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ask.heather@mail.house.gov
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In Washington DC
442 Cannon House
Office Building
Washington, DC
20515
202-225-6316 Phone
202-225-4975 Fax |
In Albuquerque
20 First Plaza NW
Suite 603
Albuquerque, NM
87102
505-346-6781 Phone
505-346-6723 Fax |  |
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Congresswoman Heather Wilson, First Congressional District of New Mexico
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| Wilson Announces Progress on Defense Projects in New Mexico |
May 07, 2004 |
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Washington, DC – Congresswoman Heather Wilson, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, today said that this year’s House Defense Authorization bill includes important funds for the New Mexico’s national labs and other key New Mexico projects for strategic defense of our nation.
The Fiscal Year 2005 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4200) was completed this week in five Subcommittees of the House Armed Services Committee, and could reach the House floor by the end of May.
“New Mexico plays a critical role in our nation’s defense, particularly in areas of research and technology,” Wilson said. “These important projects will build on New Mexico’s unique contributions.”
Wilson said today that the portion of the bill completed this week in the Strategic Forces Subcommittee will create jobs in New Mexico by including key activities at the state’s National Labs, at Kirtland Air Force Base and the Air Force Research Laboratory, and work in private industry and universities. The bill authorizes $3 billion for National Nuclear Security Administration activities at the Sandia and Los Alamos Laboratories alone. Wilson is the only member of New Mexico’s Congressional delegation who serves on an armed services committee, which has jurisdiction over the military and the national laboratories.
Some specific items authorized in the bill include the following:
The bill authorizes full funding of $27.6M for studies of a Robust Nuclear Earth Penetrator, and $9M for Advanced Concepts studies. It strongly reaffirms the importance of these initiatives for future national security. Any engineering development beyond the current RNEP study would require separate authorization and appropriation by Congress. The bill also authorizes funds for nuclear test readiness and for design and environmental studies toward a modern pit facility.
In authorizing the funds for DOE’s nuclear weapons and nonproliferation programs and defense environmental programs, including some new construction starts in the state, the bill also includes:
A $20 million increase to the President’s requested budget of $48.7 Million to continue acceleration of the construction of the Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Application (MESA) Complex at Sandia National Labs. This will help ensure timely availability of the capabilities MESA will provide for stockpile stewardship. MESA will help modernize electrical, optical, and mechanical components of the U.S. nuclear deterrent using micro technologies, for future reliability, safety, and security.
A $13 million increase to maintain the delivery schedule for a complete Petawatt laser system at Sandia’s Z machine prior to 2007. This will add significant diagnostic capabilities to Z, a machine that uses pulsed electrical power to produce temperatures rivaling the sun.
$5 million to begin a ramp-up toward second-shift operations at Z to enable more experiments to be conducted.
Outside the DOE programs, the bill authorizes $10 million for the Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT) Consortium to conduct and exploit basic research on sensors that can enhance the intelligence capabilities of the U.S. This consortium includes UNM, Sandia, Los Alamos, and several other Federal laboratories, high-technology industries, and several Federal agencies. Other New Mexico universities can apply for grants under the program.
Within the area of missile defense, the bill authorizes the full $492 million requested for the Airborne Laser Program (ABL) headquartered at Kirtland Air Force Base and with $200M of activities in New Mexico at the Air Force Research Lab and local business.
It also includes $4 million at the Air Force Research Lab for Integrated Control for Autonomous Space Systems (ICASS), to develop advanced satellite control and measurement technologies, enabling significant performance enhancements for Air Force space and air-breathing systems.
An increase of $5 million over the President’s budget request of $60.1 million for advanced spacecraft technology will fund a satellite simulation toolkit.
An increase of $6 million over the President’s budget request of $35.4 million for operationally responsive launch capability will fund the Scorpius program to develop technology for sub-orbital launch.
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