For Immediate Release

July 20, 2004

SEQUIM LAB TO SEE BOOST
IN INTELLIGENCE FUNDING

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The final version of the defense spending bill that will be approved by the House and Senate this week includes $4.2 million to expand a military intelligence program conducted by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Marine Research Operations in Sequim, Congressman Norm Dicks said.

            The research program explores new methods for identifying chemical and biological warfare agents using man-made sensors and natural organisms to detect indications of these weapons of mass destruction, Rep. Dicks said.   It is part of the Navy’s Coastal MASINT program, referring to the “Measurement and Signatures Intelligence” area of U.S. military intelligence gathering said Rep. Dicks, who previously has served as the ranking Democratic Member of the House Intelligence Committee.

            In the Coastal MASINT program, he said, research is conducted into the identifying “signatures” of activities in littoral, or near-shore, areas.  An example of this concept would be attempting to find and correctly characterize highly dilute (trace) byproduct chemicals in an estuary in a suspected proliferating foreign region, Rep. Dicks said.

            The congressman said he added the funding boost to the budget of the Sequim Lab next year to advance the work the lab is doing to develop sensors for a variety of platforms -- including unmanned aerial and underwater vehicles – some of which are equipped to operate autonomously.  In addition, researchers at the lab have been pursuing the concept of “biosentinels,” which are living systems that can function as an early warning system for the detection of chemical and biological weapons signatures in the marine environment.  In the next fiscal year, the lab is expected to transition biosentinel monitoring from environmental to WMD intelligence missions.  In addition, the work funded in 2005 will aid in moving laboratory based capabilities into field demonstrations in a marine environment. he added.

            “This cutting edge research work on sensor technology is important for the enhancement of America ’s intelligence capabilities,” the congressman stated.  Some of the lab’s activities at the Marine Research Operations in Sequim will remain classified for national security purposes, the congressman noted.  A total of 15 PNNL personnel are working on the Coastal MASINT program, including five new senior research scientists.  Another 67 people are employed at the Sequim lab on other energy and environmental research projects.


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