SENATE TO CONSIDER DoD REPORT WITH $150 MILLION FOR RF R&D
Senate this week is expected to consider House-Senate conference report (107-737) for FY 2003 Dept. of Defense (DoD) appropriations bill (HR-5010) that would provide more than $150 million for radiofrequency (RF) R&D, testing and evaluation programs. House last week passed report, 409-14, and sent it to Senate. Report resolves moderate differences in spending that initially were proposed by respective conferees, who agreed to exceed most program funding sought by Bush Administration.
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Navy would get $76 million for advanced technology development of RF systems, more than $10 million above request by Bush administration and Armed Services committees in both houses. Agency also would get additional $76 million for applied research of RF systems, slightly more than proposed by Senate panel, almost $10 million more than what was sought by House committee, nearly $20 million above White House request.
Report encouraged DoD to develop “an accelerated [R&D] investment strategy” for secure wireless technology. It ordered Department to “consider” speeding up existing program at National Security Agency (NSA) that’s developing “secure cellular wireless technology and multiband functionality.” Report pledged to support DoD “reprogramming” of $10 million to develop “more robust secure nationwide cellular capability with multiband functionality.” It also recommended that DoD transfer $4.5 million from Defense Emergency Response Fund to Army Reserve “to increase the availability of current generation NSA-approved secure nationwide digital cellular phones to meet urgent service needs.”
Funding for satellite communications “demonstration and validation” programs for Air Force under report included: (1) Advanced extremely high-frequency military satcom (milsatcom), $844 million. (2) Milstar satcom, $785 million. (3) Advanced wideband system, $120 million. (4) Polar milsatcom, $20 million. (5) Wideband gapfiller satellite system, $14 million. (6) Evolved expendable launch vehicle program, $57.6 million.
Proposed funding for Air Force operational systems development programs included: (1) Multisensor command and control satellite constellation, $338 million. (2) Spacelift range system, $96.8 million. (3) Milsatcom terminals, $72.7 million. (4) Advanced spacecraft and satellite technology development, $56 million. Separately, Navy would get $115 million for satcom systems development.