Washington, D.C. – Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday that the Senate approved $79.52 million in funding for Kentucky. The funding is included in the FY’08 Defense Appropriations conference report, which now goes to the President for his signature.



“The work being done at Kentucky’s military installations, defense facilities and universities is crucial to our nation’s defense,” Senator McConnell said. “This funding will ensure that Kentucky’s critical role in helping our troops at home and abroad will continue.”



McConnell, a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, secured funding for the following Kentucky military and defense facilities:



Airport Industrial Center/Technology Park of Greater Louisville:



$11.76 million for Mk 45 Mod 5” Gun Mount Overhauls (BAE Systems). The Mk 45 gun is the most commonly used gun system aboard surface combatants and has been in production with various modifications for nearly four decades.

$8 million for Destroyer Modernization Weapons (BAE Systems). Modification of this system will improve the Navy’s land attack capabilities with longer-range conventional rounds and improved accuracy and range.

$3.84 million for DDG 1000 AGS Pallets (BAE Systems). This funding supports the production of initial ammunition pallets for DDG 1000 ships.



“The work done by Kentucky’s employees of BAE Systems is good for our national security and good for our state,” McConnell said. “For example, one of the Navy guns built in Kentucky helps prevent our sailors from coming under future attacks as occurred in the 2000 terrorist attack on the U.S.S. Cole.”



All three gun systems that Senator McConnell secured additional funding for this year have the support of the Navy; the work performed was awarded to BAE Systems by the Navy through open competition and the projects are included in DOD’s long-term, internal budget plan.



McConnell also secured funding for the following projects at the Louisville facility:



$6.8 million for Phalanx Next Generation (Raytheon). The Phalanx system is a combat-proven system that provides effective terminal defense against rocket, artillery and mortar threats ashore and small boat, aircraft, and anti-ship cruise missiles threats at sea.



$3.2 million for the McConnell Technology Training Center (MTTC)/Innovative Productivity Inc. (IPI) in Louisville. The facility has provided the Navy with over $600 million in savings, and additional funding will support new projects, including research into more efficient painting and coating of ships to combat corrosion.

Blue Grass Army Depot:





$28 million for the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives (ACWA) program at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Richmond, Kentucky. This additional funding will enable the ACWA program to move more quickly toward the safe elimination of the chemical weapons located at the facility.

In related news, the Senate also approved McConnell’s amendment imposing a deadline of 2017 on the Department of Defense (DOD) to complete disposal of chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD). Without this amendment, DOD indicated it would not finish disposal at BGAD before 2023.

University of Louisville:



$3.2 million to continue the Bio/Nano-MEMS Center for Defense Applications at the University of Louisville. This funding supports research to combine micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) with recent advances in nanotechnology and bioengineering to enhance military capabilities. This funding will support research into this technology at the University of Louisville which could help the Navy accomplish its mission with improved situational awareness, reduced manpower and faster response times. Senator McConnell has previously secured $1.3 million for this project.





Fort Knox:



$3.2 million for Area Surveillance Radar at Godman Airfield at Fort Knox. The facility does not have this radar capacity and pilots currently must see and be seen to avoid mid-air collisions. This is particularly challenging and risky during intense training activities, which frequently are conducted at low altitudes, at night, and under aircraft blackout conditions.



University of Kentucky:



$1.6 million to continue the Military Fuels Research Program at the University of Kentucky. UK is conducting a military fuels research program with engineers and scientists from the Army National Automotive Center and the Air Force. Researchers at the university hope to develop an industry to produce clean military fuels from secure domestic resources, particularly coal.

$1.12 million for the UK partnership with Ft. Knox to continue to develop a Rapidly Deployable Visualization Center. This money will enable UK and Ft. Knox to expand on their work to develop a virtual reality-based immersive visualization environment to support military operations training in urban terrains.



Western Kentucky University:



$1.6 million to continue the development of a National Network Security Test Bed. The President’s Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection identifies the potential for disaster from cyber attacks against critical networks. This funding supports the development of a dynamic test bed to investigate, analyze and evaluate existing and emerging software technologies that can be used to secure the Department of Defense information infrastructure.

Other Kentucky Defense Projects:





$3.2 million for the Kentucky National Guard marijuana eradication efforts in the Daniel Boone National Forest and eastern Kentucky. Funding for this program is necessary to help the Kentucky National Guard continue its efforts to rid the Daniel Boone National Forest of marijuana. Senator McConnell has previously delivered $27.5 million for this project.



$4 million for Soldier Portable Solid Fuel Hydrogen Generator Cartridge development at Ensign-Bickford in Graham, Kentucky. This funding will be used to develop a soldier-portable solid fuel hydrogen gas generator cartridge system that will provide an equipped soldier with sufficient energy to carry out a 72-hour mission at full power demand. A replaceable cartridge would lighten carry loads and minimize field logistics.

The FY’08 Defense Appropriations conference report now goes to the President for his signature.



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