Washington, D.C. - In response to Rep. Rick Larsen’s (WA-02) urging and support, local businesses will likely see millions in defense funding that were included in the final House-Senate defense appropriations bill. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill early this morning by a vote of 308 - 106. Larsen, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed his disappointment that Republicans attached non-defense-related provisions to the defense spending bill in the middle of night.

“Though not a perfect bill, our local communities and our national security will both benefit from the defense spending included in this bill,” Larsen said. “The services that these local businesses offer will strengthen our defenses, and these funds will provide vital economic and job growth opportunities in our communities.”

The Department of Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (H.R. 2863) includes funding for programs that could benefit Intermec Technologies Corp. (Everett, WA), CombiMatrix Corp. (Mukilteo, WA) and Mustang Survival (Bellingham, WA).  It also included funds for a program to improve man overboard protections systems on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and for new planes and Prowler technology for Naval Air Station Whidbey Island (NAS Whidbey).

Intermec Corp. should receive a portion of $1 million the bill allocates for the Navy’s Serial Number Tracking System, cutting-edge technology designed to allow Web-based, “cradle-to-grave” tracking of individual aircraft components.  Intermec has championed this technology. Additionally, Intermec Corp. should receive a portion of $7 million that the bill allocates for the Army’s Arsenal/Depot AIT Initiative (AD-AIT).  This technology improves the Army’s data  collection capabilities with bar code scanning/printing and radio frequency identification tagging technologies.

Larsen explained, “Both the Serial Number Tracking System and the Army AD-AIT initiative are helping to reduce overall maintenance and supply costs and improve military readiness.” 

CombiMatrix should see funding from the $2.1 million included in the bill for an Immunochemical Biological/Chemical Agent Detection System.

“CombiMatrix is protecting our troops by creating an accurate and rapid sensor system to alert them when biological or chemical threats are near,” Larsen said.

Mustang Survival should receive a little more than $1 million for further Research and Development of the Anti-Gravity garment.

For over 30 years, the Air Force has used Anti-Gravity garments to protect aircrews in high-speed fighter aircraft from the physiological effects of acceleration and maneuver-induced ‘G’ forces that quickly diminish pilots’ performance and can lead to ‘G’ induced loss of consciousness. Mustang Survival has engineered and manufactured an Anti-G suit that the Department of Defense currently uses.

“This funding will allow Mustang Survival to continue designing better methods to protect our pilots and aircrews,” Larsen said. “I’m proud to have a local company leading this critical effort.”

The bill also includes more than $122 million for ICAP-III and other electronic warfare technologies, representing the first significant upgrade to the EA-6B Prowler’s electronic warfare mission system in over 22 years.  In October Larsen flew in a Prowler equipped with the new ICAP-III technology in order to observe the improvements in person These upgrades are critical to preserving American air superiority over potential threats and will be “go/no go” criteria for U.S. and Coalition air operations. 

“Having flown in a Prowler with the new ICAP-III technology, I saw firsthand just how important it is to get these new electronic warfare tools on these planes as soon as possible,” Larsen stressed.

The bill also includes $310 million to purchase four EA-18G planes to replace the aging Prowler. The Navy announced earlier this year that the EA-18G platform would be stationed at NAS Whidbey.

He said, “These funds will get us started in bringing the next generation of electronic warfare planes to Whidbey and continuing the air station’s critical work of supporting this military asset.”

Sailors at Naval Station Everett will be safer thanks to a nearly $6.4 million allocation for the Man Overboard Identification System Program that will be permanently stationed on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln. The technology will immediately alert the Lincoln to a man-overboard incident and allows for precision-locating the individual in the water.

“While this technology was being evaluated on the Lincoln, it actually helped save a sailor who was blown from the Lincoln flight deck,” Larsen pointed out.

Larsen expressed frustration with Republicans who, in the middle of the night, loaded up the defense funding bill with unpopular and unrelated provisions ranging from highly controversial oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to a one percent across-the-board spending cut for all discretionary programs.

“With our soldiers in harm’s way across the globe, Republicans had no business turning our defense funding bill into a wagon into which they could pile non-defense-related controversial and unpopular provisions,” Larsen chided.