Nevada to get $100 million in federal military funding

Nevada will get nearly $100 million for military projects in the Senate version of the national defense budget approved Wednesday.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the measure is expected to win final approval from the full senate next week.

It includes $7.6 million for the Hawthorne Army Depot which, earlier this year, the Pentagon wanted to close down. Other projects on the list will help train troops for desert warfare and detect biological warfare agents before they spread.

"Nevada has always led the way in defending America and this funding will help continue that proud tradition," said Reid.

The bulk of the money goes to operating budgets for military bases in Nevada.

Here is a partial list of Nevada projects included in the legislation:

• $7.6 million for Hawthorne Army Depot

• $14.5 million for Nellis Air Force Base improvements

• $7.5 million for the Nevada National Guard

• $3 million for University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine for high-speed blood transfusion equipment to help wounded troops before they reach a hospital

• $2 million for University of Nevada, Las Vegas to develop light-weight blast containment vessels to cover bombs and terrorist devices

• $1.8 million to UNLV to develop nanotechnology for detecting biological agents

• $4 million to DRI for the CAVE Automated Virtual Environment to train troops for warfare in a simulator

• $3 million for DRI to conduct desert terrain analysis to improve how the military maneuvers personnel and equipment through desert terrain

• $8 million for Sierra Nevada Corp. of Sparks for a Helicopter Autonomous Landing System to help pilots land more safely in sandstorms and other low visibility situations

• $8 million for Rocky Research of Boulder City for thermal management systems to keep high density electronic gear cool in desert conditions

• $5 million to Sierra Nevada Corp. of Reno for upgrades to infra-red detection systems to detect body and machine heat at a distance. The Scathe View system was used to find stranded people in the Gulf Coast after recent hurricanes and has also been used to find smoldering wildfires before they erupt.

n Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.