Smith Secures $25 Million for Puget Sound Military Projects
September 25, 2008
“This package helps restore our military’s readiness and provides our troops and families with the support they need. I’m also pleased that we included funds for important projects at Ft. Lewis, McChord Air Force Base and around the region,” Smith said.
These important projects include:
$8.6 million for Washington State Air National Guard’s 262nd Information Warfare Aggressor Squadron to build a new cyber-warfare facility for use by the (IWAS) at McChord Air Force Base.
$2 million for the Stryker Situation Awareness Soldier Protection Package, to equip the Stryker vehicle drivers of Ft. Lewis’ 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, with transparent armor; Carapace, LLC, North Andover, Mass.
$200,000 for the Madigan Army Medical Center Digital Pen project to acquire digital pens that capture and upload writing electronically while also recording care in ink on paper to improve the process of recording and transmitting patient care information; ADAPX, Seattle, Wash.
$1.6 million for the Tacoma Trauma Trust - Madigan Army Medical Center Trauma Assistance Program to provide critical trauma training for military medical personnel, while providing essential Level II trauma treatment for South King, Pierce, Kitsap, and Thurston Counties and southwest Washington for both military beneficiaries and civilian residents; Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma General Hospital, and St. Joseph’s Hospital, Tacoma, Wash.
$4.4 million for the University of Washington’s Institute of Surgical and Interventional Simulation (ISIS) to upgrade existing facilities, expand their existing partnerships with Madigan Army Medical Center and VA Puget Sound, and explore ways in which surgical simulation can enhance the treatment and rehabilitation of soldiers; University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.
$3 million for the Oregon Biomedical Engineering Institute, for research on limb and tissue regeneration for battlefield injuries using bone marrow and stem cells; Oregon Biomedical Engineering Institute, Portland, Ore.
$1.6 million for million for Optical Neural Techniques for Combat/Post-Trauma Health Care with the potential to provide full restoration of hearing for injured soldiers; Aculight Corporation, Bothell, Wash.
$3.2 for Mobile Object Infrastructure Technology enabling the U.S. Army Intelligence Command (INSCOM) to continue research and development of solutions to network computing challenges, including bandwidth and information-sharing constraints; Topia Technology, Tacoma, Wash.
Congressman Smith also helped secure key funds for programs vitally important to the Fort Lewis and McChord military community including:
$56 million for the Readiness and Environment Protection Initiative (REPI). Smith has successfully advocated for REPI funds to be used to acquire land and development rights in the buffer zone North of McChord Air Force Base’s runway. This vital program helps public and private entities establish protective buffer zones around military installations. These buffer zones help insulate military installations from encroachment from development that can adversely impact the military’s ability to train.
$40 million for Impact Aid, which compensates school districts with a significant population of students from military families. School districts surrounding Ft. Lewis and McChord rely heavily on the program.