House Authorizes Defense Budget with $553 Million for Military Construction in Hawaii

Press Release

House Authorizes Defense Budget with $553 Million for Military Construction in Hawaii

Neil Abercrombie today said the nation's defense budget for next year will provide critical funding to reverse the dangerous decline in the ability of our military to respond to national security threats throughout the world.

The 2009 National Defense Authorization Act increases funding in key areas, and includes more than $550 million for military construction in Hawaii. The legislation was approved overwhelming by the full House today.

"This budget addresses the crisis in our military's state of readiness which has suffered terribly during the five-year occupation of Iraq," said Abercrombie, who chairs the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces and helped lead the charge to address equipment and training deficiencies in the U.S. military.

"By addressing the military readiness crisis — equipment, manpower, training and facilities — this budget will have a large and direct impact on Hawaii-based troops and military installations, including Schofield Barracks on Oahu, Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawaii Island, and the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai. In addition, the resulting work for our building trades and related businesses will stimulate new economic activity that's important to the strength of Hawaii's construction industry and overall economy."

The budget improves the overall state of U.S. military readiness by directing sweeping action that includes readiness initiatives requested by the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, improving military barracks; providing additional money for maintenance and repair on aircraft, ships, and ground equipment; redistributing equipment to Army units with shortfalls; providing funds for ammunition and missile maintenance; and addressing insufficient training in the Army.

Hawaii projects include:

- Schofield Barracks (barracks, battalion complex, brigade complex, infrastructure) - $279
million

- Wideband SATCOM Operations Center, Wahiawa - $40 million

- Pohakuloa Training Area (Saddle Road construction, phase five) - $9 million

- Pacific Missile Range Facility Advanced Radar Detection Laboratory - $28.9 million

- Marine Corps Base Hawaii Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (part of ongoing improvements to
bachelor enlisted quarters) - $28.2 million

- Naval Station Pearl Harbor (joint forces deployment staging area, fitness center, child
development center) - $80.29 million

- Submarine Drive-in Magnetic Silencing Facility Phase II - $41.088 million

- Defense Logistics Agency, Pearl Harbor, replacement of fuel pipeline - $27.7 million.

- Army Reserve Center, Fort Shafter - $19.199 million

The bill supports troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, replacing and upgrading worn and battle-damaged combat equipment, and increasing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. The bill fully funds requests from the Army and Marine Corps and funds for body armor, Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, up-armored Humvees.

"This measure also recognizes the critical role of the National Guard and Reserve and addresses their modernization programs with an additional $800 million," Abercrombie said.

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