Congressman Smith Secures Important Funding for Science & Technology Projects

Congressman Adam Smith recently secured $24.6 million for military projects in the Puget Sound region. The funding was included in a spending package that included funds for the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, and military construction projects for fiscal year 2009. “The package helps restore our military’s readiness and provides our troops and families with the support they need. I’m also pleased that we included funds for important science and technology projects at Ft. Lewis, McChord Air Force Base and around the region,” Adam said.

The spending package was signed into law by the President on September, 30th.

Funding for important regional projects, many involving local companies, include:

· $8.6 million for Washington State Air National Guard’s 262nd Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron to build a new cyber-warfare facility for use by the (IWAS) at McChord Air Force Base.

· $200,000 for the Madigan Army Medical Center Digital Pen project to acquire digital pens that capture and upload writing electronically while also recording care in ink on paper to improve the process of recording and transmitting patient care information; ADAPX of Seattle.

· $4.4 million for the University of Washington’s Institute of Surgical and Interventional Simulation (ISIS) to upgrade existing facilities, expand their existing partnerships with Madigan Army Medical Center and VA Puget Sound, and explore ways in which surgical simulation can enhance the treatment and rehabilitation of soldiers; University of Washington, Seattle.

· $3 million for the Oregon Biomedical Engineering Institute, for research on limb and tissue regeneration for battlefield injuries using bone marrow and stem cells; Oregon Biomedical Engineering Institute of Portland.

· $1.6 million for million for Optical Neural Techniques for Combat/Post-Trauma Health Care with the potential to provide full restoration of hearing for injured soldiers; Aculight Corporation of Bothell.

· $3.2 for Mobile Object Infrastructure Technology enabling the U.S. Army Intelligence Command (INSCOM) to continue research and development of solutions to network computing challenges, including bandwidth and information-sharing constraints; Topia Technology of Tacoma.

The bill also contained several initiatives to revitalize defense laboratories and enable them to better support critical research and development missions. Other important programs that received funding include:

·$40 million for Impact Aid, which compensates school districts with a significant population of students from military families. School districts surrounding Ft. Lewis and McChord rely heavily on the program.

·$1.5 million for the Technology and National Security Program (TNSP) at the National Defense University.

·$1.7 billion for Department of Defense basic research (President’s request) which represents a 16% increase in real terms over the FY2008 budget.

·Several initiatives to revitalize defense laboratories and enable them to better support critical research and development missions.