Senate committee advances bill to finance Hawai'i Stryker brigade

Associated Press

The Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a bill that includes $17.5 million for establishing a Stryker brigade at Schofield Barracks.

Sen. Daniel Inouye said the bill provides $482 million for defense-related initiatives for Hawai'i in fiscal year 2004. That is part of a total $369.2 billion Defense Appropriations Bill.

Inouye, D-Hawai'i, said the money is in addition to $71.8 million in a military construction bill approved by the committee last month for four projects at Schofield that are directly related to the planned Stryker brigade.

Schofield is the planned site of one of six of the Army's quick-hitting armored vehicle brigades. The central O'ahu post, home of the 25th Infantry Division, will build new facilities, add personnel, and increase its land area to accommodate the new brigade, Inouye said.

Inouye said the appropriations bill also includes the final allocation of $18.4 million in the 10-year, $400 million cleanup of Kaho'olawe, which was used as a military target range from 1942 through 1990.

Also included is $27 million for the Maui Space Surveillance System, which Inouye said is a state-of-the-art electro-optical facility that combines operational satellite tracking facilities with a research and development arm. It houses the Department of Defense's largest telescope and several other telescopes.

Kaua'i will get money for several projects, including $20 million for the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands.