Today, the United States House and Senate Defense Appropriations committees concluded their conference and submitted the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Defense Appropriations report that will strengthen America’s security and that of our Allies by investing 8.7 billion in the present and future term capability of our missile defense systems. Below are the highlighted budgetary items of interest concerning missile defense in the Department of Defense Approrpations Conference Report:

– Provides $8.7 billion for missile defense programs, a reduction of $185 million from the President’s budget request.
– Fully funds Theater High Altitude Area Defense.
– Provides an additional $80 million for test and training range upgrades and support and ground-based missile defense enhancements.
– Provides an additional $75 million for the Aegis program for the Ballistic Signal Processor, Standard Missiles, Ship installations and upgrades, and an asymmetric defense initiative.
– Adds $75 million for Arrow co-production, the Upper-tier program, and Short Range Ballistic Missile Defense. \r\nReduces funding for the European Third Site program by $85 million.
– Provides an additional $120 million for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor program.
– Provides no funding for the Space Test Bed.

In addition to the Missile Defense Budget, the Defense Appropriations Report called for:
– Fully funding the Patriot PAC-3 Purefleet program.