WASHINGTON, D.C. -- United States Senator Daniel K. Inouye announced that the House-Senate Conference approved $39.3 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 opportunities for new initiatives that can be targeted for job creation on Maui," stated Senator Inouye.

Senator Inouye's Maui initiatives include:

Support for AEOS Telescope and University of Hawaii spectrograph	$7.3 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
Next generation Internet development at the Maui High Performance Computing Center	$1 million
Continue advanced airborne sensor research for Air Force	$6 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

These initiatives will now face final House and Senate votes before the bill is transmitted to the White House.