WASHINGTON, D.C. -- United States Senator Daniel K. Inouye announced that the Senate passed the House-Senate Conference Report to the Fiscal Year 1998 Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations bill. The bill contains $196.3 million for various Hawaii defense initiatives.

Senator Inouye secured funding for these defense programs of interest to Hawaii:

PACIFIC MISSILE RANGE FACILITY (PMRF)

Tactical Missile Defense Program	$31,000,000
To satisfy Congressionally mandated Multiple Simultaneous Engagement requirements. The additional funds shall be used to upgrade the Pacific Missile Range and to support its role as the test and evaluation range for the Navy's tactical ballistic missile defense programs.
Operating Funds	$12,000,000
Funds added to ensure that Navy testing and training at the range can be continued at required levels. The PMRF is the largest multi-environmental range in the world. The PMRF is the primary test range for the Navy Lower Tier and Upper Tier missile defense flight tests to develop improved, shipborne defenses against theater ballistic missiles. This direction is based on the unique assets and PMRF's demonstrated record of success in research, development, testing and evaluation activities and operational training exercises.
Optical Sensors	$5,000,000
To purchase optical sensors to expand the capabilities of the Pacific Missile Range on Kauai.
Kauai Test Facility	$5,000,000
To sustain activities at the Kauai Test Facility.
Improvements in Utility Services	$3,000,000
Akamai	$21,000,000
To continue Tripler Medical Center's leadership in telemedicine and teleradiology. At least $2.7 million will be used to investigate new technologies including dual mode hyperspectral fluorescence imaging.
PACMEDNET	$10,000,000
To support operational modeling of theater medical information infrastructure for forward deployed forces in Alaska and Korea.
Maui High Performance Computing Center (MHPCC)	$15,000,000
To upgrade the computer systems at the site to ensure that the MHPCC is among the leading supercomputer systems in the world. The MHPCC provides the computational capability necessary to process and enhance the images of satellites and other objects collected at the Maui Space Surveillance.
Advanced Airborne Sensor	$12,000,000
To conduct further research on new applications for the Field Laser Demonstrator technology on Air Force aircraft.
Littoral Airborne Sensor/Hyperspectral (LASH) Technology	$12,000,000
To continue funding for an initiative started by CINCPACFLT to equip patrol aircraft with imaging equipment.
Environmental Quality Technology	$9,400,000
$5,400,000 shall be used to continue on-going efforts with the Hawaii small business development center to be administered as in previous years. The existing program focuses on developing agricultural-industrial products of interest to defense and civilian consumers. Additionally, the Committee provided $4,000,000 for the continuation of the joint effort of the Army Environmental Center and the Department of Agriculture to demonstrate the efficacy and cost effectiveness of agriculturally based bioremediation to restore contaminated military and civilian sites in fragile and geographically isolated Pacific island ecosystems.
Maui Space Surveillance Center	$8,900,000
For the Air Force Maui Space Surveillance System Center to support the Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS). This initiative was described by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs as a high priority for the DoD.
Pacific Disaster Center Modeling Technologies	$8,000,000
Funding will be used to expedite modeling technologies underway to ensure the earliest possible full operation of the Center and to serve as the model for other disaster and related activities. The Committee requires the technologies to be designed using software for massively parallel computers.
Center of Excellence for Research in Ocean Sciences	$7,000,000
The Center of Excellence for Research in Ocean Sciences (CEROS) was created to foster technology development and commercial use of ocean and marine research in Hawaii.
Field Laser Demonstrator	$6,000,000
To continue working on the Field Laser Demonstrator, a program developed and tested at the Air Force Maui Space Surveillance Center.
Photo Conduction on Active Pixel Sensor Technology	$5,000,000
To begin a new sensor technology program. This is expected to develop into a manufacturing capability in Hawaii for an exciting new technology which has widespread DoD and commercial capabilities.
Advanced Technology Transition	$5,000,000
To continue research efforts in "advanced ship design" technology demonstrators that are developed and produced in Hawaii.
Army Data Analysis Center	$5,000,000
To continue the creation of a data analysis center for the Army to be located on Maui.
Center of Excellence in Disaster Management	$5,000,000
Located at Tripler Army Medical Center, the Center's mission is to provide education, training and research in civil-military operations, particularly operations that require international disaster management, humanitarian assistance and interagency coordination, and to make available high-quality disaster management and humanitarian assistance training to aid in disaster response.
Multi-Purpose Processor	$4,000,000
For Navy submarine combat systems of which $2 million is related to technology development jobs and $2 million for equipment purchases done on Hawaii.
Conservation/Ecosystem Management Program	$3,000,000
For environmental mitigation and remediation in conjunction with Saddle Road on the Big Island.
Sea Dragon	$2,450,000
A priority for the Commandant of the Marine Corps to conduct modeling and simulation efforts in conjunction with the Maui High Performance Computing Center.
Reserve Component Integration	$1,200,000
For the U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) to help integrate Army National Guard units with the active forces.
Photomagnetic Materials Research	$350,000
For a new material research program.

The Fiscal Year 1998 DoD Appropriations Bill will now be transmitted to the White House to await President Clinton's signature.