WASHINGTON, D.C. -- United States Senator Daniel K. Inouye announced that the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved $47.3 million for defense initiatives on the Island of Maui. These projects are included in the Fiscal Year 1999 Department of Defense Appropriations bill.

"Unlike Oahu, where a large military presence exists, much of Maui's military connection has been through telephone lines, fiber optic lines, lasers, and sensors -- Maui's connection has been a high technology connection. The Island of Maui and its economy have benefitted from this defense presence. This is the case with the Air Force's Advanced Electro-Optical System (AEOS) telescope atop Haleakala. Together, and in partnership with the world's largest supercomputer, there are many possibilities, allowing for new initiatives that can be targeted for exciting job opportunities on Maui," stated Senator Inouye.

Senator Inouye's Maui initiatives include:

Support for AEOS Telescope and University of Hawaii spectrograph	$3.3 million
Operational support for Maui High Performance Computing Center	$10 million
Marine Corps' modeling and simulation work at the Maui High Performance Computing Center	$4 million
Continue advanced airborne sensor research for Air Force	$8 million
Continue field laser radar demonstration upgrades	$6 million
Continue dual use research on active pixel sensors for missile defense and medical technology	$5 million
Support for Space operations, a portion for Maui Space Surveillance Site	$11 million

These initiatives will now go to the full Senate for consideration. It will then face a joint House-Senate Conference and final House and Senate vote before its transmittal to the White House.