 million for
  Universial Technical Resource Services’ Titanium Extraction, Mining and Process
  project, which will produce low-cost titanium that will directly
  benefit the United
  States military and commercial applications.
  

GREAT FALLS:

• $10
  million for Malmstrom Air Force
  Base to complete the first phase of its new weapons storage
  facility.
• $3
  million for the Montana National Guard’s I-HITS training program, which provides
  both training and live-combat technology to help American troops better identify
  friendly forces on the battlefield.
• $2.4
  million for Synesis 7’s CPI-Metamorphose / i3 Tech Data Conversion
  project, which converts the technical data from physical copies of maintenance
  manuals into standardized electronic format.  This electronic format makes it
  easier to train maintenance workers, improves safety, and increases the
  efficiency of repair efforts on military aircraft.

HELENA:

• $1.6 million for
  Western Computer Services’ Marine
  Expeditionary Rifle SquadU.S. troops in all-weather,
  all-combat conditions. project, which uses high-tech sensors to
  improve vision for

MISSOULA:

• $1 million for
  St. Patrick Hospital’s International Heart Institute/U.S. Army Vascular Graft
  Research Project.  The
  project is developing freeze-dried vascular grafts made from animal tissue,
  which reduces the need for temporary shunts used in battlefield surgery.
  

• $1 million for the
  University of
  Montana’s Amelioration of Military Hearing Loss
  Project, which treats hearing loss associated with battlefield
  trauma   

• $1.6 million for
  the University of
  Montana’s Defense-Critical Languages and Cultures
  Program, which teaches better proficiency in Chinese, Arabic and
  Persian languages.

• $1.6 million for
  American Eagle Instruments’ Advanced Surface
  Technologies for Prosthetic Development project, which will provide
  wounded troops with high-tech prosthetic limbs.

• $2 million for
  TerraEchos’ Adelos Nuclear Security Sensor
  System. TerraEchos Inc. will use the money to develop a high-tech
  sensor system designed to protect nuclear weapons.

“This is a tremendous investment in the security of
Montana and America,” Baucus
said.  “These projects will help make Montana a world a leader in cutting-edge
military research, help create good-paying jobs and will provide new
opportunities for economic growth across the Big
Sky.”

“These are good projects that will make our country
stronger and more secure,” Tester said.  “And they will keep Montana businesses on the
cutting edge of important research and development, which brings more jobs to
our state.”

In addition to funding Montana projects, the measure sets aside $570
million to ensure that the National Guard and Reserve have the resources they
need after years of shortfalls.  It also sets aside billions to improve the
nation’s army barracks, military hospitals, and to improve oversight of defense
contractors.

The U.S. House has already passed the measure.  It now
goes to President Bush to be signed into law.