The defense spending bill will provide $447.6 billion for military personnel, operations and maintenance, and equipment procurement.  The Arkansas delegation also applauded passage of an additional $70 billion in emergency spending to pay for repairing and replacing Army and Marine Corps equipment worn out by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Arkansas is home to vital military installations, as well as a growing, cutting edge research and development industry that will bring our nation’s defense capabilities to new levels.  These investments will enhance our troops’ capabilities, improve their safety and help secure our nation,” Senator Pryor said.

"As we strive to make our country more secure, it is important that we provide our military with the training, equipment, and technology that is necessary in building a strong national defense," said Senator Lincoln. "I am pleased that this bill includes many critical pieces of legislation that I have consistently fought for in order to strengthen Arkansas’ military efforts while boosting our state’s economy."

"Arkansas’ universities and defense industries play a critical role in helping America establish a strong military program,” said Congressman Berry. “These funds will improve existing military installations, advance cutting edge military research, and help keep our troops safe as they fight overseas."

“These projects demonstrate the changing nature of warfare,” said Congressman Snyder. “It is important that we maintain our edge technologically not just in education, medicine and business, but also in war-fighting.”

"I am proud to see our state as a site for the cutting-edge research needed by our armed forces to continue as a world-class military force," Congressman Boozman said. "This research and development will not only keep our men and women in uniform safer, but will eventually lead to civilian applications which will benefit all of us."

“Investments like these in our national defense infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities are critical to our national security,” Congressman Ross said. “Arkansas's defense facilities play a key role in keeping our men and women in uniform safe throughout the world, and I'm proud to fight each year to secure funds for the defense contractors and military installations that employ hundreds of hard-working Arkansans in the Fourth Congressional District.”

The following Arkansas projects were included in the FY 2007 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill:

Pine Bluff

M18 Smoke Grenade – $2 million was secured to replenish training and operational stocks of the M18 Grenade produced at the Pine Bluff Arsenal.  The M18 Grenade is a small hand-held grenade, approximately the size of a soup can, that emits a dense colored smoke and is used by all military services for signaling, marking, or screening operations.  The M18 Smoke Grenade has been in high demand as a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

M291 Skin Decontamination Kits (SDK) – $2 million was secured above the President’s request for production of M291 Skin Decontamination Kits (SDK) at the Pine Bluff Arsenal.  M291 SDKs are the only skin decontamination kits fielded by the military and have been used by U.S. Armed Forces since the early 1990’s, having been deployed in Desert Storm and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.  The portable kit decontaminates skin from known nerve and blister agent threats without harm and is FDA approved. 

Fayetteville, AR

Center for Ferroelectric Electronic-Photonic Nanodevices, Universtity of Arkansas – $1.6 million was secured to complete research and development work in the field of ferroelectric electronic-photonic nanodevices at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.  This work supports Army information and communication supremacy goals through ferroelectric and electronic-photonic nanodevices.  Nanotechnology is a newly emerging field of science where scientists and engineers manipulate matter at the molecular and atomic level in order to develop materials and systems with revolutionary properties.

Three-Dimensional Packaging, University of Arkansas - $1.4 million was secured for the Three-Dimensional packaging program, a consortium research effort between the University of Arkansas, the International Technology Center, North Carolina State University, and the University of Florida.  This is a third-year program working on 3-D microcircuit packages to help the military lower the size and weight and improve thermal and electrical performance of radio communications equipment. 

Intelligent Free Space Optical Satellite Communications Node – $1.4 million was secured to assist Space Photonics of Fayetteville develop products that support the Air Force and improve the performance, reliability and security of space communications. 

Jonesboro, AR

Standoff Hazardous Agent Detection and Evaluation System (SHADES), Arkansas State University – $2 million was secured to assist ASU, in conjunction with industry, to further sampling and analysis technologies to detect ultra-low concentrations of weapons of mass destruction.  These technologies will include Solid Phase Micro-Extraction (SPME) samplers and unique Gas Chromatography (GC) and Laser Spectroscopy (LS) techniques.

Artic Warfare Mountaineering Boot – $1 million was secured to establish a U.S. production base at Wolverine World Wide for high-performance boots for use by all special operations warfighters.  Current cold weather boots are outdated and lack characteristics necessary for crampons, snowshoeing or movement on skis.  Significant advancements have been made in boot technologly, but there is a lack of commercially available, U.S. manufacutered boots.  Special Operation Force unit leaders have been faced with the dilemma of either wearing outmoded, inadequate boots or purchasing foreign-off-the-shelf items for their personnel.  Other soliders have relied on personal gear, purchased at their own expense. 

Standoff Sensor for Radionuclide Identification, Arkansas State University - $1.65 million was secured to invest in smart technologies, called Standoff Sensor for Radionuclide Identification, to detect nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.  ASU, the University of Hawaii, and Florida A&M will continue collaborative work to expedite results on promising sensor research for the early detection of chemical and biological threats most likely to be used by terrorists. 

Russellville, AR

Mobile Medical Shelter – $3.4 million was secured in funding to complete the design and manufacture of two sets of prototypes for mobile medical shelters.  Modern and sterile shelters are critical resources to medics treating military wounded on the battlefield.  In a partnership agreement with the City of Russellville, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space (EADS) North America will develop two prototypes for a U.S. Army competition.  If the Army selects the EADS prototype and buys the mobile units, final assembly, testing and maintenance of the mobile medical shelter will take place in Russellville, AR.

Highland Park, Camden, AR

Standard Missile Rocket Motor Modernization – $4 million was secured above the President’s request for Aerojet to modernize the rocket motors on about half of the missiles that would otherwise expire by 2010 due to age.  As part of its ongoing Standard Missile Service Life Extension Program (SLEP), the Navy qualified a rocket motor regrain process that re-uses the major subcomponents thereby providing a new rocket motor at approximately 50% of the cost and in half the time required for a new motor.

Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) Deployment – $65 million was secured for Raytheon to increase the manufacturing rate from two to four SM-3 systems per month.  These systems, when integrated on U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers, provide the capability to detect, track, intercept, and destroy short to intermediate range ballistic missiles.

Hydra-70 70 mm (2.75 inch) Rockets – $136.670 million was protected for the Hydra-70 rocket system used by Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Special Operations helicopters and Navy, Marine and Air Force jet aircraft. The system is an effective area suppression weapon which has seen use most recently in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Hydra-70 family of rockets includes seven different tactical warheads that provide combat overmatch and ensure a near-term war fighting readiness posture for U.S. aviation assets including the Army’s AH-64 Apache, the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, and the Marine Corps’ AH-1 Cobra. Camden’s portion of the Hydra Rocket production supports 243 jobs.

Tomahawk – $354.565 million was protected for special tooling and testing equipment to increase production capacity of the Tomahawk missile.  Camden’s portion of the Tomahawk Missile assembly supports approximately 60 jobs.

PAC-3 Missiles – $489.067 million was protected to fund the Defense Department’s priority anti-tactical missile interceptor program, the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC).  It is designed to counter all threats armed with weapons of mass destruction.  Camden’s portion of the PAC-3 Missile production supports approximately 460 jobs.

Rogers, AR

Machinery Control and Surveillance System – $1.3 million was secured in funding for Visions Technology of Rogers to procure a machinery control surveillance system to monitor mission-critical spaces aboard gas turbine ships.  The Naval Systems Command (NAVSEA) has identified the work of Visions Technology as important to the Navy’s mission, which demonstrates Visions’s rising stock as a provider of quality defense services.

Camp Robinson in North Little Rock, AR

Meteorological Measuring Set - $6.5 million will be divided among several states to support the

procurement of a next generation artillery meteorological system.

Enterprise Resource Planning - $2.9 million was secured for the Army National Guard, which is undergoing a major shift in automation systems and processes.  Efforts are underway to consolidate many of the early generation, custom designed automation systems with large-scale commercial off-the-shelf Enterprise Resource Planning solutions.  This nationwide project is headquartered at Camp Robinson.

Texarkana, AR

Lone Star Load, Assemble and Pack (LAP) Modernization – $2.9 million was secured for Joint Munitions Command to continue the evaluation and implementation of initiatives in the FY05 LAP Modernization program.  Such funding will assure the completion of the Modernization program and conversion to a flexible, more cost effective production process.

Hot Springs, AR

Vanadium Technology Partnership - $1.35 million was secured for the Vanadium Technology Program, which has made immense progress in finding beneficial commercial solutions for defense applications.  Currently, Vanadium is used in virtually every structural application in the military and continued funding for the program will advance practical applications.  Benefits to the Army include lighter, mobile systems, which improve airlift capability and decrease logistical support.  Stratcor, Inc. in Hot Springs manufactures vanadium products.