Project: Advance Polymer Systems for Defense Application: Power Generation, Protection, and Sensing
Recipient: Missouri University of Science and Technology
Address: 1870 Miner Circle, Rolla, Missouri 65409
Amount: $6,000,000
To maintain a strong national defense, our nation must develop new devices from innovative polymer-based materials that have lower-power requirements, greater strength, lighter weight, higher sensitivity, and robustness to operate under extreme conditions. The research will provide materials that will lead to important advances in: the generation and storage of power. The systems, made from hybrid-polymer composites and based on recent discoveries have advantages for military use over current systems in terms of weight, flexibility, and functionality. I am requesting $6,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2010 for this project.

Project: High Performance Alloy Materials and Advanced Manufacturing of Steel Castings for New Light Weight and Robotic Weapons Systems
Recipient: Missouri University of Science and Technology
Address: 1870 Miner Circle, Rolla, Missouri 65409
Amount: $3,200,000
New steel casting alloys and manufacturing technologies are needed to meet the requirements of the Army’s emerging weapons systems. The project will enable high performance, cost effective weapons systems through advanced alloys and manufacturing to enhance the readiness of the Army and reduce the Department of Defense’s procurement costs. Therefore I am requesting $3,200,000 for Fiscal Year 2010 for research on steel casting alloy development and new casting processes for weapons components.

Project: Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise Modeling, Simulation, Analysis Project (JGREMSAP)
Recipient: Battelle Memorial Institute, Fort Leonard Wood Operations
Address: 571 VFW Memorial Drive, STE 5, St. Robert, Missouri 65584
Amount: $2,500,000
This initiative will begin the necessary development required to conduct operational effectiveness studies of unmanned systems with increasing levels of autonomy. Ft Leonard Wood conducts military utility studies for the JGRE as directed. The JGREMSAP will support this effort and the development of new robotic concepts. The mission of the JGRE MSAP will be to perform requirements and operational effectiveness analyses by modeling (in a virtual environment) the tactical behaviors and the integration of intelligent robots into manned and/or unmanned teams as the future force evolves. This capability will complement technical simulations conducted later in the developmental process by optimizing the design parameters for unmanned systems. I am requesting $2,500,000 for Fiscal Year 2010 for this project.

Project: Locating and Tracking Explosive Threats with Wireless Sensors and Networks
Recipient: Missouri University of Science and Technology
Address: 1870 Miner Circle, Rolla, Missouri 65409
Amount: $8,000,000
Over 50% of American Combat fatalities in Iraq and over 33% deaths of American troops in Afghanistan are from IEDs. Missouri University of Science and Technology (MS&T;) seeks to research and develop a scalable, systematized integrated approach to achieve a new level of performance in the counter explosive efforts. MS&T; in sensor technologies and network sciences will be exploited to develop a framework that can integrate existing and developing counter- IED technologies to rapidly respond to adaptive threats while providing wide-area detection and/or persistent coverage. Since there is no technology that can detect, locate at a standoff distance, track these devices and other explosives during deployment, the proposed effort addresses this critical need. Accordingly, I request $8,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2010 for MS&T; to develop a system of wireless sensors and networks.

Project: Ultra-High Temperature Materials for Hypersonic Aerospace Vehicles
Recipient: Missouri University of Science and Technology
Address: 1870 Miner Circle, Rolla, Missouri 65409
Amount: $6,000,000
Ultra-high temperature materials are imperative for the leading and trailing edges, and control surfaces, of future hypersonic vehicles. The proposed project will greatly advance the material selection and design capability for military systems projected to operate in the extreme environments associated with hypersonic flight. Success of this project will enable the United States to uphold its position of world leadership in these critical technology areas of national importance. Accordingly, I am requesting $6,000,000 for the Missouri University of Science and Technology for Fiscal Year 2010.