Rep. Chris Smith announced today that legislation directing $179.1 million in new funding for 2009 for the McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst joint base was signed into law late last night by President Bush. 

    The funding for 10 projects, which was secured through the joint work of Reps. Smith and Jim Saxton (NJ-03) who share representation of the joint base, is included in the fiscal year 2009 Continuing Resolution (CR/ HR 2638). 

    “Final action on the Military Construction bill this week enables our critical projects at the New Jersey joint base to move ahead on time instead of waiting for Congressional action in a new congress in the New Year,” Smith said. “The timely funding will not only advance our national security goals but also help further employment and increased economic activity in our area at a time when we need it most,” he said. 

    The money will fund projects transferred to the base as a result of the 2005 base realignment law and expand and enhance existing missions that the three services are already performing at the joint base. 

    “The commitment of both the Pentagon and Congress to bringing new missions and expanding existing infrastructure and activities on the joint base demonstrates not only the tremendous value of the installation, but also the incredible potential for future growth, ” said Smith. 

    Naval Engineering Station Lakehurst—Ocean County’s largest employer—is slated to receive $15.4 million for an Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) testing facility. This project will be integrated with recovery test sites in support of the new CVN 78 carriers in order to provide a reliable, updated recovery system for controlled deceleration of landing aircraft. 

    “During the 1995 BRAC round, we successfully reversed a proposal to radically realign Lakehurst by highlighting its value to the aircraft carrier community,” Smith said. “The proposed AAG facility shows that the Navy fully values the Lakehurst role in naval aviation and that our base will remain an integral part of the next generation carriers.” 

    In addition to the AAG facility, the projects include:

• $27 million for a storage and maintenance facility to serve Army Reserve operations. The warehousing facility will be 55,000 square-feet, and the maintenance shop will be 20,000 square-feet;
• $3.4M for a modified record fire range in support of annual weapons training for more than 30,000 Army Reserve and National Guard soldiers;
• $41.9M for the second and final phase of constructing helicopter hangars & a Marine Air Group HQ;
• $37M for a Navy Aviation Supply Department & Operations Facility;
• $28.9M for the second and final phase of Navy VR Fleet Logistics Operations Facility, which would provide around-the-clock worldwide air logistic support for Active and Reserve units;
• $12M for Aviation Support Facility Hangar Renovation;
• $7.4M for a Joint Warfighter and Family Support Center to serve deploying airmen and their families;
• $4.3M for a Navy C-130 Flight Simulator Facility; and
• $1.8M for a Navy Munitions Maintenance Facility.

    Also, Smith successfully lead the effort to included $1.6 million in the bill for the Army’s Communications-Electronic Research, Development and Engineering Center (CERDEC) to implement a test capability for airborne and ground antennae. They will develop and prove new concept antennae that operate at higher frequencies, offer significantly higher capacities and are less prone to interference and jamming. 

    “The CERDEC Flight Activity performed on Lakehurst has grown rapidly in the past few years. They are now bringing in more work than ever before and continue to be a vital tenant at the base and for the community,” Smith said. After working with military officials and local employers from CERDEC and up the Army’s chain of command, Smith was able to secure a commitment from the Army to budget over $20 million for construction of a new hanger to house the CERDEC mission in the next planning cycle. “CERDEC is a prime example of a mission that has grown, and can continue to grow, as a result of a coordinated and concerted effort to highlight the talented workforce and other assets that we have at the joint base.” 

    The joint base continues to serve national security needs of the 21st century. The three bases employ 17,000 people and have an annual economic impact exceeding $2 billion. 

    Also heading to another 4th District military installation is $8.16 million that will allow Naval Weapons Station Earle to improve security at the Main Gate. Rep. Smith and the New Jersey Senators worked to secure this funding, which will be used to upgrade required anti-terrorism / force protection measures including a new gate, fencing, vehicle barriers, guard facilities, lighting, security cameras, an inspection shelter, a new pass and identification office and a parking area.

• Additional funding that Rep. Smith and other members of the New Jersey delegation helped steer to Central New Jersey in the CR include: $3.2M for Monmouth University to develop and prototype a “Rapid Information Sharing for Consequence Management and Decision Support” database system that will enable classified military systems to effectively share tactical information in real time in support of catastrophic events;
• $1.2M for a Lakewood based company to complete Phase Two of “Project Kryptolite,” which develops and deploys a stealth coating system using blast mitigation technologies to reduce injuries and deaths resulting from among other things, improvised explosive devices (IED)—which are the number one killer of American servicemembers in Iraq;
• $1.6M for the Rutgers University’s Center for Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response to work on critical infrastructure protection; preparedness and response to natural, accidental, and intentional disasters; and information/intelligence assessment and analysis;
• $2M for an EMALS Corrosion Protection study of design-specific corrosion data under simulated catapult conditions to minimize costly fleet maintenance and enhance operational readiness; and
• $2.4M for the Gallo Prostate Cancer Center at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey to develop new technologies and approaches in molecular imaging, computational, informatics and systems biology.