Dorgan, Conrad announce senate approval of bill to boost military, North Dakota economy

DORGAN, CONRAD ANNOUNCE SENATE APPROVAL OF BILL TO BOOST MILITARY, NORTH DAKOTA ECONOMY

Legislation includes investments that will support U.S. military, North WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate voted Tuesday night to approve an appropriations bill that provides critical funding to support and strengthen our nation’s military, including a number of provisions added by U.S. Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad that will advance high-tech defense research in North Dakota.

“We have a number of innovative companies in North Dakota that are doing good work that will provide new technology and efficiencies that strengthen our military, and this bill will give them a boost,” Senators Dorgan and Conrad said. “That’s good for our troops and our military missions. But it’s also good for the economy of our state. Their work will create good-paying jobs and expand our state’s reputation as a hub of high-tech research and development.”

The Defense Appropriations bill will now go to a conference committee that will work out the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. The North Dakota projects in the bill include:

Projects in the Fargo area:

Tunable MicroRadio for Military Systems

$7 million

NDSU’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering will work with industry partner Peregrine Superconductor to develop a next-generation radio that will provide an 8- to 12-fold improvement in performance over the military’s current equipment. The new technology will increase bandwidth and cut the size and power usage of military radios.

Electronics and Materials for Flexible Sensors and Transponders

$6 million

This funding will be used by NDSU and its partners to design and produce radio frequency sensors and transponders made of flexible materials. The Department of Defense has expressed a need for new, flexible sensors and transponders that will be more useful in covert and sensitive operations.

Bioactive Polymers and Coating Systems for Protection Against Bio-Threats

$4.5 million

NDSU’s Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering and its industrial partner, Triton Systems, Inc., will develop a family of novel antimicrobial coatings that can be embedded on fabrics to block toxins, kill bacteria and control pathogenic biological agents. The fabrics will be used in the manufacture of items such as tents and chem-bio shelters for the military.

Anti-fouling and Fouling-release Coating Systems

$3.5 million

NDSU and its industrial partner, PPG Inc, will develop a new class of environmentally friendly antifouling coatings for use on U.S. Navy vessels. This research supports the Navy's goal of reducing maintenance and achieving 12 years between dry-docking of vessels.

High Performance Tunable Materials

$3 million

NDSU and its industry partner Paratek will develop new materials that will permit the design and manufacture of next-generation wireless systems for the military that are far smaller and more efficient than what our troops now carry on the battlefield.

Dynamic Data Flow Management System

$2 million

Pedigree Technologies in Fargo will develop a system that will improve the ability to deliver timely intelligence and other information to our troops by automatically optimizing the flow of video and sensor data over the limited bandwidth of tactical Internet Protocol networks. The system will automatically prioritize and optimize the flow of data to each user to ensure that they get the exact data they need as soon as they need it.

Head Attitude Tracking System (HATS)

$2 million

Appareo Systems in Fargo will develop a small, lightweight, GPS and inertial sensing and monitoring system for U.S. Special Forces who often must glide by parachute long distances to their target. HATS will allow parachutists to navigate at night to their target by using computer-generated "checkpoints" that they can view on a heads-up display mounted on their helmets.

Army Material Degradation

$800,000

NDSU and Turtle Mountain Manufacturing will help extend the life of Army vehicles and structures by developing and field testing coatings with improved performance and dependability compared to those now used. Most of the anti-corrosion coatings used on military vehicles and structures employ up to 40-year old technologies, and much of this corrosion could be prevented with an improvement in coatings.

Projects in Grand Forks area:

University of North Dakota Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Research, Education and Training

$8 million

This investment will enable the UAS Center at UND to establish a research, education, training and flight testing facility supporting the United States military. The facility will be collocated with the emerging Department of Homeland Security and Air Force UAS missions. The UAS Center of Excellence at UND is already working on issues that must be resolved before the military services and other federal agencies can fulfill their goals for unmanned aerial systems, including resolving airspace issues which threaten to delay the bed-down of UAS at Air Force and Air Guard bases around the United States.

Staph Vaccine

$8 million

NovaDigm, a Grand Forks company, will continue developing vaccines to prevent Staph infections, which present a serious threat to military personnel. Wounded soldiers are more likely to die from infection than from any other cause. A recent study at a Baghdad field hospital found that approximately 50 percent of combat wounds were infected, in large part by antibiotic-resistant Staph.

Advanced Tactical Fuels for the U.S. Military

$4 million

UND’s Energy and Environmental Research Center will continue its effort to develop alternative fuels for the Department of Defense. Researchers will develop a system to use biofuels to produce hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles. They will also develop a new group of liquid fuels from coal and biomass.

Silicon Nanomaterial for Battlefield Medical Devices

$3.5 million

Over 50 percent of battlefield deaths are due to uncontrolled bleeding. The military is seeking hemostatic devices that are better than the ones that are now available to soldiers on the battlefield. Under this project, UND will work with an industry partner to complete development of a new generation of battlefield hemostats using nanofibers that are completely biodegradable in the body and are biologically safe. This could lead to the establishment of a commercial production facility in Grand Forks.

Lightweight Reliable Materials for Military Systems

$3 million

UND will use its expertise in surface engineering and lightweight materials to increase the durability and reliability of the lightweight materials that the Army needs for the next generation of weapons and equipment.

MEMS Antenna for Wireless Communications Supporting UAVs in the Battlefield

$3 million

UND and Laserlith Corporation will continue to design, test and demonstrate new communications technology that will be used in UAVs. These newly designed antennas will improve performance, cost and size.

Air Battle Captain ROTC Helicopter Training

$2 million

UND will continue its program that provides helicopter flight training to ROTC students during the academic year, and West Point cadets during their summer recess.

Projects in Bismarck area:

Energy Education Accreditation Training for Military Personnel

$500,000

Bismarck State College will implement an online curriculum for Navy personnel which will give them an accredited education specifically related to power plant operations and technology. The Navy hopes the proposed curriculum will improve recruiting and retention by allowing sailors to complete Navy-relevant higher education without having to attend an in-residence institution.

Projects in Minot area:

Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI)

$5 million

InfoTech in Minot will create a new and improved system that allows Department of Defense personnel to access military databases securely from anywhere in the world. The project is part of the Pentagon’s effort to build a worldwide information network called the Global Information Grid.

Projects on the Standing Rock Reservation:

Parts-on-Demand for CONUS Operations

$5 million

Alion Science and Technology Corp. is working with Rock Industries in Fort Yates to develop a precision manufacturing facility to provide specially fabricated parts to U.S. Army units. The facility will ensure Army units can get replacement parts as quickly and cheaply as possible – particularly parts that are in short supply or no longer manufactured.

Projects in Sherwood area:

Advanced Fast Steering Mirror for LITENING Pod

$2 million

SEO Precision in Sherwood, N.D., will work with Northrop Grumman to improve the capabilities of U.S. combat aircraft by adding state-of-the-art fast steering mirrors to their LITENING targeting systems. This will significantly enhance the precision targeting capabilities of almost every U.S. combat aircraft.

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