(Washington, DC) – Sixth District Congressman James E. Clyburn today announced the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee has passed the fiscal year 2007 Defense Appropriations bill, which includes $16.3 million he secured for projects in South Carolina.
“Several of these projects will help create jobs in rural communities like Bamberg and Marion counties, while all are designed to help improve the effectiveness of our military through technology, training, nutrition and health, or readiness,” Congressman Clyburn said. “I am pleased to be able to serve on the Appropriations Committee and help secure these federal investments that will benefit South Carolina’s economy and our nation’s defense.”
| Project | Appropriation | Project Description |
|
Eagle Vision |
$3.5 million |
Funding for McEntire Air National Guard Base to improve the capability of the Eagle Vision system, a mobile commercial satellite used for imagery collection and processing. |
|
Army Troop Health Promotion Studies |
$2 million |
Funding for the South Carolina Health Disparities Institute at the University of South Carolina to conduct research into health promotion and preventative medicine strategies to improve troop stress and health readiness upon call-up. |
|
Antiballistic Windshield Armor |
$2 million |
Funding for Bamberg-based DefenseCS, Inc. to produce cost-effective armor that attaches over the windshield and eliminates the problems with armored glass. |
|
Security at The Citadel |
$500,000 |
Funding for The Citadel to construct a new perimeter fence around the campus. |
|
National Robotics Training Center of Excellence |
$2 million |
Funding to establish a National Robotic Training Center of Excellence at Florence-Darlington Technical College to train qualified maintenance personnel to maintain the Department of Defense’s numerous robotics technologies. |
|
Techlink Southeast |
$1 million |
Funding for a program to identify, prioritize and solve the technological needs of regional industry. It is a partnership with all Department of Defense branches – Army, Navy, Air Force, and various defense agencies – and Federal laboratories, research universities and the private sector. TechLink accounts for approximately one-fourth of all Department of Defense Patent License Agreements nationwide. |
|
Advanced Warfighter Sustainment Systems for the 21st Century |
$2 million |
Funding for Sopakco in Marion County to improve Meals Ready to Eat (MRE) food quality, as well as packaging. The program will use nutraceuticals to deliver high performance combat ration components that maintain or enhance troops’ cognitive and physical performance. |
|
Tabletop Trainers |
$3.3 million |
Funding for the South Carolina Army National Guard to procure the Tabletop Trainer Program to provide better on-site convoy and crew training for soldiers who are deployed. |
Congressman Clyburn is the only member of the South Carolina Congressional delegation that sits on the House Appropriations Committee. The full House and Senate must approve the Defense Appropriations bill before it becomes law.
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