2025 Federal Issues Book

HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY CHAMBER, ALABAMA

FEDERAL BUDGET

Our federally focused business community thrives on predictable and reliable federal program funding. We understand the complex budgetary challenges facing the delegation, including the debt ceiling, deficit reduction, and fiscal responsibility within constrained tax revenue. A prolonged continuing resolution or government shutdown would have severe repercussions for the north Alabama economy. In budgetary uncertainty, discretionary spending, such as travel, training, and conferences, is often curtailed, and agencies may delay contract awards. We urge Congress to prioritize timely appropriations bill passage to avoid the negative impacts of continuing resolutions, including increased program costs and schedule delays. We advocate for inflation-adjusted funding for essential programs and continued full support for our nation’s space exploration and defense initiatives, particularly U.S. Army transformation programs. Additionally, we encourage Congress to increase overall funding for science, technology, advanced research and development, defense, justice, law enforcement, and aerospace programs. Federal budget cuts would diminish job growth in Alabama’s public and private sectors, weaken partnerships between federal agencies and local institutions, reduce federal contract opportunities, and curtail training programs, ultimately affecting local businesses. We support a responsible and transparent approach to Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) to restore Congress’s constitutional authority, foster collaboration, and align federal spending with taxpayer priorities.

U.S. HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT & EXPLORATION POLICY

Programs managed and supported by the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) have national significance and are critical to national security, as the U.S. and China ramp up programs to establish a footprint on the Moon. They also represent the most technically diverse portfolio of any NASA Center. Marshall has a recognized 65-year heritage leading complex engineering human-rated space transportation and propulsion systems, habitation systems, payload and mission operations, and scientific research to expand our knowledge of the universe. MSFC continues to generate significant economic impact to the state, region, and Nation. Approximately 7,000 jobs directly support the mission of Marshall, with a statewide economic impact of $8B and 35,000 jobs. Marshall’s programs impact almost every state in the Nation contributing to NASA’s nationwide impact of 305,000 jobs and $76B to the U.S. economy.

Requested Actions:

SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM (SLS)

• SLS successfully launched a human-rated spacecraft to deep space for the first time in 50 years and set a distance record for human exploration in the process. Ensure SLS funding continues at a level to support completion of the Exploration Upper Stage development to increase SLS performance to 43 MT to Trans-Lunar Injection (130 MT to low-Earth orbit); support Artemis 2–5 missions with SLS block 1B ready for launch by Artemis 4 and sustain a cadence of once per year thereafter; preserve SLS block 2 development by supporting booster obsolescence available by Artemis 9.

• SLS and Orion represent an on-going strategic investment of our Nation’s top engineering talent and taxpayer dollars to preserve American leadership in space. Encourage fullest use of SLS and Orion as national assets for deep space exploration plans beyond Low Earth Orbit.

• Renew science and national security missions that can benefit from SLS’s unparalleled lift and payload capabilities; support development of SLS cargo capabilities to support these unique and

enabling capabilities and missions not available anywhere else (e.g. Habitable Worlds Observatory).

• Support Artemis and SLS program sustainability and stability in the evolution of SLS from a development program to a more affordable and sustainable long-term operations program, managed by Marshall, to enable more robust exploration, national security, and scientific payload architectures.

HUMAN LANDING SYSTEM & SUSTAINING LUNAR DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (HLS/SLD)

• Ensure full funding for the development and demonstration of two crewed lunar lander systems for Artemis through the Human Landing System and Sustaining Lunar Development program.

• Ensure lunar mission sustainability through continued support for HLS cargo capability development.

• Ensure HLS synergy through support for Marshall-led development and partnerships for medium cargo surface landers utilizing Marshall lander expertise, to support lunar surface logistics concepts.

MOON TO MARS (M2M) SYSTEMS

As Marshall transitions SLS to operations, this talented workforce can be applied to new Moon-to-Mars (M2M) Program activities. Support Marshall’s role through the following initiatives:

• Habitation Systems Program Office – This program will develop the required habitation systems for the M2M Program. The program office will develop the technologies and systems that support a sustained presence on the lunar surface and safely transport humans to Mars. Advanced environmental control and life support systems is a key piece for the future.

• Mars Ascent Vehicle – Continue to support Marshall’s role in leading the Mars Ascent Vehicle as part of the Mars Sample Return Mission.

• M2M Logistics Program Office – Sustainable deep space exploration will require groundbreaking logistics planning and placement of inventory and maintenance for the Artemis campaign. This program will develop systems for surface placement, pre-positioning of assets, docking, tunneling, integration planning, and cargo return systems, including large cargo return.

• Space Nuclear Propulsion (SNP) Program Office – Support the establishment of the SNP program office at Marshall to include the development of enabling the design and development of nuclear-based transportation (nuclear electric propulsion and nuclear thermal propulsion) for the M2M campaign. This includes support for the DARPA DRACO partnership as well as increased technology maturation needed to enable development of an integrated human mars transportation system.

• Technology Gap Investments – Increase funding in M2M risk reduction technologies such as environmental control and life support systems, ISRU, cryogenic fluid management, in-space manufacturing, advanced and additive manufacturing, nuclear and other in-space transportation systems.

SCIENCE

• Science Operations – Propose Marshall assigned as program lead to integrate all human science operations activity for LEO, cis-lunar and lunar surface and Deep space Science operations. Leverage and expand from Marshall’s current ISS payload operations, science mission operations, and secondary payload operations.

• Science Missions – Support Marshall as the center of excellence for advanced optics, sensors and camera development, manufacturing, testing and evaluation.

INFRASTRUCTURE

• Support funding for Marshall Exploration Facility to offset inflationary impacts for Marshall HQ replacement facility.

• Support increased priority and funding for Marshall Engineering and Science Laboratory to provide world-class facility to enable Marshall’s role in leading future exploration, technology and science missions with world-leading capabilities in nondestructive manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and composite structures that spin-off into the country’s industrial base.

U.S. ARMY’S COMBAT CAPABILITIES DEVELOPMENT COMMAND (DEVCOM) AVIATION & MISSILE CENTER (AVMC)

The U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC) has been a cornerstone of research and development (R&D) on Redstone Arsenal (RSA) for over 60 years. A subordinated organization of the Army Futures Command (AFC), AvMC’s mission is to “Develop, integrate, demonstrate, and sustain Army aviation and missile system transformation to ensure war-winning future readiness.” Since inception the AvMC has evolved into a world-class organization employing approximately 12,000 engineers and scientists housed within laboratories and facilities exceeding 1.6 million square feet. AvMC supports the Army Future Command’s Transformation in Contact through three mission priorities: 1) execute aviation and missile S&T projects; 2) provide engineering services to enterprise partners; 3) support readiness, lifecycle engineering and sustainment efforts with Army enterprise partners. AvMC is a valued partner for the Warfighter by rapidly providing technology, critical materiel, analyses, and system support for the entire life cycle. Multiple missile systems, aviation and unmanned platforms, as well as other major weapon systems are supported by the center. Approximately 90 percent of AvMC funding comes from reimbursable customers to include Intra-service (agreements within the Army); Intra-agency (agreements between DoD components); and Interagency (agreements between a DoD component and a federal agency) customers.

National Impact:

Because of their extensive capabilities, the Army and nation rely upon the AvMC as a crucial resource for solving critical engineering challenges. Presently, the AvMC serves as DEVCOM’s lead Center for transformation activities driven by two of the Army’s nine Cross Functional Teams (CFTs), Air and Missile Defense, and Future Vertical Lift. AvMC plays a critical role in support of Long-Range Precision Fires CFT and provides engineering support activities to the remaining CFTs; All-Domain Sensing, Next Generation Combat Vehicle, Soldier Lethality, Synthetic Training Environment, Contested Logistics and Command and Control. These CFTs employ AvMC’s experienced scientists and engineers, specialized laboratories, and repositories of proven models and performance data to determine maturity, applicability, and robustness of candidate technologies required to address defined operational capability gaps. AvMC provides a critical enabling role in support of Army weapon system demonstrations to accelerate fielding of critical technologies vice traditional acquisition approaches. The complexity of Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) requires weapon system capabilities such as Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) and Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) to be addressed as system-of-systems vice as unique individual platforms. Additionally, enduring aviation and missile platforms must remain relevant to MDO via technology insertion to provide capabilities that complement Army transformation initiatives. The AvMC must keep pace with disruptive technologies to include artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), model-

based system engineering tools and digital engineering practices required to support robust and efficient weapon system development processes.

Key engineering support efforts ongoing within the AvMC include S&T alignment to Army transformation priorities, including Launched Effects/Advanced Teaming and Autonomy on the battlefield and in the air, enhancing lethality and mission command, autonomous flight control, and human-systems interface. AvMC is supporting critical technology discovery and development for Future Vertical Lift, Air and Missile Defense, and Long-Range Precision Fires. Areas of missile S&T efforts by AvMC include improved fire support capability with work in areas such as modular payloads, alternate propulsion for extended range, thermal protection systems for hypersonics, Autonomous Multi-Domain Launcher (AML) Integrated Fires and GNC for contested environments. AvMC is working for extended range and high volume c-UAS, enhanced sensing for advanced threats, and fire control operator decision aids in the air defense capability area. In the close combat arena, AvMC is supporting multiple simultaneous engagement technology development, and high speed maneuverable missile. AvMC continues the digital transformation strategy ranging from establishing a digital ecosystem for data sharing and governance to a modular open system approach (MOSA), digital twins, cloudbased computing, and Model-based Systems Engineering (MBSE).

AvMC leads the DoD microelectronic initiative and the CHIPS act, providing technical subject matter experts to ensure U.S. military has access to trusted and assured microelectronic devices for aviation and missile weapon systems. AvMC also serves as the Army Center of Excellence for protective technologies and hardware assurance. Finally, AvMC provides critical airworthiness engineers for the Army Airworthiness Authority and assesses all aircraft modifications for the Army to ensure they do not adversely impact flight safety. The insertion of multi-core processors, artificial intelligence and other non-deterministic systems are unique to the advancement of military capabilities which requires the AvMC airworthiness authority to invest in the development of more robust certification methods that are far advanced from the airworthiness challenges currently being addressed by the FAA and other non-DoD airworthiness agencies.

Community Impact:

Nearly one-quarter of Redstone’s 44,000 employees, including engineers and scientists from more than 250 Huntsville companies, work in the AvMC’s three directorates. The AvMC boasts annual revenue of ~$5.6B from a broad array of reimbursable customers. This cost-reimbursable model creates a win-win scenario. Funding organizations gain access to unparalleled engineering expertise and facilities within AvMC that would be cost-prohibitive to duplicate. The Army and AvMC, in turn, receive funds that sustain the essential laboratories and engineering talent needed to propel Army Futures Command priorities.

Requested Actions:

■ Continue to support and fund additional missile and aviation RDT&E (6.2 basic research, 6.3 applied research) to provide engineering, development and testing of technologies relevant to Long Range Precision Fires, Air and Missile Defense, and Future Vertical Lift, transformation activities.

■ Increase and support Army airworthiness 6.6 (D-092) and 6.7 (D-106 engine product improvements) funding lines to enable development of next generation hybrid aircraft propulsion systems, innovative airworthiness approaches, autonomy, AI/ML, and efficient and effective airworthiness assessments to increase flight safety as new manufacturing techniques (ex. Additive manufacturing), nondeterministic systems and digital engineering methods are implemented on enduring and future Army aviation fleets.

■ Increase and support Army manufacturing technology 6.7 research

line focusing on advanced ceramics and CMC development to close technological, risk, manufacturing production and affordability gaps related to Army aviation and missile systems.

■ Increase and support RDT&E 6.2, 6.3, and reimbursable funding to develop protective technologies and anti-tamper solutions to mitigate risks related to deployed weapons systems in hostile territories.

DIRECTED ENERGY

National Impact:

Hostile events throughout the world reveal threats around every corner. Real world examples include Russian and Iranian attacks on tactical and strategic targets across Ukraine, continuous drone and cruise missile attacks throughout the Middle East and Israel, and numerous unmanned aerial systems (UAS) reconnaissance missions around the world. With the proliferation of low-cost small UAS capabilities, the U.S. Government and military require sophisticated systems to identify, classify, and potentially destroy hostile threats. These threats range from not only UAS but rocket, artillery, and mortars; rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft; guided missiles; and raid scenarios from terrorist and nation states. Directed Energy Weapons (DEW), to include high energy lasers (HEL) and high-power microwaves (HPM), pair with kinetic interceptors and radio frequency technology to create a layered defense critical in protecting our and our allies’ key assets. This enables reserve kinetic options for higher priority threats. Senior leaders have deployed DEW systems as a prototype effort to accurately counter these threats on foreign battlefields and at sea as well as on U.S. soil.

Community Impact:

Huntsville remains a key hub for both development and integration of directed energy weapon (DEW) capability. Multiple industry and government partners located across Redstone Arsenal and the greater Huntsville and Research Park area work to sustain the current DEW systems deployed in support of our Warfighters. This partnership focuses on assessing U.S. capabilities to outpace the threat, apply lessons learned, then test and integrate design improvements to achieve a capability that increases lethality, sustainability, and production at scale. DEW development and sustainment has a direct impact on hundreds of employees in the local area as well as injecting millions of dollars into the local economy, ranging from the direct government workforce and systems engineering and technical advisers supporting the government to industry partners at all levels responsible for designing and building DEW systems.

The Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO) is the main focal point for DEW development in the Huntsville area. Their DEW portfolio includes various capability sets, such as the Directed Energy-Maneuver Short Range Air Defense (DE M-SHORAD, 50kW); the Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Energy Laser (IFPC-HEL, 300kW), the Palletized-High Energy Laser (P-HEL, 20kW); the Indirect Fire Protection Capability-High Power Microwave (IFPC-HPM) effort; and the Army Multi-Purpose-High Energy Laser (AMP-HEL, 20kW). They are partnered with the Joint Counter Small UAS Office (JCO) to lead the development and deployment of additional DEW assets into the Middle East and Indo-Pacific regions and additionally support DEW efforts for the U.S. Air Force. Current prototype efforts indicate that lower costs for DE lethality is achievable by focusing on an enduring design. RCCTO DE strategy promotes designability, affordability, and sustainability by using an integrated test and analysis approach. Although limited Huntsville-based companies have production capabilities today, it is essential we develop options immediately to secure additional manufacturing capabilities and workforce across Alabama.

Requested Actions:

■ Support the President’s Budget Request for Army and MDA Directed Energy efforts.

■ Continue to support technology follow-on efforts for DE M-SHORAD, IFPC-HEL, IFPC-HPM, P-HEL, and AMP-HEL to capitalize on DEW emerging technologies and capabilities.

■ Ensure that funding is established for the sustainment of DEW systems to ensure continuity of operations between industry and the Warfighter.

■ Continue to support Army S&T research (6.2 basic research, 6.3 applied research) to provide engineering, development, and testing of DE technologies to bring innovative, advanced capability to our military.

■ Continue to support Recovery of Airbase Denied by Ordnance (RADBO) production in support of the Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal units.

INDOPACOM/DEFENSE OF GUAM

INDOPACOM’s Area of Responsibility (AOR) covers approximately 100 million square miles, which is roughly 52 percent of the Earth’s surface area: making it the largest geographic AOR of any U.S. Combatant Command. This region is home to half the world’s population and includes 36 countries spanning from the western United States to the eastern coast of Africa and from the Arctic to Antarctica.

INDOPACOM’s strategy includes: Integrated Deterrence to deter aggression from adversaries, particularly in the context of growing challenges from China, North Korea, and other state and non-state actors; Alliances and Partnerships to deepen relationships with allies and partners to ensure collective security, enabling a free and open Indo-Pacific to promote adherence to international laws and norms to ensure open sea lanes, free trade, and sovereign decision-making for all nations; Campaigning and Presence to demonstrate commitment through persistent presence and proactive operations; Resilience and Innovation to build adaptability in the face of emerging threats, such as cyber warfare and climate change; and Addressing of Regional Threats such as North Korea, China, and Terrorism elements.

Defense of Guam has become a particularly critical area of activity. Guam’s location approximately 3,800 miles west of Hawaii and 1,500 miles from the Philippines makes it a central hub for U.S. operations across INDOPACOM. Defense of Guam includes an advanced layered missile defense system under development to counter increasingly sophisticated missile threats.

Federal organizations, industry and regional academic partners across the Tennessee Valley play an instrumental role supporting in elements of INDOPACOM’s strategy and Defense of Guam particularly in activities to build adaptive and responsive innovation and contested logistics to operate against rising, complex interconnected threat weapon systems. Key areas of support include:

■ Advanced Missile Defense and Integrated Air Defense Systems: Huntsville is home to the U.S. Army’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Redstone Arsenal, which are critical for developing and enabling deployment planning of Ground Based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and Patriot weapon systems.

■ The Joint Program Office (JPO) for Guam Defense operating out of the Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO): The JPO will prioritize integration of multiple systems such as Aegis Ashore, THAAD, and other advanced missile defense technologies that will connect with cutting-edge radar and advanced sensor technologies to provide enhanced tracking and targeting capabilities.

■ Space and Satellite Operations: Space Development Agency’s (SDA) operating center on Redstone Arsenal to manage layered constellations

of sensor based and communication satellites in low-Earth orbit as well as the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command that develops future global space capabilities to enable multi-domain combat effects in enhancement of deterrence, assurance, and detection of strategic attacks.

■ Cybersecurity and Information Warfare: multiple industry support elements that specialize in defensive cybersecurity which is critical for defending INDOPACOM’s networks against cyber threats from state and non-state actors as well as the FBI’s regional cyber and investigative resources that also contribute to securing the COCOM’s defensive infrastructure and supporting to counterintelligence operations.

■ Innovation: The area’s ecosystem of innovation focuses on cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, and hypersonic weapons. These advancements enable INDOPACOM to maintain technological superiority and counter adversaries’ advancements in similar areas.

■ Logistics and Sustainment: Redstone Arsenal serves as a logistics hub for the Army, including aviation and missile sustainment as well as home to Army Futures Command Contested Logistics Cross Functional Team. INDOPACOM’s operational environment presents a sensor-rich, transparent, lethal, and multi-dimensional landscape where U.S. forward deployed forces will be under constant observation and faced with new and deadlier threats including a host of disruptive effects associated with new technologies. The Tennessee Valley thus plays a central, critical role to ensure our Warfighters are properly equipped and protected to securely prevail under any type of threat.

Requested Action:

■ Support INDOPACOM’s Integrated Priorities and JPO Guam Defense budget requirements in areas where the Tennessee Valley can support capability development and operational support to Force Design and Posture; Exercises, Experimentation, and Innovation; Joint Force Lethality; as well as Logistics and Security Enablers.

FBI CONSTRUCTION/ROLES & MISSION/ WORKFORCE UPDATE

This past year, the FBI continued to work towards consolidating and improving its operations through the construction of modern facilities. The largest investment in the FBI’s 21st Century Facilities plan is ongoing at Redstone Arsenal (RSA) in Huntsville, AL, at the Richard Shelby Center for Innovation and Advanced Training. The FBI has maintained a presence at RSA for over 50 years, and is expanding its footprint across the base, positioned among some of the nation’s top defense, law enforcement, and technology organizations. These facilities will continue to drive a new era of innovation for the FBI. 2024 saw the FBI’s presence at RSA grow to over 2,200 personnel.

The largest FBI facility on the Richard Shelby Center for Innovation and Advanced Training features a 307,000-square-foot operations building that accommodates approximately 1,300 personnel across 12 different FBI operational and operational support divisions. A nearby 87,000-square-foot technology building (known as Tech 1), accommodates 330 personnel and provides network monitoring and insider threat detection, which is essential to the protection of sensitive intelligence and information for the entire organization. Expected to be completed in FY 2025, the FBI Innovation Center is an approximately 250,000-square-foot office building and central utility plant, that will come online as a state-of-the-art training center of excellence for the FBI, dedicated to training, cyber threat intelligence, data analytics, and combatting the rapidly changing 21st century threats. It will house approx-

imately 330 permanent personnel plus capacity for an additional 300 students per week for training. It includes a 22,000-square-foot indoor Kinetic Cyber Range and a Virtual and Augmented Reality classroom with distance learning management systems. The FBI is responsible for maintaining a footprint of over 1,000,000 square feet across its entire RSA portfolio.

Opening at the end of calendar year 2026 will be Tech 2 and Tech 3, along with parking Decks 2 and 3. Tech 2, at 247,000 square feet, focuses on collecting and cleaning data, all while providing technical expertise and support to FBI Operations, and will enable the movement of data via state-of-the-art networks. Tech 3 will be an innovative hub that includes the creation of tools and applications that enhance the ability to harvest and triage case data. Tech 3, at 155,000 square feet, will also serve as the home of the Birmingham Field Office Cyber Squad and the Tennessee Valley Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory (RCFL). Combined, these two buildings will seat approximately 1,150 personnel with capacity for 225 training seats. Additionally, opening in 2027 will be the National Security & Intelligence Center of Excellence (NS&I) at approximately 84,000 square feet. This dedicated advanced training facility will consolidate all FBI national security and intelligence advanced training delivery, curriculum development, and instructional design. It will also include a 400-seat auditorium.

The RSA South Campus provides tremendous growth opportunities for the FBI and its law enforcement partners. It will be comprised of the Academic Zone and Practical Problem Venues (PPVs). The Academic Zone will be the primary location for advanced and specialized training and research, development, testing and evaluation of current and future technology, and will be comprised of six structures and approximately 400,000 square feet. The PPVs will contain four zones, ranging from dense urban to rural, and approximately 20 structures, enabling FBI personnel and partners to train and test in a realistic yet controlled environment. The current and future FBI RSA facilities covered here reflect just a few of the innovative projects designed to ensure FBI agents and operational support personnel have state-of-the-art facilities, equipment, and training to combat increasingly complex global threats. The FBI’s South Campus expansion will continue through approximately 2030.

COUNTER UAS

Redstone Arsenal is a nexus of Counter-Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) technology. The Army’s Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space has established a C-UAS program office. The Army’s Rapid Critical Capabilities Technology Office (RCCTO) conducts R&D on C-UAS technologies that may be matured into programs. The Department of Justice and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) are involved in non-DoD C-UAS capabilities which may use the test ranges on Redstone, and the UAH demonstration facility west of Huntsville Airport.

BIOSCIENCE

Alabama’s thriving bioscience sector drives innovation, creates jobs, fuels economic growth, and enhances lives globally. Alabamians were instrumental in the Human Genome Project, which revolutionized cancer treatment, disease diagnosis, drug development, and agriculture, and they continue to lead advancements in health and agriculture today.

National Impact:

North Alabama’s bioscience workforce contributes significantly to genomic discoveries, diagnostics, drug and medical device development, and sustainable agriculture. Collaborative efforts have provided rare disease diagnoses and empowered farmers with innovative agrigenomics solutions.

Community Impact:

The sector strengthens local communities through research, education, and entrepreneurship, generating billions in annual economic impact. Institutions like HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, alongside academic and industry partnerships, diversify the economy and bolster a robust STEM workforce supporting thousands of high-quality jobs.

Continued investment and collaboration between academia and industry are vital to meeting Alabama’s projected need for 850,000 STEM positions by 2026, ensuring future innovation and economic growth.

Requested Actions:

To advance bioscience innovation, the Chamber recommends the following:

■ Increase Research Funding: Support basic and translational research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically the National Human Genome Research Institute, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute on Aging, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institute for Mental Health. Continue funding the Department of Energy’s Office of Science/Joint Genome Institute, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Due to the vital nature of academic and industry coordination, the Chamber endorses prioritizing efforts that aid in public-private collaboration.

■ Focus on Genomic Data: Enhance capabilities in generating, analyzing, storing, and securing genomic data for human health and agriculture. Promote interdisciplinary and cross-industry agricultural initiatives with state and regional value, aiming to develop national models.

■ Commercialization and Entrepreneurship: Prioritize investments to help entrepreneurs, small businesses, and industry leaders commercialize scientific discoveries. Support policies that translate research into market-ready solutions, ensuring the U.S. maintains its global leadership in bioscience innovation.

INFRASTRUCTURE

ROADS

Thanks to our thriving economy and exceptional quality of life, the Huntsville region continues to gain recognition as one of the best places to live in the United States. Additionally, our population is continuing to grow at an unprecedented pace. To sustain this momentum, we are actively pursuing new economic development projects to bring jobs, innovation, and prosperity to our community. However, our ability to attract and support these opportunities depends on addressing our critical infrastructure needs. Roads, bridges, utilities, and other key infrastructure investments are essential to accommodate growth and ensure Huntsville remains a competitive and desirable destination for businesses and residents. Federal support is essential to help us expand capacity and modernize and create a resilient infrastructure network that meets the needs of our residents, businesses, and visitors. We urge you to prioritize these needs to maintain Huntsville’s regional and national leadership role. All infrastructure road projects on this list are considered high-priority roads and are projects that involve a route with a federal designation. They are listed in ranking order. All listed projects are included on the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP).

• Overhauling the interchange between I-565 and Memorial Parkway in the heart of Huntsville – I-565 / U.S. Highway 231 Interchange Modifications – This is the only interchange in our region in which an Interstate and U.S. Highway intersects directly within our urban core. The current interchange serves approximately 190,000 vehicles per day through the center of the region. A corridor study has been completed, showing all turning movements are at functional failure due to continued growth, and the interchange not capable to safely and efficiently handing current traffic volumes. We are seeking funding to move this project forward to design and construction.

• Extending I-565 eastward toward Gurley and Scottsboro U.S. Highway 72 East (Corridor V) – This project will provide an extension of I-565 to include service roads and new interchanges at Moores Mill Road and Shields Road, which will add approximately 2.3 miles along I-565 through a congested area, which continues to grow. In 2015, one additional lane westbound from Shields Road and one additional turn lane at Moores Mill Road were added as a temporary fix for the congestion, however very little benefit was had since the area continues to outgrow the previous temporary improvements. An earlier version of this project was originally funded with Federal Appalachian Regional Commission funds. During that period, an environmental document was completed. Currently, the design is nearly finished. Acquisition was previously started in 2013 but was forced to stop because of a change in funding priorities by the Federal government. To date, new residential and commercial developments, as well as new job centers, continue to be established within the eastern side of our region. The extension of I-565 through this urban corridor would significantly improve traffic flow along U.S. Highway 72 from adjacent regions.

• Construction of a Redstone Arsenal focused interchange on I-565 near Resolute Way – Resolute Way Interchange at I-565 – With this project, drivers on Madison Boulevard would be connected to Redstone Arsenal at Gate 9. This new interchange would improve safety and efficiency directly west of the existing I-565 and Research Park Boulevard (SR 255) interchange that leads directly into Gate 9. This is a heavily traveled roadway with 75,000 vehicles per day connecting Redstone Arsenal to the Northern Bypass. A new interchange is needed to reduce congestion and improve safety at this location. An environmental assessment is currently being performed by Redstone Arsenal and we are seeking funds to move this project forward into design and construction to benefit the region.

• Widening Highway 72 West towards and through Madison – U.S. Highway 72 West Widening – This 5.5 miles of widening through multiple jurisdictions will provide six lanes to improve traffic flow, critical capacity, and safety improvements along this urban principal east-west arterial with average daily traffic volumes ranging near 50,000 vehicles per day. This project is currently in design and, due to the project size and duration, we understand there is consideration for two project phases to move it forward more quickly. Phase 1 is anticipated to be between Providence Main and Jeff Road. Highway 72 has become a major throughput and safety concern for the greater Huntsville community.

• Widening Highway 53 to six lanes out of NW Huntsville towards Harvest – Highway 53 Widening (Jeff Road to Old RR Bed) – As growth in northwest Madison County has continued, this critical artery is becoming increasingly dangerous. What was once a sleepy agriculture community is now filled with vibrant subdivisions and retail. This project would widen Highway 53 to six lanes from Jeff Road to Old Railroad Bed Road.

• Creation of a connecting road between I-565 and Redstone Arsenal Gate 10 – Redstone Arsenal East Connector – This roadway will provide direct access from I-565 to Redstone Arsenal Gate 10 at Patton Road, which consists of 2.5 miles of new four-lane divided limited access highway. This project is needed to divert Interstate traffic directly to the eastern side of Redstone Arsenal to its City Center for direct access to new jobs and buildings that are associated with existing and proposed employment centers and infrastructure on base. Additional funding is needed to improve gate access inside Redstone Arsenal. The corridor study is currently underway, and we are seeking funding to move the project toward design and construction.

NATURAL GAS

The Chamber supports efforts to expand natural gas infrastructure, including the development of additional pipelines, to ensure a reliable, efficient, and affordable energy supply. An example of innovation natural gas solutions underway is Huntsville Utilities working with the Solid Waste Disposal Authority to collect renewable natural gas generated from landfill methane. Expanding natural gas capacity is essential to meeting the energy demands of north Alabama’s growing economy and supporting continued industrial and residential development. We encourage federal action and collaboration with local stakeholders to prioritize these critical infrastructure needs.

SPACE COMMAND

Secretaries of the Air Force for both President Trump and President Biden both confirmed the integrity and methodology of the site selection process which concluded that Redstone is the preferred site for Space Command Headquarters. President Biden overrode that recommendation in an overtly political decision. We appreciate the Congressional Delegation’s efforts to support the Air Force’s recommendation to locate SPACECOM’s HQ at Redstone. We would encourage the Delegation to move swiftly to fund the MILCON infrastructure requirements, should a decision to locate the SPACECOM Headquarters at Redstone be reinstated.

HYPERSONICS WEAPONS SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT & DEMONSTRATION

National Impact:

DoD is focused on offensive and defensive capabilities to exceed and counter

evolving threats due to demonstrations of Hypersonic Strike Capabilities by near-peer adversaries. The DoD’s sense of urgency, reflected in the 2018 National Defense Strategy, is demonstrated by numerous efforts to rapidly field hypersonic capability for ground-, air-, submarine-, and ship-launched longrange strike missions.

Community Impact:

The Army’s Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space (PEO (M&S)), and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) are headquartered on Redstone Arsenal and among the key organizations leading hypersonic weapon system development while Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) and Redstone Test Center (RTC) are leading efforts related to ground test and evaluation. Numerous industry partners with a presence in the Huntsville area are actively involved in technology development efforts related to hypersonic materials, manufacturing capability, ground and flight test infrastructure improvements, program development, and technical and acquisition program support to DoD agencies overseeing hypersonic weapon system development and demonstration. These programs provide positive impact to the Huntsville community through the creation of new jobs in development, integration, and fielding of Hypersonic weapon systems. The National Hypersonics Production Facility, located in MidCity Huntsville, is the primary production facility of the Common Hypersonic Glide Body. As a result, the Huntsville community is developing a sustained workforce in Hypersonics with experience in modeling and simulation, ground test and evaluation, and manufacturing complex high-performance systems which will provide future offensive and defensive capabilities to address the evolving adversarial hypersonic threat.

Requested Actions:

■ Fully fund Hypersonic Weapon System Development Programs in the FY25 and FY26 President’s Budget Requests for all Services.

■ Continue to fund and support Technology Insertion Plans and roadmaps for greater capability and disruptive technologies (i.e., non-kinetic effectors) over adversaries.

■ Continue to invest and improve hypersonic weapon testing infrastructure.

■ Continue to invest in technology infrastructure for hypersonic ground testing to increase frequency, accuracy, and reduce the cost of testing. This investment should include the planned Hypersonic Environment Synthetic Test Tunnel (HySETT) to be built at RTC.

AIR FORCE SENTINEL PROGRAM

National Impact:

U.S. strategists have determined a nuclear triad is the most strategically sound means to credibly deter adversaries. To remain safe, secure, and effective, the U.S. must modernize its Cold War legacy nuclear forces.

The Sentinel system will replace the Minuteman III ICBMs, the current landbased leg of the nuclear triad that has been in service for over 50 years. The new Sentinel weapon system is historic in scope and will produce a modernized infrastructure and an entirely new missile that features critical improvements to range, accuracy, maintainability, and communications. Sentinel is a fully integrated, modern system that will adapt to meet future threats and keep pace with emerging technologies. New hardware and software will be integrated across all systems while ensuring nuclear surety, safety, and cybersecurity requirements. Upgrading launch facilities, missile base support facilities and test facilities is also required.

By investing in modernization now, the U.S avoids a costly and dangerous lapse in the protection provided by the land-based leg of the nuclear triad, providing a much more capable system that will protect our nation and assure allies for decades to come.

Community Impact:

Northrop Grumman Corporation’s facility in Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park facility continues to support the Sentinel program, one of several key roles the company plays in national security and civil space programs in the state, while supporting many small businesses in the Huntsville region through multiple avenues. Additionally, L3Harris, a partner to Northrop Grumman on Sentinel, is working on the program at its Advanced Manufacturing Facility in north Huntsville, where it specializes in inert component production for solid rocket motor cases.

Requested Action:

■ Continued support of Sentinel and the nuclear triad is critical to maintaining these and many additional supporting subcontractor and small business jobs in the region, recruiting new talent, expanding opportunities and growth, while ensuring our national deterrence remains safe, secure, and credible to protect the United States and assure allies for decades to come.

MISSILE DEFENSE

GROUND-BASED MIDCOURSE DEFENSE (GMD) PROGRAM

National Impact:

Defending the Nation 24/7/365, GMD is the only system designed and fielded to defend the entire U.S. homeland from a long-range ballistic missile attack and is a critical element of the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) integrated and layered missile defense architecture. The Ground Based Interceptors deployed in Ft. Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, provide the President with the option to intercept and destroy long range ballistic missile threats launched against U.S. territory in their midcourse phase of flight.

In 2022, MDA awarded the GMD Weapon System (GWS) and GMD System Integration Test & Readiness (SITR) Contracts aimed at increasing GMD system reliability, warfighter confidence, and performance to pace the threat. In addition, separate contracts have been awarded to support the booster, kill vehicle, and All-Up-Round integration of the Ground Based Interceptor.

■ GWS – This supporting element of the GMD Program provides design, development, production, product level testing, sustainment planning, and maintenance of the current Weapon System components including development to incorporate the Next Generation Interceptor into the GMD Weapon System. This effort includes responsibility for developing weapon system solutions, including fire control and communication systems improvements, required to update the legacy system to remain effective while Next Generation Interceptor is under development, as well as, preparing for the seamless introduction of Next Generation Interceptor and other future Missile Defense System capabilities. Further, GWS will update the system interface for the addition of Next Generation Interceptors to the fleet, provide the Warfighter capability to operate the GMD Weapon System with a mixed fleet of Ground Based Interceptors and Next Generation Interceptors, and identify and develop solutions for message exchanges between the GMD Weapon System and in-flight kill vehicles.

■ SITR – This supporting element of the GMD Program assists MDA in maintaining a synergistic approach in executing the GMD Programlevel engineering, integration, test, and readiness of the GMD Weapon

System. SITR serves as the technical partner to MDA for day-to-day operation and sustainment of the GMD Weapon System alongside the Warfighters that operate the Weapon System. While MDA maintains overall system integration responsibilities and authority, SITR assumes a supporting technical role responsible for ensuring overall GMD integration including physical and logical integration of the GMD Components to include Next Generation Interceptor, GMD Element, and MDA enterprise level integration, planning and execution of all necessary testing to verify and validate requirements compliance.

■ In-Service Fleet – Working directly with Ground Based Interceptor original equipment manufacturers, the Program is performing service life extensions and maintaining the existing fleet, executing repairs, and developing software updates. These efforts are intended primarily to ensure fleet viability until the Next Generation Interceptors are fielded.

Community

Impact:

GMD supports over 3,000 government and industry jobs in the Huntsville area, which is the main center for management and technical oversight of the system. Without adequate funding, the Huntsville area is vulnerable to losing a knowledge base of extremely highly skilled workers who support what is considered one of the most technically challenging efforts the government has ever undertaken.

Requested Actions:

■ Support funding across the GMD program for critical system and Ground Based Interceptor fleet sustainment activities as well as efforts to improve the performance and reliability, digitization and modernization.

■ To ensure GMD contract success and timelines, support funding for select programs (e.g., GWS, Next Generation Interceptor (NGI), and SITR) to ensure synchronization of component delivery, integration, and on time fielding of new capabilities.

■ Support initiatives to include GMD options in the Department’s consideration for enhancements to near-, mid-, and far-term capabilities for the homeland missile defeat mission, to include consideration of an expanded and dispersed homeland missile defeat architecture (e.g., 3rd CONUS Interceptor Site).

NEXT GENERATION INTERCEPTOR (NGI)

National Impact:

The Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) is a tip-to-tail All Up Round addition for the operational Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Weapon System that protects our homeland against current and future evolving ballistic missile threats. This capability will be initially fielded in the late 2020s timeframe. The current Ground Based Interceptor fleet with unitary kill vehicles is approaching its end of life and will be augmented, and ultimately replaced over time, with NGIs, NGIs are designed to be equipped with multiple kill vehicles, to pace threat evolution.

In April 2024, Lockheed Martin was selected to complete the development.

Community Impact:

The Next Generation Interceptor program will support hundreds of government and industry jobs in the northern Alabama area, including government and industry program management, engineering and production/manufacturing.

Requested Actions:

■ Support the President’s Budget request and the outyear budgets established by MDA.

■ To ensure NGI contract success and timelines, support funding for select

programs (e.g., GWS, SITR, Targets, C2BMC) to ensure synchronization of component delivery, integration, and on-time fielding of new capabilities.

COMMAND & CONTROL, BATTLE MANAGEMENT, & COMMUNICATIONS (C2BMC)

National Impact:

C2BMC is an iterative development program of record and the integrating element of our Nation’s Missile Defense System (MDS). It provides continuous command, control, and global connectivity between MDS sensors and shooters, engagement coordination, battle management, global missile defense planning, sensor fusion and interfaces with allied systems. C2BMC uniquely provides situational awareness to the POTUS, Combatant Commanders at USEUCOM, USINDOPACOM, USNORTHCOM, USCENTCOM, USSTRATCOM, USSPACECOM, and DoD decision makers. C2BMC, which is operationally fielded across 17 time zones in 33 locations, features more than 48,000 miles of communication lines that combines all sensors and threat data into a seamless missile defense architecture. C2BMC delivers unparallel speed, accuracy, and coordination, across all domains, for the Missile Defense System.

Community Impact:

The C2BMC program currently employs over 850 personnel, with approximately 100 in Huntsville, AL. The critical talent required for these specialized activities creates a center of excellence in the Missile Defense industry.

Requested actions:

■ Continue to support MDA budget for long term integration and fielding to warfighters.

■ Continue to support capability development and weapon system integration.

■ Continue to support development and integration of advanced capabilities to support Space Domain Awareness/Space Security, Homeland Defense, Hypersonic Defense, and Cruise Missile Defense.

TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENSE (THAAD)

National Impact:

THAAD is a combat-proven key element of the MDS capable of intercepting ballistic missiles in both the endo- and exo-atmospheres. THAAD is transportable, interoperable with other MDS components, provides large area defense, and is the only MDS element that currently uses “hit-to-kill” technology to destroy threat warheads both within and outside the atmosphere. THAAD units remain operationally deployed today, with the most recent deployment occurring less than a month ago, defending against ballistic missile threats, and enhancing regional security. THAAD’s unique ballistic missile defense capabilities and demonstrated success continue to increase U.S. and international demand for THAAD.

Community Impact:

The THAAD program provides more than 475 government and industry jobs in the Huntsville area.

Requested Actions:

■ Support the President’s budget request for THAAD.

■ Support funding for THAAD follow-on critical capability development plans to provide enhanced capabilities (e.g., support of JROC-validated hypersonic defense requirements) to the warfighter and sustain critical engineering jobs in the Huntsville area.

■ Advocate for additional THAAD international sales in support of U.S. Cooperative Defense initiatives.

LONG-RANGE DISCRIMINATION RADAR (LRDR)

National Impact:

MDA has fielded and delivered to the U.S. Space Force a land-based LRDR in Clear, Alaska. The LRDR capability is the backbone of MDA’s layered defense strategy to protect the U.S. homeland from ballistic missile attack. LRDR provides a persistent 24/7/365 midcourse acquisition, precision tracking, enhanced discrimination, improved reaction time, higher kill probability, highest operational availability, and scalable, open architecture growth capacity to counter evolving threats to the Homeland. MDA is taking a long-term view of LRDR, with planned deployment for the next 40 to 50 years. An LRDR-derivative, AN/TPY-6, will support the Guam Defense System. Several international customers are also actively evaluating LRDR technology as a potential fit for their needs. The government of Japan has invested in one such derivative (AN/SPY-7) as the radar for their two Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEV)

Community Impact:

Positive impact to the Huntsville community through the creation of new jobs in modeling and simulation, algorithm development, software and hardware. With the increasing potential for international customers, new jobs include facility construction.

Requested Actions:

■ Fully fund the President’s budget request for LRDR to ensure the homeland can be defended against evolving threats.

■ Support continued funding for TPY-6 as part of the Guam Defense System.

■ Advocate for LRDR international sales in support of U.S. Cooperative Defense initiatives.

HYPERSONIC THREAT MISSILE DEFENSE

National Impact:

The U.S. currently is challenged to defend against many of the hypersonic strike capabilities that our adversaries are rapidly developing and deploying. We are challenged to track them from birth to death; confidently intercept or defeat them; and do not have the command and control capabilities needed to address large raids or multiple classes of threat. Due to the rapid evolution of hypersonic threats, Congress has pushed the Department of Defense in several successive budget cycles to accelerate national capabilities to detect and defend against adversary hypersonic weapons, particularly those that hold forward deployed forces at risk. In May 2022, MDA down selected from three competitors to two competitors to develop the Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI), for regional hypersonic missile defense. In September 2024, in order to focus on the cost, schedule, and performance requirements to meet the mission MDA conducted the final down-select for the design to be co-developed with the Japanese Ministry of Defense. GPI is intended to counter a hypersonic weapon during its glide phase of flight, a challenge as the missiles can travel more than five times the speed of sound and can maneuver.

Community Impact:

Hypersonic defense programs and enabling activities - including spacebased sensors, new interceptors, and improved command and controlsupport hundreds of jobs in the northern Alabama area.

Requested Action:

■ Press for increases to the President’s budget request for hypersonic defense programs to include the following:

• Accelerate Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) development.

• Enhance space and weapon system tracking, discrimination, and sensing capabilities.

• Appropriately invest in weapon system integration and upgrades.

• Provide adequate resources for hypersonic weapons testing infrastructure.

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY MODELING & SIMULATION CONTRACTS

National Impact:

The MASC-F, MASC-T and SWDC contracts are MDA’s primary contracts that develop and sustain modeling and simulation (M&S) capabilities to test the MDS). They will be transitioning into the new M&S Vistas portfolio of contracts, with the first two to be awarded (MASC-F and SWDC follow-ons) utilizing the EWAAC contract. These hardware-in-the-loop and digital environments provide MDA the capability to conduct numerous simulation-supported activities; to include concept analysis, element engineering, performance assessment, integrated and distributed ground test, flight test support, and training and exercises of the Combatant Commands. As the central integrating simulation component, these efforts under these contracts connect real world and joint all domain operations elements to enable the Agency to simulate complex missile defense scenarios. By utilizing these M&S capabilities, MDA can provide higher confidence in the MDS and explore more of the operational envelope than would be viable through live flight testing alone.

Community Impact:

The MASC-F and MASC-T programs currently employ over 160 personnel and provide support to over 15 subcontractors, primarily in Huntsville, AL. The critical talent required for these specialized activities creates a center of excellence for MDS M&S in the region.

Requested action:

• Increase support in the MDA budget for VistasM&S activities.

NATIONAL TEAM-SYSTEMS & ENGINEERING (NT-S)

National Impact:

Formerly National Team Engineering (NT-E), industry has teamed together to support MDA in its evolution of the MDS to keep pace with the missile threat to our homeland, deployed forces, and allies. NT-S provides complex Systems Engineering & Integration data deliverables in addition to Subject Matter Expert analysis and advanced development efforts that are required to fully support the Missile Defense Agency Systems Engineering Plan processes and products. The industry National Team does this through sophisticated modeling and simulation, system engineering, and technical evaluations and assessments for MDA, its various programs and associated tests. The National Team is designed to provide independent technical support outside the purview of any particular program element of the MDS. The current National Team employs a trusted, proven collaboration mechanism among all MDA communities that protects industry proprietary and competition sensitive data allowing rapid development and access to emerging industry technologies and concepts.

Community Impact:

Significant National Team work share is done in the north Alabama area across several major and small business employers, supporting about 250 employees.

Requested Action:

• Continued support for MDA National Team funding.

STANDARD MISSILE 6 (SM-6)

National Impact:

SM-6 offers the warfighter tremendous versatility with a multi-mission capability, including anti-air warfare, terminal ballistic missile defense, and anti-surface warfare. SM-6 leverages and sustains the 60+ year heritage of the Navy’s premier Standard Missile program with both defensive and offensive capabilities. SM-6 employs an active RF seeker for greater independence from ship illuminator systems, improved threat discrimination and targeting, and high velocity for faster time on target. The Navy and MDA have demonstrated an impressive record of successful flight tests, breaking engagement records for range and interoperability expectations by utilizing sensor systems like the E-2D Hawkeye and F-35 aircraft systems. Demand from international governments has been steadily increasing as threat sets and operational requirements evolve.

Community Impact:

SM-6 All-Up-Round production occurs at a dedicated facility within the Redstone Arsenal and provides hundreds of government and industry jobs in the Huntsville area. Additionally, with new missile configuration developments in progress, production capacity will soon increase.

Requested Actions:

• Support the President’s Budget Request for the SM-6 and associated missile modifications and improvements.

• Support production capacity and fleet stockpile and magazine increase for SM-6.

• Advocate for SM-6 international sales to key allies in support of the U.S. Cooperative Defense initiatives.

STANDARD MISSILE 3 (SM-3 IB & IIA)

National Impact:

SM-3 is a sea/land deployable exo-atmospheric ballistic missile interceptor and is deployed globally by the U.S. and Japan. The SM-3 Block I was first fielded in 2004, and has had three major spiral upgrades to the current SM-3 Block IB (Threat Upgrade). The SM-3 Block I also served as the foundation for the U.S.-Japan Standard Missile Cooperative Development (SCD) program that produced a longer range and more capable interceptor, the SM-3 Block IIA, which complements the SM-3 Block IB in layered Ballistic Missile Defense. Designed to engage regional Medium Range Ballistic Missiles (MRBMs) and Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs), SM-3 has demonstrated over 40 successful exo-atmospheric engagements and the capability to defend against more challenging threats. In November 2020, the SM-3 Block IIA also conducted the first successful intercept against an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)-representative target. This was a critical milestone for the Aegis BMD SM-3 Block IIA program and a key step in the process of determining its feasibility as part of a layered homeland defense architecture. The sea/land based operational flexibility of the SM-3 and proven test performance allows for

rapid deployment and sustained protection against a range of ballistic threats. As the primary interceptor employed by Aegis Ashore, SM-3 has also demonstrated its value abroad in protecting regional territory and could be utilized in the same manner in the U.S.

Community Impact:

The SM-3 family is assembled in the Huntsville Raytheon Redstone Missile Integration Facility and supports a substantial number of jobs in the north Alabama area, including program management, engineering and manufacturing.

Requested Action:

• Support increased funding for SM-3 Block IIA procurement to meet critical warfighter requirements afloat and ashore and to accelerate the global deployment of the most advanced SM-3. Restore funding for the production of the SM-3IB to replenish recently expended stockpile

OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE (O&M) FOR MISSILE DEFENSE

National Impact:

Maintaining a high-state of operational readiness against tactical and strategic ballistic missile threats will continue to be one of the most critical priorities for the national security of the U.S. and our allies. To ensure the U.S. is able to deter and respond to any and all offensive attacks by adversaries, each missile defense program’s Operations and Maintenance (O&M) budget must be fully-funded to achieve Operational Availability requirements within the Missile Defense Agency (e.g. GMD, THAAD, Aegis), PEO Missiles & Space and the U.S. Army Materiel Command (PATRIOT, IBCS). Program-specific Life Cycle Sustainment Plans (LCSPs) must continue to achieve cost-wise readiness using private/public partnerships between government capabilities and industry to achieve high materiel availability of fielded systems coupled with continuous training and maintainability improvements for soldiers using state-of-the-art technologies (e.g. virtual training, total asset visibility). To remain ready and adaptable to the constantly-changing threat, military operators of missile defense systems and military/contractor maintainers must be provided a fully-integrated logistics and supply chain which can quickly respond to dynamic threats with materiel changes, technical manual improvements, available parts, and improved training and training devices.

Community Impact:

Collectively, several hundred logistics, sustainment, and product support jobs within industry (OEMs, subcontractors, SETA contractors) and government (MDA, PEO M&S, AMC, AMCOM) perform item management, maintenance management, training support, and readiness support in the north Alabama area. Without continued support of missile defense O&M budgets, our fielded weapon systems may not be capable of deterring or responding to attacks against the U.S. due to poor training, inadequate readiness, and lack of spare parts.

Requested Action:

• Support full-funding for each program’s O&M budget and continue prioritization of high-operational readiness to deter enemy threats against U.S. interests.

MISSILE DEFENSE TESTING & VALIDATION – TARGETS

National Impact:

Advanced targets production fabricates simulated enemy offensive

missile capabilities (tactical through strategic) to test and validate U.S. missile defense systems. As our potential enemies continue to advance their capabilities, U.S. systems’ capabilities must continue to be tested, validated, and modernized as necessary. These adversarial advancements include the development of hypersonic and other advanced missile threats that can exploit our existing and future missile defense systems. Target representations that emulate such threats are not currently in production today.

Community Impact:

MDA’s offices that lead efforts to develop and provide advanced representative targets are headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, and they work with numerous defense contractors in the northern Alabama region that provide support in the development, production, and mission execution of advanced targets to validate existing and emerging missile defense systems.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s budget for increased targets and countermeasures development, and testing, more sophisticated threat simulations and validation of missile defense systems.

DEFENSE OF GUAM / GUAM DEFENSE SYSTEM (GDS)

National Impact:

Guam is a territory of the United States and a critical national security hub. This location supports a permanent submarine squadron; a Naval station with a Carrier-capable pier; an Airbase; a future Marine Corps base; an Army THAAD Battery; and key Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence nodes. Guam is exposed to advanced air and missile threats in the Indo-Pacific region, and as a result, the DoD has invested billions of dollars in infrastructure to support the defense of Guam. The Joint program includes Army, MDA, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force assets.

In June 2023, the DoD assigned the Army as the acquisition lead for the Defense of Guam. The designation established the creation of a Joint Program Executive Office (JPEO) and set the GDS as an acquisition category one program. The Army designated the RCCTO as the headquarters for the JPEO.

JPEO-GDS was activated at Redstone Arsenal in 2024. The RCCTO/JPEO created the JPEO’s organizational construct, established a funding line of effort, formulated the program strategy, and conducted architectural optimization studies.

Community Impact:

The GDS program will support hundreds of government and industry jobs in the Northern Alabama area, including government and industry program management, engineering, environmental, security, and logistics.

Requested Actions:

• Fully fund the President’s Budget request for GDS.

• Support program growth as requirements develop.

• Advocate for GDS architecture proliferation to provide fully integrated Joint battle management to other regions outside of the Indo-Pacific.

• Support efforts to increase military construction capacity on Guam (additional funding).

ASSURED POSITION NAVIGATION TIMING

Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing (APNT) is a critical technology for the Department of defense and enables most modern systems by providing precise location, special orientation, and time synchronization for warfighters and weapon systems. Access to APNT ensures effective maneuver and increased lethality for the Joint Force.

National Impact:

For several decades, the DoD has relied on the Global Positioning System (GPS) as the primary source of PNT data. Future conflict will require operation in environments that deny and degrade access to GPS. The Army has remained at the forefront of APNT modernization by developing, evaluating, and fielding APNT capabilities in the ground, air, precision-guided munition domains. These APNT capabilities provide resilient operation in dynamic threat environments and make use of modular, open architectures that allow rapid evolution to counter pacing threats.

Community Impact:

Organizations in Huntsville are heavily involved in the development and support of the DoD’s APNT strategy. Organizations like the All-Domain Sensing Cross-Functional Team (ADS CFT), the Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), the Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space (PEO M&S), PEO Aviation, the Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC), and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) all contribute to APNT resiliency across multiple domains.

Requested actions:

■ Sustained support for ground, air and precision-guided munition programs of record that ensure maneuver in contested environments and increase lethality.

■ Support for continued research, development, experimentation, testing and training of APNT technologies in threat-informed, operationally relevant environments.

ALL-DOMAIN SENSING

Future battlefields will become increasingly transparent, and our forces will remain under constant observation. All-domain sensing capabilities span intelligence, command and control, data architecture, maneuver, and electromagnetic warfare functions from ground to space. They also maximize the utilization of available data to maintain information dominance. Army and Joint force information dominance is critical to enhance commanders’ understanding and accelerate decision-making in multidomain operations.

National Impact:

All-domain sensing remains a critical priority for the Army and the Joint force. Sensing solutions must harness the power of data to contribute to commanders’ decision speed, informed maneuver, and increased lethality. All-domain sensing enables synchronized kinetic and nonkinetic capabilities and has been a consistent priority for Army senior leaders. It supports the optimization of intelligence collection, processing/dissemination activities and sensor-to-shooter activities. The Army must be able to see as far as it can shoot, see after it shoots, access machine-speed analytics to make informed decisions and understand the impacts of multiple effects on the battlefield.

Community Impact:

Teams with locations in Huntsville are committed to accelerating the delivery and integration of sensing solutions. They work across various Army and Joint organizations within the national capital region and across the country

to align technology, resources, programmatics, policy and requirements. Organizations like the All-Domain Sensing Cross-Functional Team (ADS CFT), Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (TENCAP), Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC), PEO Missiles and Space, PEO Aviation, and other partners within the intelligence, requirements and architecture communities; materiel developers; test, training and experimentation facilitators, contribute to the sensing mission.

Requested actions:

■ Sustained support for the Army’s command and control, data architecture, sensor, electromagnetic warfare, and intelligence investments.

■ Support for continued research, development, experimentation, testing and training of APNT technologies in threat-informed, operationally relevant environments

ARMY AVIATION

The Army Aviation activities on Redstone Arsenal include Army Program Executive Office – Aviation (PEO Aviation), Army Aviation & Missile Command (AMCOM), the Army Futures Command Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team, and roughly half of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center (AvMC). As the Army’s focal point for providing research, development and engineering technology and services for aviation platforms and missile systems across the life cycle, the AvMC has supported PEO Aviation and PEO Missiles & Space since 1997. PEO Aviation is the Army’s material developer for all rotary wing, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), and fixed wing aircraft. Over 13,000 professionals and support personnel in the greater Huntsville area are linked to Army Aviation.

The Army’s rotary wing and UAS are a national military capability. Therefore, PEO Aviation, centered at Redstone Arsenal, is the DoD “center of mass” for U.S. helicopter development, acquisition, and production. Preserving the nation’s rotorcraft and UAS capabilities requires a two-pronged approach: maintaining the operational readiness of the existing fleet, while simultaneously developing and integrating modernized systems to ensure the Army remains equipped to meet evolving national security demands. U.S. Army operates roughly 30 percent of the world’s twin-engine helicopters representing significant support to the U.S. industrial base for aircraft, aircraft engines, aircraft simulators, and aircraft avionics.

The Army over the course of the past 24 months has awarded contracts for multiple “small” UAS – those less than 25 lbs. Now over 10,000 UAS aircraft, the Army is the single largest combined arms integrated UAS operator in the free world. Three of the Army’s Modernization priority programs are in Army Aviation: The Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS), and Launched Effects. Other programs include the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) Fixed Wing Intelligence Aircraft, Apache Attack Helicopter, Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, and Chinook Cargo Helicopter, now in the Block II configuration. Army PEO Aviation is also responsible for the program management of a more than 500 active Foreign Military Sales (FMS) aviation portfolio representing nearly $85B in Army Security Assistance to our allies and partners. The total direct and indirect workforce benefit may be upwards of 40,000 positions in the greater Huntsville area that are affiliated with Army Aviation

SUPPORT ARMY AVIATION PROGRAMS & AVIATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

The Army’s Aviation approach balances the strategic emphasis on three primary areas: First: supporting the Army’s Modernization priorities with

Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS) including Launched Effects. Second: ensuring the readiness and relevance of the enduring aviation platforms/programs such as the Apache Attack Helicopter, Black Hawk Utility Helicopter, Chinook Cargo Helicopter, UAS, Fixed Wing and Aviation Systems. Third: Foreign Military Sales which build the capability and capacity of our partner (Allied) nations.

The Redstone/Huntsville Army Aviation materiel development and sustainment are enabled by our PEO Aviation workforce consisting of a combined uniformed military, civil servants, prime and support contractors. The PEO Aviation workforce consists of a cross-section of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), business, and logistics professionals. Roughly 50 percent of the PEO Aviation workforce has prior military service. The key to maintaining today’s technological edge into the future is advancing and sustaining the aviation science and technology (S&T) base. Critical S&T areas include advanced autonomy, materials, sensors, and artificial intelligence/data analysis.

National Impact:

Army Aviation’s Procurement Authority (APA) for Aviation Systems modernization and acquisition was reduced 6 percent from $2.83B in FY24 to $2.66B in FY25; however, the rise of FMS sales to nearly $85B supports the rotary wing and UAS industrial base. The FY25 Army Budget does provide for $1.39B in R&D for the Future Vertical Lift programs (FLRAA, FTUAS, Launched Effects). Major programs are scheduled to end procurement in the next two years: the Apache Attack Helicopter (FY25), and the Gray Eagle UAS (FY26). Although the FMS portfolio has grown and the Army recently added procurement funding for UAS, Black Hawks and Chinooks, the Redstone workforce supporting on-going production of rotary wing aircraft will likely see downward pressure.

Community Impact:

Alabama is the epicenter of Army Aviation acquisition and development. More than 13,000 jobs in northern Alabama directly support the Army Aviation portfolio. Army PEO AVN manages a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) portfolio of more than $85B in direct support of U.S. allies around the world.

The co-location of the Program Executive Office, Aviation (PEO Aviation), the Future Vertical Lift Cross Functional Team (FVL CFT), the Redstone Test Center (RTC), the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation & Missile Center (CCDC AvMC), and the Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) at Redstone Arsenal allows for the focused application of resources to maintain leadership in the Aviation arena. The full life cycle of Army Aviation assets is managed at Redstone Arsenal. Resourcing these commands is critical for the long-term sustainment of the Army Aviation mission and for continued community growth.

Requested Actions:

• Support the continued full funding and key modernization efforts for the enduring fleet and FVL programs including FLRAA, FTUAS, and Launched Effects (UAS).

• Support full funding and cognizance of the risk to the Huntsville geographic workforce and the U.S. rotorcraft industrial base while modernizing the Army’s 4000+ Enduring Force fielded aviation platforms that remain the tactical rotary wing and UAS systems available for national security employment.

Army Aviation Research, Development, and Acquisition (RD&A) program management priorities:

• Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)

• Supply Chain Risk & Resiliency

• Cybersecurity

• Aviation System Safety

• Maximize use of Program and Contract Authorities

FUTURE LONG RANGE ASSAULT AIRCRAFT (FLRAA)

The Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) is one of the key capabilities that makes up the Future Vertical Lift or FVL ecosystem. FLRAA is the Army’s versatile battlefield transport aircraft designed to operate over the Multi-Domain Operations (MDO) battlespace of at least 300 miles and a speed of 290 mph (250 kts). This medium lift, tactical assault, and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) aircraft will augment the Army’s H-60 Black Hawk utility helicopter fleet to provide Combat Aviation Brigades with longrange, high-speed options that are survivable in contested environments.

The FLRAA program as well as the Improved Turbine Engine program represent two of the major U.S. rotary wing industrial base capabilities with domestic and international applications.

FLRAA is using an innovative hybrid acquisition strategy including Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs), Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) authorities, and traditional Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) based contracts. The FLRAA program leads the Army in widely using all available and versatile acquisition methods.

Current FY25-26 priorities include continued prototype development with a delivery date in 4QFY26, followed by rigorous ground and flight testing in early FY27.

National Impact:

The FLRAA program provides the essential long-range, high speed rotary wing transport called out in the National Defense Strategy and the Army Modernization priorities. Further, FLRAA, as an operational counterpart to the UH-60 Black Hawk, helps ensure the vitality of the U.S. Aviation Industrial Base.

Community Impact:

As the Army ramps up Aviation modernization, the simultaneous maturity of Future Vertical Lift (FVL) programs including FLRAA with the Army Aviation Enduring Force fleet is necessary to preserve and build the U.S. Aviation industrial base – including the greater Huntsville area.

Requested Action:

• Continue the strong advocacy and support for FVL and the FLRAA as one of the Army’s top six modernization priorities.

UNCREWED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (UAS)

The Army is the DoD’s largest operator of UASs. The current Russian-Ukrainian War and the priority of INDOPACOM highlight the importance of including UASs in U.S. National Strategy and planning. Army UAS Research, Development, Acquisition (RDA) and Sustainment is managed by the Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS) Project Office, one of eight project offices in PEO Aviation. The Army’s current UAS fleet consists of 10,000+ small (tactical), medium (operational), and large (strategic) airframes such as the MQ-1C Gray Eagle.

Since September 2024 the Army PEO Aviation, PM UAS has made strides in advancing new capabilities to the Army force: In December holding Unit training for the Army’s newest Short-Range Reconnaissance (SRR) and Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) drones

Supporting the Army Chief of Staff priority to “transform in contact” Please view: Continuous Transformation: Transforming in Contact with Future Unmanned Aircraft Systems | Article | The United States Army; and down selecting to two contractors for the Army’s newest Small UAS program: The U.S. Army Selects Vendors for the Company Level Small Uncrewed Aircraft System Directed Requirement for Brigade Combat Teams | Article | The United States Army.

UAS programs in development include Launched Effects (LE), Future Tactical UAS (FTUAS), and Scalable Control Interface (SCI). The Army PEO Aviation has put forward three tactical UAS programs since 2024: The Long-Range Reconnaissance (LRR), Medium Range Reconnaissance (MRR) and Short-Range Reconnaissance (SRR) UAS. The LRR/MRR/SRR are designed for battalion and lower echelon tactical use.

Army UAS are fundamental to Overseas Contingency Operations having flown more than 2.9 million flight hours in direct operational support. UAS Project Office is very agile as it supports a wide variety of programs including aerial resupply with the U.S. Marine Corps, direct COCOM support, and Air-Ground integrated operations.

Priorities for FY25-26 Include: 1) Delivery of systems under FTUAS contracts; 2) Award Launched Effects contract; 3) Execute contracts and programs for LRR, MRR, and SRR tactical UAS. Plus, 4) Continue Development of the Scalable Control Interface; and 5) FMS cases for U.S. partners and allies.

National Impact:

As championed by the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Army Secretary the role of uncrewed systems in the Army will increase year-over-year, particularly with the lessons-learned from the Russian-Ukrainian War. The Army’s link to the DEPSECDEF Replicator program is a good example of the immediate impact Army UAS has across the DoD.

Community Impact:

The Army’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Project Office manages a combined RD&A and operations/maintenance budget in excess of $1B/year with $72M per year impact on the north Alabama economy and directly employs approximately 420 Department of the Army Civilians and Contractors.

Requested Action:

■ NDAA and Appropriations support for the Army UAS programs research, development, acquisition, fielding, and sustainment of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems.

ATTACK HELICOPTERS

The AH-64E Apache is the Army’s latest generation primary heavy attack helicopter. The Army Acquisition Objective is 812 AH-64E aircraft with an Army Procurement Objective of 791 aircraft. The Apache Attack Helicopter Project Office will deliver in 2025, 36 AH-64E Version 6 aircraft, the latest production configuration. Apache AH-64E procurement is forecasted to be completed by the end of FY25 with last deliveries in FY28. The Apache Project Office has an active Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, with 16 countries and over 500 aircraft across the globe. FMS cases for the AH-64E are estimated to deliver 33 aircraft delivered in 2024 and 46 in 2025 to multiple partner nations. The Poland FMS case includes 96 Apache Attack Aircraft which will continue production for the U.S. Army through 2030.

FY 25-26 priorities include: Continue aircraft deliveries in the multi-year

production contracts of which 36 aircraft will be delivered in calendar year 2025; Execute the FY24 Apache Modification program across the fielded fleet of 528 aircraft.; Prepare AH-64 fleet for the modernized battlefield through improvements in the AH-64E fielded fleet.; Support Foreign Military Sales (FMS) in current and prospective partner countries.

National Impact:

The AH-64E Apache Heavy Attack Helicopter is the world’s most sought-after attack aircraft with more than 1,300 in service in the U.S. and allied nations.

Community Impact:

All the life cycle management and many of the support modifications, spares, and other services are performed by government and industry partners in Alabama. This directly impacts more than 600 Government and contractor positions to include enter and MRO businesses.

Requested Action:

• The Army’s Attack Aviation, represented by the Apache Attack Helicopter, is forecasted to end procurement in 2025 and deliveries in 2028 for U.S. Army requirements. Congress should be cognizant of the national defense risk to surge production and OPTEMPO without a warm production base supporting U.S. military and FMS demands.

UTILITY HELICOPTERS

The Utility Helicopters Project Office (UHPO) provides life cycle management for the largest utility helicopter fleet in the Department of Defense (DoD). This includes 2135 UH-60 type “L”, “M” and “V” configuration Black Hawk and 478 UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopters with various Mission Equipment Packages (MEPs). The Project Office also supports the Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Special Operations forces, Other Government Agencies, and our Allies.

The Utility Helicopter program expects to produce and field 2,135 UH-60 Black Hawk of various models to the Army and Army National Guard. A recent contract extension was awarded in October 2024 extending deliveries of the Blackhawk until the December 2027. A follow-on multi-year contract is currently in negotiation.

The UHPO International Product Office manages more than $18B in helicopter procurement, support services and FMS contracts to 33 allied countries and partners around the world. The UH-60M is the “Workhorse” of the Army Aviation fleet and will remain a key component of the fleet into the future. To date, the Black Hawk fleet has 1.9 million combat hours (10.6 million total fleet hours) and maintains an average maintenance availability rate of 82%.

Current FY25 priorities include finalizing the 11th, five-year multi-year contract. Continue production under the current multi-year contract and continue to deliver H-60M/UH-60V to U.S. Army/National Guard. Note the UH-60V program was terminated but aircraft will still be produced at Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD), Texas, until the remaining order of 110 is completed in FY26. Deliver up to a projected 96 additional UH-60Ms to International Partners under the U.S. Army’s MY10 production contract; Continue to deliver UH60M/L Black Hawk Aircrew Trainer (BAT) flight simulator assets to Army units worldwide and to foreign military allied nations through implemented cases.

National Impact:

The Army’s Blackhawk is a Multi-Service, Multi-National helicopter used

across the Active and National Guard throughout the U.S. Pending the next multi-year contract (FY26-30), the Blackhawk program risk an end of production, like the Apache Helicopter, in 2027. A “cold” production line would present a national defense risk to surge production and meet COCOM OPTEMPO in the event of escalated conflict. Congress should be cognizant of the national defense risk to surge production and OPTEMPO without a warm production base.

Community Impact:

The Utility Helicopter program extends throughout the greater Huntsville area. In addition to PEO Aviation, AMCOM, AvMC, and PEO Missiles & Space, the Utility Helicopter program is actively supported by Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul businesses in Huntsville. The UH-60 Utility Helicopter program supports upwards of 2000 Government and contractor positions throughout the Huntsville community.

Requested Action:

• Support the Army’s Utility Helicopter modernization and procurement objectives including the Foreign Military Sales, and integration of the Improved Turbine Engine on the UH-60 Blackhawk fleet. Congress should be cognizant of the national defense risk to surge production and OPTEMPO without a warm production base.

CARGO HELICOPTERS & INTERNATIONAL NON-PROGRAM OF RECORD

The Army’s CH-47 Chinook includes 460 CH-47F aircraft in the Active Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve. Additionally, the U.S. has produced and delivered CH-47 aircraft to our Allied Partners. The German Ministry of Defense (MOD) selected the CH-47 as the replacement heavy lift helicopter. The Cargo Helicopters Program Office’s International Non-Program of Record Aviation Products (INRAP) Product Office supports partner nations around the globe to acquire and sustain commercial rotary wing aircraft.

FY25-26 priorities: Procure CH-47F Block II Lot 2 – latest generation of CH47F aircraft configuration. The Cargo Project Office is scheduled to deliver other than CH-47 Chinook aircraft: 8 aircraft to Iraq, 8 to Thailand, 2 to Nepal, 1 to Guatemala, and initiate 18 new aircraft procurement efforts of multiple configurations from various Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).

National Impact:

The CH-47 Chinook fleet is the world’s leading heavy lift helicopter supporting the Active Army in CONUS and OCONUS, The Germany FMS case provides a much-needed production base for the U.S. surge and OPTEMPO support to COCOMs. The U.S. has sponsored several non-standard aircraft such as the UH-1 (Huey) and the Bell 207/407 which our allies continue to operate and need U.S. support.

Community Impact:

The Cargo Project office programs directly employ approximately 450 Department of the Army Civilians and Contractors

Requested Actions:

• Continued support for the procurement of the CH-47F Block II.

• Support execution of the U.S.-Germany CH-47 FMS case.

• Continue Allied and COCOM support to the nine (9) different nonstandard rotary wing aircraft types in use by 19 different allied forces across the globe.

AVIATION TURBINE ENGINES (ATE)

The Aviation Turbine Engines (ATE) Project Office manages the engines for the Apache, Black Hawk, Chinook, FLRAA helicopter program – more than 3,500 active helicopters, and 10,000 aircraft engines including the FMS case engines. The ATE PO is responsible for the Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP) which will reinvigorate the U.S. rotary wing engine industrial base with a potential of 6,000 new engines. The Improved Turbine Engine will be common to the Apache, Blackhawk, replacing the venerable T-700 series engines.

FY 25-26 priorities include: Complete current T-700 engine production contract and deliveries; First production units for the Improved Turbine Engine; Direct and indirect support to FMS cases on aircraft or engines for 1000+ U.S. DoD aircraft, and up to 1000 FMS UH-60 Blackhawk aircraft, AH-64 Apache Aircraft and CH-47 Cargo Helicopters.

National Impact:

The Improved Turbine Engine or ITE program is the most significant U.S. rotary wing engine program in recent history. ITE has a potential production run of 10,000 engines supplying future vertical lift aircraft and the enduring Aviation fleet with a common engine. The potential 10,000 engine contract represents one of the largest potential manufacturing contracts in the DoD with the Army’s project management office and support personnel at Redstone Arsenal.

Community Impact:

Project management and program support are performed in Alabama. The prime contractor is General Electric.

Requested Action:

• Recognize the DoD and FMS wide impact of the Army’s Improved Turbine Engine Program and the FMS current and forecasted opportunities in FY25 and FY26.

AVIATION MISSION SYSTEMS & ARCHITECTURE

The Aviation Mission Systems & Architecture (AMSA) Project Office is responsible for designing, developing, and delivering advanced aviation technologies that enable the Aviation Enterprise to operate and execute mission command in the Joint and Multi-Domain Environments. The project includes four Product Offices that manage 53 distinct product lines in Active, Guard, and Reserve Army Aviation units. Products include the Aviation Mission Common Server, Air to Ground Network Radio, Assured Position, Navigation, Timing (A-PNT) capabilities, selection of the Next Generation Aviation Ground Power Unit (Version 1.1), upgrades to the Air Traffic Control Systems, hardware agnostic Aviation Mission Planning System, and the Degraded Visual Environment System. Within Army Aviation, the AMSA programs lead Army and Army Aviation priorities such as Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA), Army Aviation and Army Network integration, and mission critical software development. FY25-26 priorities include Mission Systems Architecture using Modular Open Systems Approaches (MOSA); Assured Position, Navigation, Timing (PNT) Technology; Aviation Mission Common Server (AMCS) Development; Multi-Platform Anti-Jam GPS Navigation Antenna-Federated (MAGNA-F) antennas; Air Ground Radio (AGNR) Integration & Modification Work Order Plan; and Auxiliary Ground Power Unit 1.1 Performance Verification Testing

The AMSA International Product Office provides support to over 30 partner

nations supplying materiel and training support for Aviation Ground Support Equipment, common communications and navigation equipment, and mission planning software across all manned platforms in the U.S. Army portfolio.

National Impact:

AMSA’s enabling technologies across the 4000+ rotary wing platforms in Army Aviation provide Commanders with the mission information necessary to make key, optimal decisions associated with air and/or ground operations. Every Army aviation unit in CONUS and OCONUS deploys with AMSA systems.

Community Impact:

The AMSA Project Office manages end-to- end life cycle management and modifications of thousands of systems and sub-systems across the Army. The project office supports more than 425 Government and contractor positions. The AMSA program involves the AvMC, AMCOM, Prototype Integration Facility, and Logistics Support Facility.

Requested Action:

• Support AMSA Project Office funding at a level that enables targeted readiness and procurement efforts across all U.S. Army Aviation platforms, including the Aviation Mission Common Server.

FIXED WING AIRCRAFT

The Fixed Wing Project Office centrally manages the Army’s fleet of 400 manned, Fixed Wing Transport and Aerial ISR aircraft. Army fixed wing aviation units’ missions include strategic, operational, and tactical intelligence and electronic warfare. The Army’s ISR fleet is currently transitioning from propeller driven aircraft to jet powered platforms, the “HADES” ISR aircraft. The new platforms will allow the Army ISR fleet to fly higher, support longer missions, deploy quicker and see further behind enemy lines. Two key products are in development for the Army’s Fixed Wing aircraft: High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) and Airborne Reconnaissance Targeting Exploitation Mission - Intelligence System (ARTEMIS).

Current FY 25-26 priorities include: Execution of the HADES program based on the FY24 contract award; Airborne Reconnaissance and Electronic Warfare System (ARES) Tech Demonstrator to United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) Command; and Update (ARTEMIS) Aircraft to V3.0. Continued Support to United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR) Command;

The HADES will provide target quality data to enable long range precision fires for the Army. HADES payloads deployed on high altitude manned aircraft are capable of 10–12-hour long missions anywhere in the world within 48 hours.

National Impact:

The Army’s Fixed Wing Special Electronic Mission Aircraft provides Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) provides global support across the Combatant Commands (COCOMs) and Army operations throughout all theaters of operation.

Community Impact:

The Fixed Wing project office, our support matrix government and industry provide technical and programmatic employment to over 500 direct and indirect employees.

Requested Action:

• Congress is cognizant of the manned fixed-wing ISR missions accomplished by the Army Fixed Wing aviation fleet including COCOM and National Intelligence Agencies support.

MUNICIPAL FINANCING

Since the early 1900s, bond financing for municipal entities has benefited from tax-exempt status, saving citizens billions of dollars on infrastructure development. Recently, Congress has explored ways to safeguard this critical tool. Proposals include reinstating tax-exempt advance refunding for municipal bonds, protecting Build America Bonds from federal budget sequestration, and increasing the small issuer exception from $10M to $30M annually through measures like the Municipal Bond Market Support Act.

Requested Action:

■ Congress should adopt a comprehensive bond modernization agenda, including:

• Reinstating the ability to issue tax-exempt advance refunding bonds.

• Increasing the small issuer exception from $10M to $30M annually.

• Repealing the sequestration of payments to issuers of Build America Bonds and New Clean Renewable Energy Bonds.

• Supporting H.R. 1837, the Investing in Our Communities Act, which would restore the pre-2017 law allowing one tax-exempt advance refunding per tax-exempt bond-financed project.

REGIONAL ENERGY INNOVATION & SECURITY

The Huntsville community continues to invest in energy innovation market economic development, and assess emerging opportunities in the area with TVA, DoD, DoE, ADECA, TARCOG, the Business Council of Alabama and the Energy Institute of Alabama. The Mayor’s office, Huntsville/Madison County Chamber, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, UAH, Redstone Arsenal, Army Corps of Engineers, MSFC, AMCOM, CCDC, Oak Ridge Huntsville Partnership, the TVC, TechRich, BizTech, Huntsville Utilities, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC), Seven States Power Corporation, and TVA work continuously to advance frame candidate energy projects and activities that would ensure adequate energy capacity, reduce local energy consumption, reduce logistics requirements in the field, improve resiliency and redundancy through integrated “smart” technologies, and provide low-cost renewable power production capabilities at installations including Redstone, the USSRC, Huntsville Utilities, BizTech and other eligible sites in the region. A significant ongoing activity is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Huntsville Center continuing to execute important contracting efforts for renewable energy generation, management, and control systems.

Community Impact:

Emerging energy technology companies and their solution systems, along with DoD and commercial applications, represent a promising opportunity to diversify and grow the region’s economy in the energy sector.

Huntsville energy interests collaborate on opportunities to apply critical systems R&T and testing skills to new Huntsville projects, such as the use of fuel cells in UAVs, biofuels in the Army fleet, the validation of renewable energy power production systems, energy storage, distributed energy resources (DER) like small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), transportation (electric vehicles), combined heat and power (CoGen) facilities, renewable energy resources and other portable power systems for the warfighter in support of the U.S. Army. The community also sees this as a way to spawn new commercial

applications, and to further solidify Huntsville’s image and reputation as a provider of innovative and leading edge “smart” technical energy solutions.

Requested Actions:

■ Support innovative energy pilot projects at Redstone, MSFC, the FBI, and the USSRC that align with the area’s power generation and monitoring requirements to include feasibility analysis.

■ Support the provisions of the Military Energy Security Act in establishing collaborative DoD, DoT, and DoE Pilot Programs such as EVs, DER, and SMRs.

■ Support DoD and DoE energy initiatives and proposals that enable technologies, such as SMRs, renewables, energy storage, alternative fuel development, and other opportunities developed in the broader Tennessee Valley region to compete for funding via budget measures and incentives.

■ Support policy and community initiatives that reduce barriers and enable businesses to take advantage of cost-effective energy efficiency, distributed resources, and renewable energy programs.

THE TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY (TVA)

Recognizing the importance of a reliable and resilient power supply portfolio, we urge TVA to collaborate with local utilities in developing resources and programs that address the growing energy demands of north Alabama.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) serves more than 1.1 million people and many of Alabama’s largest industrial and commercial customers through eight cooperatives and 17 municipal systems in 17 Alabama counties. In Alabama, TVA’s footprint is significant in value of assets, transmission load and revenue from sales to both local power companies and directly served customers at $1.7B, which is about 14 percent of TVA’s total operating revenue. TVA’s contribution in economic development and stewardship of the Tennessee River has made a considerable impact in Alabama for more than 90 years. During fiscal year 2023, TVA helped create 830 jobs and retain about 7,300 jobs in the state with $1.7B capital investment.

TVA’s mission is to provide energy security – energy that is affordable, reliable, resilient – to Alabama families and the state’s economy. TVA is also a national leader in providing clean energy, with the most diverse generation fleet in the United States, including nuclear, solar, hydro, gas, and advanced technologies. TVA has reduced carbon emission intensity by approximately 50 percent since 2005 and is executing a plan to reach an approximate 80 percent reduction by 2035. TVA aspires to achieve net-zero carbon emissions intensity by 2050, recognizing that the journey to net-zero will rely on new technology and innovation.

MISSILE & SPACE INTELLIGENCE CENTER (MSIC)

Technical innovation and superior scientific and engineering capabilities are the cornerstone of MSIC’s success. The Huntsville region’s highly educated, ever-expanding workforce is a force multiplier for the Center. With its roots deeply planted in the development of complex engineering solutions, MSIC is continually advancing broader national intelligence analysis capabilities. Skills such as advanced modeling, simulation, and analysis (MS&A) must continue to be leveraged in addressing key national priorities including rapidly advancing capabilities in offensive hypersonics, cyber threats, and artificial intelligence (AI). In addition to MS&A, developing engineering toolsets to better analyze and evaluate foreign threat hardware is another critical factor in understanding the complete threat system picture. The evolving sophistication of multi-domain battlespace operations demands continued advancement in the simulation arena. Rapid solutioning via simulation and collabo -

ration across intelligence production centers is crucial in supporting timely analysis and viable results. Digital engineering, high-performance computing (HPC) including applications of quantum, and the emerging power of AI enables a more expedient path to answer effectively and efficiently some of the IC’s most challenging and complex questions.

MSIC is a critical link across Team Redstone; collaboratively advancing unified missions with PEO Missiles and Space, PEO Aviation, Missile Defense Agency, Space and Missile Defense Command/ARSTRAT, Aviation and Missile Center (AvMC) and FBI. For example, MSIC’s advanced missile system modeling and simulation as well as its highly advanced hardware in the loop experience can significantly enhance AVMC as it works to define technology development priorities for U.S. Army requirements including the challenges of defining hypersonic vehicle performance capabilities to counter foreign threats.

To keep pace with evolving global threats, MSIC must expand its ability to capture, analyze, report, and securely disseminate intelligence information and reports through continual improvement of its Missile Knowledge Base (MKB). This includes improving ways of digitizing information, cataloguing data, maximizing query discoverability and usability of information as an intelligence enterprise secured, shared resource at any optimal point of end-user needs.MSIC therefore must have the critical human, financial, and physical resources necessary to sustain and expand its mission to support the acquisition community, national policy makers, and the Warfighter.

National Impact:

Located at the Richard C. Shelby Center for Missile Intelligence on Redstone Arsenal, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC) is one of our Nation’s premier scientific and technical intelligence organizations. MSIC is charged with analyzing and understanding all source analysis of the characteristics, performance, operations, and vulnerabilities of foreign threat short-range ballistic missiles, anti-tank guided missiles, command and control, air defense systems, directed energy weapons, and counter space weapon systems. The MSIC mission is crucial in bolstering our nation’s defense against increasingly sophisticated, highly capable foreign threats, especially as world events evolve exponentially. MSIC disseminates the complete spectrum of operations from national security strategic to actionable operations tactical, to the broader intelligence community, decision makers, and ultimately the Warfighter.

Community Impact:

Employing about 400 government personnel and approximately 400 contractors, MSIC will continue to be embedded as a significant contributor to our nation’s defense. The regional economic impact from MSIC will be enhanced by ensuring funding supports robust analysis of the growing air defense, SRBM, counter space, hypersonic, cyber, and emerging threats to national security.

Requested Actions:

■ Increase FY25 MSIC funding over president’s budget request to provide increased support for MSIC’s intelligence analysis programs with emphasis on continued Solutions for Intelligence Analysis Countering Conventional Weapons Analytical Requirements (SCAR), further modernizations of ITASE, the IC’s authoritative modeling and simulation architecture; advanced threat systems modeling tools; development of digital engineering to address threat Integrated Kill Webs and weapon autonomy.

■ Support Phase 2 facility construction funding requirements for the MSIC Advanced Analytics Complex; a capability vital to enhance collaboration between DIA MSIC and foreign partners through increased laboratory and dedicated analysis space.

CYBER

National Impact:

Redstone Arsenal and the Tennessee Valley are recognized nationwide as a federal center of excellence for research, technology protection, and mission assurance, as well as cyber security research, development, and engineering programs and related security policies. The complexity involved in the protection of the defense and organic industrial base has grown significantly, this includes strategic supply chains, financial markets, and intellectual property which has extended into the space and cyberspace domains and supported critical infrastructure sectors. This will require the development of a high quality, innovative workforce, continued discovery, and creation of opportunities for collaboration among government and private organizations.

The Army Weapon Systems that are designed, developed, and managed on Redstone Arsenal must be protected and resilient from supply chain threats and complex cyber-attacks including those that leverage Artificial Intelligence technologies. These weapon systems must be engineered with advanced security techniques and must have robust technology protection plans to protect the systems and components from foreign exploitation.

Our community’s space development capabilities, combined with our continually growing cyber expertise uniquely qualify our region to lead in space-oriented cyber resilience. Our cyber workforce must grow both in capacity and capability to satisfy existing and new cyber workforce demands.

A growing Intelligence Community presence brings new opportunities for Redstone Arsenal tenants and industry partners to collaborate in the development of policy and programs that protect our mission systems, supply chain and critical infrastructure. In addition, the growing reliance of our Nation’s intelligence capabilities, military readiness, and commercial industries to securely and freely operate from and in space requires that we ensure our space-based assets are cyber resilient and redundant.

One of the FBI’s critical missions is to protect National Security and Critical Infrastructure from foreign and domestic threats. These threats come from a myriad of actors – terrorists, foreign intelligence services, and criminals – and through all manner of illicit activities, including by Cyber means. The FBI is the lead federal agency for investigating cyber-attacks and intrusions by imposing risk and consequences on cyber adversaries. The FBI’s goal is to change the behavior of criminals and nation-states who believe they can compromise U.S. networks, steal financial and intellectual property, and put critical infrastructure at risk without facing risk themselves.

Whether through enabling intelligence collection, developing innovative investigative techniques, understanding current technology, developing cutting-edge analytic tools and technical capabilities, or forging new partnerships in our communities, the FBI continues to adapt to meet the challenges posed by the evolving cyber threat.

Community Impact:

The Tennessee Valley continues to mature a workforce pipeline to develop, attract, and retain a broad range of technical and management professionals focused on cyber security and mission assurance. Huntsville and the surrounding Tennessee Valley will promote progressive, complementary initiatives established at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, the Alabama School of Cyber Technology & Engineering, the U.S. Space and Rocket Center’s U.S. Cyber Camp, and other educational institutions. These initiatives define the framework for a progressive path to develop desperately needed technicians, managers, and policy developers. It is imperative that funding

is available for these education institutions to attract students that are U.S. citizens and have interest in performing national security cyber related work.

The engineers and scientist that design, develop, and manage the Army Weapon Systems that are located on Redstone Arsenal are uniquely qualified to protect those systems from cyber-attacks. These engineers and scientists understand how these weapon systems are designed and how they operate giving them a unique perspective for protecting these weapon systems from cyber-attacks. It is important that region continues to grow the cyber security workforce to protect these weapon systems.

The FBI is engaged in a myriad of efforts to combat cyber threats, from improving threat identification and information sharing inside and outside of the government, to retaining new talent, to examining the way we operate to disrupt and defeat these threats. However, the FBI must also continue to develop the current workforce. Working with the Intelligence and Defense Communities, the FBI is creating a hub for technological development and advanced learning at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. These advanced training venues will enable Intelligence Community (IC) personnel access to a real-world environment, where students will learn to detect, analyze, and develop countermeasures to technical vulnerabilities.

Requested Actions:

■ U.S. Army weapons platforms require Cyber Resilience as a key performance parameter of System Survivability. Continue to support and fund additional missile and aviation S&T research (6.2 basic research, 6.3 applied research) to provide engineering, development and testing of technologies relevant to Cyber & Electromagnetic activities.

■ Continue support and funding to the Program Executive Office’s (PEO) (Missiles & Space, PEO Aviation) to develop weapon system survivability, integrate cyber and responsible AI policy and programmatic capabilities in the acquisition lifecycle, and protect the industrial base and its hardware and software supply chains.

■ Support funding for the Army Threat Systems Management Office (TSMO) to develop capability that will enable acquisition, development, deployment, and counter-measure effectiveness of threat-based capabilities to identify, analyze, and assess comprehensive information attack surfaces of weapons programs, critical infrastructure/operational technologies, and tactics across the U.S. Army and enabling Defense Industrial Base (DIB).

■ Continue to resource and enable the Space and Missile Defense Command’s (SMDC) cutting-edge research in the Cyber resiliency of space and missile defeat systems that enable Multi Domain Operations and provide force protection. Resources are required to develop cybersecurity tools and infrastructure that will protect networks, hardware and software that are critical in enabling our Ground Based Interceptors and Missile Defeat assets to defend our homeland against rapidly changing hostile air and missile capabilities. Emerging threats in Space dictate additional funding for SMDC efforts in Cyber hardening of Mission Systems used for space-to-ground and space-to-space secure communication links, Space Superiority activities, and Navigation Warfare.

■ Increase funding for Army Materiel Command (AMC) in support of the OIB Modernization Task Force to support OIB talent development across the OIB, and specifically to build a “hub and spoke” cyber talent support network, based in Huntsville, to provide ongoing, coordinated training and development for individuals tasked with supporting local ICN and Operations Technology (OT) cyber support and defense.

■ Increase Missile Defense Agency (MDA) funding to enable prototype development, pilot implementation and operation of defensive cyber operations capabilities across MDA mission systems, RDT&E environments, and core information technology system networks to include: Conduct cyber reconnaissance and threat hunting activities

across the enterprise and extended to high-risk DIB suppliers of critical missile defense system components; Assess current and emerging offensive cyber posture of U.S. adversaries and develop defensive cyber capabilities to defend against state-sponsored threats inclusive of the space domain; Develop a roadmap and strategy to enhance cyberspace training and security cooperation across public/private sectors.

■ The FBI requires sustained funding for current FBI cyber and cyber-related operations. The FBI requires additional resources to enhance cyber information-sharing abilities; increase cyber tools and capacities; recruit, hire and retain cyber talent; and protect internal FBI networks from those who wish to do the U.S. harm. In addition, the FBI needs additional funding to support Redstone cyber and technology curriculum development, training, tradecraft, and facilities operations and maintenance, ensuring the FBI is able to continue to partner and collaborate with key intelligence, law enforcement, and private sector entities to counter cyber threats through technology, innovation, and training.

■ Continue to support DIA/MSIC’s mission for intelligence analysis of foreign surface-to-air missile systems, ballistic missile systems, and a variety of other weapon systems to determine their characteristics, performance, operations, and vulnerabilities, to include cyber vulnerabilities.

■ Redstone Test Center (RTC) requires resources for continued development of innovative Cyber Test and Evaluation/Experimentation Capability supporting stakeholders such as Program Executive Office (PEO) Aviation, PEO Missiles and Space, Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC), Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office (RCCTO), Threat Systems Management Office (TSMO), Space Force (USSF), Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), DEVCOM, and other joint/allied partners (AUKUS pillar 2).

■ Sustain funding for the JROTC Cyber Pilot Program. This program will modernize and complement the traditional JROTC curriculum with an innovative curriculum designed to prepare a new generation of cyber professionals entering the civilian workforce, military or post-secondary education.

■ Sustain and increase funding for the National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education program which supports UAH and eight other Alabama colleges and universities.

■ Establish funding to enhance and expand non-traditional secondary education programs like U.S. Cyber Camp, which are designed to grow the cyber workforce through immersive engagement outside traditional classroom setting and provide professional development for educators.

DOD ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY TRANSITION: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI/ML), ADVANCED CELLULAR (5G/6G), QUANTUM COMPUTING, & DATA ANALYTICS

National Impact:

The U.S. must maintain its competitive edge in space, missile defense, and aviation—three mission-critical areas managed by activities at Redstone Arsenal. To remain at the forefront, these weapon systems must integrate the most advanced technologies available, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Quantum Computing, and Advanced Cellular (5G/6G).

Missiles & Space, Aviation, and Missile Defense should be prioritized for implementation of these technologies due to their impact on national security and strategic deterrence. Additionally, their integration into supporting logistics and sustainment systems will enhance operational readiness and supply chain resilience.

The FY25 proposed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) underscores the DoD’s commitment to technological advancement, with $146B allocated

for R&D. However, within the Army’s FY25 budget, AI/ML and Quantum Computing allocations primarily focus on Network, Sensors, and Robotics—largely outside Redstone Arsenal’s commands. There is currently no commensurate investment in Aviation, Missiles & Space, Missile Defense, or Contested Logistics, leaving critical gaps in capability development.

Community Impact:

Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal represent the nation’s leading convergence of STEM talent, defense technology, and DoD mission execution. To maintain U.S. superiority in next-generation warfare, a proportional increase in AI/ML, Quantum Computing, and Advanced Cellular investment is essential for supporting Aviation, Missiles & Space, Missile Defense, and Contested Logistics. We urge DoD leadership and Congress to recognize and support Huntsville’s AI and Quantum Computing leadership with strategic funding allocations, workforce development programs, and infrastructure investments to secure the nation’s technological advantage in defense innovation.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI/ML) & ADVANCED CELLULAR (5G/6G)

AI and ML are rapidly transforming both civilian and military applications, with generative AI models such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, and Meta Llama demonstrating the acceleration of AI deployment. The recent development of global AI capabilities, including the Chinese DeepSeek R1, highlights the urgency for the U.S. to maintain leadership in AI-driven defense applications.

Community DoD Priorities in AI/ML:

• Missile Defense Optimization: AI/ML-driven sensor fusion, target discrimination, and predictive analytics for layered missile defense.

• Autonomous Aviation Systems: AI-enhanced pilot assistance and autonomous flight for next-generation aircraft.

• Space Domain Awareness: AI-driven tracking and real-time response capabilities for satellite and space-based threats.

• Contested Logistics: AI-powered supply chain resilience and predictive maintenance to mitigate operational vulnerabilities.

Requested Actions:

• Proportional R&D Investment: Allocate $10B from DoD’s R&D budget to Redstone Arsenal for AI/ML/5G/6G development across Aviation, Missiles & Space, Missile Defense, and Contested Logistics. Beneficiary commands include CCDC AvMC, PEO Aviation, PEO Missiles & Space, the Army RCCTO Office, Army Materiel Command, and the Missile Defense Agency.

• Workforce Development and Retention Incentives: Increase DoD investment in AI/ML workforce training to equip Alabama’s current and emerging workforce with the necessary skills to support DoD weapon systems development.

• Infrastructure and Power Requirements: Advanced AI and data processing require significant energy resources. Support TVA and local power companies in ensuring sustainable power generation for Redstone Arsenal’s AI and computing infrastructure.

QUANTUM COMPUTING: NATIONAL SECURITY & STRATEGIC APPLICATIONS

National Impact: Quantum computing is emerging as a transformative technology with far-reaching implications for national security. The integration of classical and quantum computing will enhance optimization capabilities (e.g., missile defense, transportation logistics) and cryptographic resilience.

Community Impact:

Northern Alabama, particularly the Huntsville region, is well-positioned to lead DoD quantum computing initiatives through its advanced engineering and technology base, strong academic partnerships, and alignment with Team Redstone’s mission objectives. Local DoD priorities in Quantum Computing include the following:

• Missile Defense: Quantum-enabled threat prediction and sensor integration for hypersonic missile tracking.

• Secure Communications: Quantum cryptography for unbreakable encryption of classified military transmissions.

• Advanced Autonomy: Quantum-enhanced AI models for autonomous weapons systems and robotics.

• Logistics and Optimization: Quantum-driven efficiency models for supply chain management and contested logistics.

• Active Quantum Research Participants:

▸ University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH): Quantum key distribution, photonics research, and meta-structure applications.

▸ Alabama A&M University: Potential HBCU regional center of excellence for quantum computing research.

▸ Redstone Arsenal and the Department of Justice: Secure communications and encryption applications.

▸ Bioscience and Molecular Research: Quantum-driven advancements in drug discovery and material science. Requested Actions:

• Fund the Creation of a Huntsville-Based Quantum Computing Application Center:

▸ Workforce Development: Address the quantum computing talent gap by training specialists in quantum algorithm development, quantum-AI integration, and cryptographic applications.

▸ Use Case Identification Program: Partner with local defense, bioscience, and manufacturing sectors to identify near-term quantum applications with measurable impact (within 24 months).

• Defense & Commercial Applications: Leverage quantum optimization for logistics, energy management, and material design to enhance DoD and civilian sector efficiencies.

▸ Prioritize DoD Funding for Quantum Computing in Huntsville: Ensure dedicated resources for Redstone Arsenal’s quantum computing research and development, reinforcing north Alabama’s role as a strategic hub for quantum innovation.

BROADBAND & COMMUNICATIONS SPECTRUM

Huntsville and north Alabama rely on a highly technical and diverse workforce, which requires broadband access throughout the commuting area. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, passed in 2021, invests more than $1 trillion into National Infrastructure. Specifically, $65B was set-aside as grants to states for broadband deployment and other efforts to close the digital divide. The legislation expands eligible private activity bond projects to include broadband infrastructure. We believe broadband, while designed for 19 million Americans to access high-speed internet directly, benefits the north Alabama region by increasing both data and telecommunications access. Upgrading and further developing broadband in the north Alabama area will provide access to the highest levels of our professional and technical workforce. From the bill, “As business efficiency and worker productivity improve, so will wages.”

The Huntsville/Madison County Chamber supports broadband policies that promote: (1) increased access to affordable broadband for all Alabamians, (2) the efficient deployment of advanced technologies, including small cells and 5G, while also recognizing local authorities to manage public rights of way, (3) continued investment and innovation to enhance deployment across Alabama, and (4) competition and choice for Alabama’s businesses and residents.

Community Impact:

Broadband, consisting of wired and radiofrequency (RF) transmission, plus the networking infrastructure, is the direct impact envisioned by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. With Redstone Arsenal as a key economic center of the greater Huntsville area, improving high-speed data and telecommunications access benefits all communities in the region. Redstone Arsenal is a critical piece of our national security, and it is supported by numerous small, medium, and large defense contractors, commercial business, and industrial manufacturers. The ever-evolving technology landscape requires robust, cutting-edge broadband service to ensure Redstone, as well as its supporting industries and businesses, maintains operational excellence. The increasing reliance on virtual work, education, and social services continues to place greater demands on individuals, families, workers, and social supporters across the region. The Huntsville area should continue to lead the state by deploying broadband and telecommunications as envisioned by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Of particular interest is the integrated reliance on highspeed internet and broadband for federal and state critical infrastructure such as power generation, dams, and waterways. Additional technology which is also a national priority is the further development of 5G cellular.

Requested Actions:

■ Alabama delegation continued interest in the Administration allocation of funding for broadband into the north Alabama region. Proportionate investment in north Alabama to enable the goals and objectives of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

■ Direct engagement with Federal agencies such as the Department of Transportation, FCC, NTIA and Commerce toward timely and efficient allocation of broadband funding.

MEDICARE WAGE INDEX – HEALTHCARE

Over one million Alabama residents rely on Medicare for health insurance, with the State’s ninety-two hospitals providing both the infrastructure and safety net for their healthcare. Medicare pays hospitals for this care through a complicated formula that relies in large part on a “wage index” that has long-ago lost its ability to fairly allocate Medicare dollars.

The wage index is part of a formula used nationwide to determine how much a hospital is paid for providing care to Medicare patients. The original intent was to provide Medicare payments to hospitals based on market-to-market differences in labor costs nationwide. The wage index formula is budget neutral, meaning when wages of hospitals go up in one part of the country, payments in these hospitals increase and payments to hospitals in other areas decrease. While the goal of the original wage index was to reflect variations in the country’s labor markets, the formula has been manipulated. The system now includes a multitude of exceptions and political fixes and is no longer a true representation of labor markets. Beyond political manipulation, since the wage index formula is budget neutral, a self-perpetuating cycle develops for states like Alabama. As a state like California receives higher payments, those hospitals have more resources to increase wages, driving their wage index higher and rural states’ wage index lower. After years of manipulation and this cycle of the rich getting richer, hospitals in some states are paid

nearly twice as much as Alabama hospitals for providing the exact same care to a Medicare patient.

A partial fix was implemented in 2020 – providing hospitals in the lowest quartile an increase of half the difference between their wage index and the 25th percentile – but was overturned in 2024 following court action initiated by the urban states who have long benefited from the broken formula. Further, the underlying formula remains fundamentally flawed and rule changes are necessary to close the large gap between urban and rural providers.

The wage index for rural Alabama for the fiscal year 2025 is 0.65 — the lowest among the 50 states and only higher than Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. California’s rural wage index is 1.26 for the same fiscal year. If a service costs $100, for example, an Alabama rural hospital would get paid $65 while a Californian rural hospital would get $126.

Forty percent of all hospital care in Alabama is covered by Medicare, so for every dollar lost to another state in reduced Medicare payments, the cost is spread to patients who have private insurance. Hospitals in high-cost markets are rewarded, while cost efficient markets like Alabama are penalized.

Requested Action:

■ Support actions that allow CMS to reinstitute the 2020 fix. Encourage CMS to undertake a comprehensive review of the wage index formula to remove inherent inequalities and to provide reasonable payments to all hospitals for services provided. The formula should be reset to avoid manipulation, set a range on payments to avoid a negative selfperpetuating cycle, and to establish a reasonable floor that rewards efficient providers.

340B DRUG PRICING – HEALTHCARE

Section 340B of the Public Health Service Act requires pharmaceutical manufacturers participating in Medicaid to sell outpatient drugs at discounted prices to eligible health care organizations that care for large numbers of uninsured and low-income patients. This program provides these benefits at nearly no cost to the American taxpayer.

Drug manufacturers are undermining the program and violating federal law by ceasing to provide discounts for 340B drugs dispensed through community and specialty pharmacies that contract with 340B covered entities. Several of the largest drug manufacturers have unilaterally stopped providing discounts to 340B drugs dispensed through community and specialty pharmacies that contracted with 340B covered entities, violating the 340B statute. This illegal action threatens the integrity of the 340B program and the savings on which covered entities rely to provide care to millions of low-income Americans.

This move is especially harmful considering hospitals are facing record-high inflationary cost pressures driving negative operating margins for many hospitals around the country. Considering the challenge of sustaining hospital operations, especially in Alabama, a strong 340B program helps entities that provide critical care keep their doors open.

Requested Action:

■ Thwart drug manufacturers’ efforts to unilaterally and unlawfully change the 340B. Protections for 340B include prohibiting manufacturers’ restrictions on contract pharmacies and other actions that limit access to discounted drugs and to impose meaningful penalties for noncompliance. Provisions should be considered that acknowledge the need to address discriminatory policies of other actors that siphon off the 340B program’s intended benefit.

PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE, MISSILES & SPACE (PEO MS):

National Impact:

To succeed in Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO), U.S. Army Air and Missile Defense (AMD) Forces must execute three essential tasks across multi-domains (land, sea, air, space, and cyber). First, protect fixed assets, semi-fixed assets, and maneuvering forces. Second, defend critical theater and operational support areas. Lastly, converge combat capabilities at critical points in the battlespace to exploit windows of opportunity. To meet the challenges of providing warfighters with the capabilities needed to succeed in a LSCO environment, PEO MS is providing a rapid and iterative approach to capability development that decrease cost, address technological obsolescence, eliminate duplication of effort, and reduce acquisition risk. It increases the speed of delivery, enables design tradeoffs in the requirements process, expands the role of the Warfighters throughout the acquisitions process, and uses non-traditional suppliers. PEO MS is responsible for 44 Programs of Record managed by six Project Offices: Strategic Integrated Kinetic Effects (STRIKE), Integrated Fires Mission Command (IFMC); Short and Intermediate Effectors for Layered Defense (SHIELD); Search, Track, Acquire, Radiate, Eliminate (STARE); Strategic and Operational Rockets and Missiles (STORM); Tactical Aviation and Ground Munitions (TAGM); Integrated Fires Directorate (IFD); and the Product Manager Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (PdM C-UAS).

Of the Army’s modernization programs necessary to enable LSCO, PEO MS manages eight of these: Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), SGT STOUT (M-SHORAD), Indirect Fire Protection Capability (IFPC), Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS), Mid-Range Capability (MRC), Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW), and Long-Range Precision Munition (LRPM). These critical modernization programs increase warfighter lethality and enhance force protection throughout the multi-domain battlespace. PEO MS is also on the forefront of the Army’s Long-Range Precision Fires, Air and Missile Defense, Hypersonic, Directed Energy, Counter- small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-sUAS), and Aviation and Ground Missiles modernization initiatives.

Community Impact:

The PEO MS team of more than 2,400 dedicated professionals, working in collaboration with the Army Futures Command, Cross-Functional Teams, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Centers of Excellence, other military organizations, sister services, and the defense industry, to pursue opportunities for combined research and development on emerging technologies and modernization of fielded systems, which support thousands of jobs in the Huntsville area.

Requested Action:

■ Fully fund the President’s budget request for the Army’s Long Range Precision Fires and Air and Missile Defense modernization priorities and legacy programs.

INTEGRATED AIR & MISSILE DEFENSE BATTLE COMMAND SYSTEM (IBCS)

National Impact:

IBCS is the cornerstone of the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) modernization program. Designed to connect the force for unified action against evolving threats, IBCS is a command and control system for the air and missile defense mission - integrating current systems to

maximize employment flexibility in completely different ways than before. IBCS executed an array of rigorous testing on its path to achieving Full-Rate Production (FRP) and highlighting the system’s ability to integrate a variety of sensors and effectors to work together under an integrated command and control system. In FY23, IBCS, within the IAMD program, received a successful FRP Defense Acquisition Board decision. Weeks later, the IBCS program achieved Initial Operational Capability declaration.

As the integrator of IBCS software, the Army is in the process of developing the Software Integration Facility (SWIF). The SWIF is a planned Government-Owned and Government-Operated facility, which will allow System of System engineering and development activities for future capabilities to begin early hardware/software integration, test, and defect resolution prior to the start of IBCS software and algorithm product development. The Integrated Fires Directorate (IFD) within the Program Executive Office Missiles and Space (PEO MS) will manage SWIF operations.

Community Impact:

IBCS is managed in Huntsville, AL. The program supports more than eight hundred jobs in the north Alabama area.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s Budget request for IBCS.

PATRIOT (PHASED ARRAY TRACKING RADAR INTERCEPT ON TARGET) MISSILE SYSTEM

National Impact:

The PATRIOT Missile System is the most successful and effective air and missile defense capability currently employed by U.S. forces and more than 18 allied partners including Ukraine and is a component of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ballistic Missile Defense System (MDA’s BMDS). U.S. Army estimates indicate the PATRIOT will provide critical Air and Missile Defense capability to our Joint forces to 2030 and beyond.

Community Impact:

Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal are the PATRIOT’s birthplace and home. Hundreds of civilian and government jobs in the Huntsville area are critical to the PATRIOT program. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases for PATRIOT are processed through the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC), PEO MS, the Army Materiel Commands’ Security Assistance Management Directorate (SAMD), and through U.S. Army Contracting Command- Redstone Arsenal. U.S. Military cases are processed through PEO MS and through the U.S. Army Contracting Command - Redstone Arsenal.

Requested Actions:

• Support the President’s Budget Request. Advocate for continued efforts to support international sales and for the sustainment of existing U.S. systems to ensure readiness through the remaining life of the system in the force.

COUNTER - SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS (C-SUAS)

The DoD has implemented the intent of the 2018 National Security Strategy with C-sUAS under the authority and responsibility of the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. The Department of the Army is the DoD Executive Agent for C-sUAS. It is executing this mission through the Joint Counter Small UAS Office (JCO).

The Army’s Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR) is the Army’s PEO Missiles & Space. PEO MS is currently supporting COCOMS (CENTCOM / AFRICOM / INDOPACOM / EUCOM / SOCOM) with C-sUAS equipment providing force protection to our deployed warfighters. PEO MS is integrating C-sUAS capability into new C-sUAS batteries within operational divisions and high priority Army sites worldwide.

National Impact:

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), or drones, operated by malevolent interests have demonstrated the ability for deadly and other negative impacts on installations and infrastructure of the U.S. and its Allies. UAS operated with hostile intent have increased risk to homeland security by attacking vulnerability of DoD, Federal Installations and civilian or commercial critical infrastructure. Counter-sUAS is a national security priority from the most forward tactical military units to purely civilian infrastructure.

Community Impact:

C-sUAS in north Alabama supports the local workforce of hundreds of government and support contractor employees. The program brings industry partners and foreign clients to Huntsville supporting the local businesses who benefit from business travel.

Requested Actions:

• Fully Support the President’s Budget Request for C-sUAS to provide capabilities to augment the U.S. Army’s C-sUAS capability to support the Warfighter in a multi-domain battle environment. Full funding supports Government and support contractor jobs in Huntsville.

GUIDED MULTIPLE LAUNCH ROCKET SYSTEM (GMLRS):

National Impact:

Recent world events demonstrate the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) is the preferred choice for long-range, precision strike capability against point and area targets. A mature, combat-proven system, GMLRS munitions are optimized to attack, neutralize, suppress, and destroy time sensitive; high-payoff targets out to 70+ kilometers. The extended range GMLRS variant will double the system’s reach, providing another cost-effective and flexible solution for Commanders to shape the multi-domain battlespace. GMLRS, which is compatible with current Field Artillery launchers and rocket production capacity, is expanding to support increased domestic and international customer demand. The PEO MS team partners with the Long-Range Precision Fires (LRPF) Cross Functional Team (CFT) and the United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Aviation and Missile Center to continuously improve this dependable, effective, and relevant capability in support of our Warfighters.

Community Impact:

The GMLRS program locally supports the employment of hundreds of Government and support contractors in north Alabama, and is managed by the Strategic and Operational Rockets and Missiles (STORM) project office within PEO MS.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s Budget request for GMLRS to deliver a robust production capability and tactical inventory level supporting our Field Artillery rocket forces. Full funding will maintain hundreds of jobs in Huntsville.

PRECISION STRIKE MISSILE (PRSM)

National Impact:

Long Range Precision Fires (LRPF) is an Army weapon system priority and critical enabler to penetrate and neutralize threat Anti-Access and Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities. Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is the Army’s next-generation, long-range, surface-to-surface, precision-strike missile with capabilities to attack, neutralize and suppress time-sensitive threatpoint and area targets. Extended-range capability will provide Commanders operational flexibility to penetrate, exploit, disintegrate, and dominate threat A2/AD, which is critical in the execution of multi-domain operations. PrSM Increment 1 received Milestone B approval from senior Army leaders and successfully conducted a series of flight tests including Engineering Demonstration Tests, and a Production Qualification Test in 2023 using the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher. The first PrSM Increment 1 Early Operational Capability (EOC) missiles were delivered in 2023, with deliveries continuing in 2024 and beyond. PEO MS partners with the LRPF Cross-Functional Team and DEVCOM Aviation and Missile Center to develop and integrate science and technology solutions to provide incremental capability improvements to PrSM. PrSM Increment 2 will integrate a multi-mode seeker, providing commanders with the means to suppress, delay or disrupt moving maritime and relocatable ground targets. PrSM Increment 2 has a series of prototype demonstration flight tests planned throughout FY26/27.

Community Impact:

The PrSM developmental program locally supports the employment of hundreds of Government and support contractor personnel in north Alabama. The program attracts industry partners and international customers to Huntsville and supports local businesses, including hotels and restaurants, due to business travel.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s Budget request for PrSM to deliver capabilities increasing the U.S. Army’s surface to surface missile capabilities in support of a multi-domain battlefield. Full funding supports both Government and support contractor employment in Huntsville.

SGT STOUT (MANEUVER, SHORT-RANGE AIR DEFENSE INC 1)

National Impact:

SGT STOUT is a Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA) – Rapid Fielding program to deliver a near-term defensive capability to the maneuver force by providing air defense protection to counter a wide range of air threats, allowing the Commander freedom of maneuver. To meet the immediate needs of the maneuver force, PEO MS is outfitting Stryker vehicles with a mission equipment package including a 30 mm cannon and the Stinger missile system. SGT STOUT is a highly maneuverable and survivable platform operating within Stryker and Armored Brigade Combat Teams (BCT) providing needed protection against unmanned aircraft systems, rotary-wing, and residual fixed wing threats. To date SGT STOUT systems are fielded to three Active-Duty U.S. Army Battalions and the Fires Center of Excellence.

Community Impact:

The program supports hundreds of jobs in the north Alabama area.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s SGT STOUT budget request to deliver the maneuver forces protection against enemy air assets. Full funding will maintain hundreds of jobs in Huntsville.

MANEUVER SHORT RANGE AIR DEFENSE (M-SHORAD) INCREMENT 3

National Impact:

M-SHORAD Inc. 3 consists of Next Generation Short Range Interceptor (NGSRI), and Multi-Mode Proximity Airburst (MMPA) 30mm munition. The NGSRI is designed to destroy Rotary Wing (RW), Groups 2-3 Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), and Fixed Wing (FW) threats while protecting the maneuver force. The NGSRI retains compatibility with existing launcher assemblies, including the Stinger Vehicle Universal Launcher (SVUL) on SGT STOUT and similar launchers on the Avenger and Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS). It also maintains a Soldier-Portable dismounted configuration. The MMPA provides enhanced lethality against Groups 1 and 2 small UAS, personnel in the open and in defilade, lightly armored ground targets, and minimizes collateral damage in cluttered urban environments. This technology allows SGT STOUT to rapidly transition between air and ground targets without having to swap ammunition

Community Impact:

The program supports hundreds of jobs in the north Alabama area.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s M-SHORAD Increment 3 Budget request to deliver the maneuver forces protection against enemy air assets.

AVENGER

National Impact:

The Avenger is a legacy combat system used for protection of fixed and semi-fixed critical assets from low altitude Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Cruise Missiles (CM), Fixed-Wing (FW), and Rotary-Wing (RW) aircraft threats. Avenger consists of a turret with eight Stinger missiles and a 50-caliber machine gun, mounted on a High-Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). The program is in the Operations and Sustainment phase of the acquisition lifecycle and is undergoing a Modification - Service Life Extension Program (MOD-SLEP) to replace obsolete components and extend its service life into the 2030s.

Community Impact:

The program supports hundreds of jobs in the north Alabama area.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s Avenger MOD-SLEP Budget request to continue delivering protection against enemy air assets. Full funding will maintain hundreds of jobs in Huntsville.

JAVELIN WEAPON SYSTEM

National Impact:

Javelin is the most advanced, combat proven, multi-mission, Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM) and surveillance weapon system capability employed by dismounted and mounted U.S forces and over twenty (20) allied partners. The Javelin is effective against all known battlefield armor and provides extended range day/night Detect/Recognize/Identify capability to Infantry, Stryker, and Armor Brigade Combat teams. The Javelin Weapon System has been continually modernized since it was first introduced in the 1990s to maintain U.S overmatch and outpace the threat. It’s employment flexibility and combat effectiveness has made it the ATGM of choice in the Ukraine war, earning great accolades from the Ukrainian military. The Javelin Weapon System has a robust industrial base of over 44 suppliers across 20 U.S states.

Community Impact:

TAGM and Javelin support over 500 Army civilian and contractor jobs located in north Alabama and across the Tennessee Valley.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s Budget Request which addresses proactive obsolescence, sustains the U.S industrial Base and builds towards Total Army Munition Requirement (TAMR).

STINGER

National Impact:

The Stinger missile is a legacy combat system used for protection of maneuver forces and point defense assets from low-altitude Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Cruise Missiles (CM), and Fixed-Wing (FW) and Rotary-Wing (RW) aircraft threats. It is the primary munition used in the M-SHORAD Increment 1 System. It is currently undergoing a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) to extend the useful life of the missile, while adding a proximity fuze to the missile to enhance its lethality. In 2022, the Army directed the re-start of U.S. Stinger missile production to replenish Army and Marine Corps stocks drawn down to support foreign partners.

Community Impact:

The program supports hundreds of jobs in the north Alabama and continues to be in high demand by partners and allies.

Requested Action:

■ Support the President’s Stinger Missile production Budget request to continue replacing stocks. Full funding will maintain hundreds of jobs in Huntsville.

INDIRECT FIRE PROTECTION CAPABILITY INCREMENT 2 (IFPC INC 2)

National Impact:

IFPC Inc 2 is one of the Army’s signature modernization efforts. IFPC Inc 2 bridges the gap between current short-range and high-altitude air missile defense systems and is a key component of the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense architecture. A mobile, ground-based weapon system, providing 360-degree protection simultaneously engages threats from different azimuths, is designed to defeat subsonic cruise missiles (CM), Groups 2 and 3 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and other aerial threats. IFPC is an integral part of tiered and layered Air and Missile Defense using IBCS as its fire control.

Community Impact:

The program supports hundreds of jobs in the north Alabama area with the Prime Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) based out of Huntsville and major subcontractor based out of Tucson.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s Budget request for IFPC to address the gap between short-range and high-altitude defense. Full funding will maintain hundreds of jobs in Huntsville.

LOWER TIER AIR & MISSILE DEFENSE SENSOR (LTAMDS)

National Impact:

The LTAMDS is the Army’s next generation Air and Missile Defense (AMD) sensing capability providing a significant operational advantage to the maneuver force by improving the ability to counter complex integrated

attacks and advanced electronic threats. As the lower tier component of the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Architecture, this capability will provide extended range, 360-degree coverage, detect advanced threats to include hypersonic weapons, and decrease Operations and Support (O&S) costs associated with growing obsolescence of the legacy AMD sensing capability. LTAMDS will be employed as part of the Army’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) maximizing the inherent PATRIOT family of interceptors to defeat threats, addresses known capability gaps, and supplement the Army IAMD SoS architecture.

Community Impact:

The program supports more than 150 jobs in the north Alabama area.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s LTAMDS Budget request allowing this critical capability to be fielded to U.S. Soldiers in accordance with the NDAA.

LONG RANGE PRECISION MUNITION (LRPM)

National Impact:

LRPM is the lethal variant of Launched Effects (LE) as defined in the LE Abbreviated Capability Development Document (A-CDD). Launched Effects, managed by Program Executive Office Aviation, is a family of unmanned aerial systems providing a range of capabilities with various payloads and mission systems from a variety of platforms. LRPM will defeat integrated air defense systems (IADS) and deliver lethal effects at ranges from 100 km up to 500 km in Multi-Domain Operations (MDO).

Community Impact:

LRPM supports more than 500 Army civilian and contractor jobs located in north Alabama and across the Tennessee Valley.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s Budget Request to rapidly develop and prototype the lethal variant of the Launched Effects Family of Systems to deliver lethal Medium Range capability.

INTEGRATED FIRES TEST CAMPAIGN (IFTC)

National Impact:

The Program Executive Office Missiles and Space (PEO MS) began a series of annual Integrated Fires Test Campaigns (IFTCs) with the first IFTC completing successfully near end of 2023. These test campaigns include the synchronization of formal Operational Test (OT) and Developmental Test (DT) events along with other experimental test excursions across the PEO MS portfolio. The synchronization of test campaigns enables efficiencies in managing resources essential to developing and demonstrating both component and System of System (SoS) architecture requirements. The SoS Test and Evaluation (T&E) approach uses common processes and procedures, common leadership, and a shared SoS vision to plan and execute the Integrated Fires SoS test mission more effectively and more efficiently.

Community Impact:

The program supports hundreds of military, government civilian, and both prime and support contractor jobs in the north Alabama area.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s Budget to enable SoS engineering development, systems integration, and system of systems testing

across the PEO MS portfolio and with joint agencies, covering additional costs associated with multi-system integration development, testing, evaluation, and fielding.

SOFTWARE INTEGRATION FACILITY (SWIF)

National Impact:

The Software Integration Facility (SWIF) is a planned Government-Owned and Government-Operated facility, which will allow System of System engineering and development activities for future capabilities to facilitate early hardware/software integration, test, and defect resolution prior to the start of Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) software and algorithm product development. The Integrated Fires Rapid Capabilities Office (IFRCO) within PEO MS will manage SWIF operations.

Community Impact:

The SWIF will provide employment for dozens of personnel in the north Alabama area.

Requested Action:

• Support the President’s budget request ensuring facilitation providing planned capability to our nation’s Soldiers.

ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS HUNTSVILLE CENTER

The Army Corps of Engineers’ presence in Huntsville includes the Huntsville Engineering and Support Center or USACE HNC. The Center consists of 1100+ employees and responsible for awarding upwards of $3B in annual contracts on behalf of the Department of the Army, Combatant Commands, and Veteran’s Administration among many other federal entities. As a matter of practice, HNC continuously seeks to maximize awards to small businesses and targets 40%-50 percent of its total annual obligations to small business. In FY23, the Engineering Center awarded $919M in small business contracts, more than 25 percent greater than 2022 and more than any other entity in USACE. The Center’s small business program was recognized nationally this year as the top Corps of Engineer Center or District in small business awards.

The Huntsville Center is considered the Army’s expert in Energy Savings Performance Contracting/Third Party Financing. A 2023 example is the Center’s Utility Energy Services Contracting (UESC) program at Fort Stewart, GA which increased capacity by 9 megawatts and saves nearly $1M in annual energy costs for the installation.

National Impact:

The Corps of Engineers Huntsville Center provides DoD leading infrastructure architecture, engineering, construction management and leads the Army in Energy Efficient installation support including the DoD standard for 3rd party financing.

Community Impact:

The HNC has relocated to a brand-new facility in the Secure Gateway on Redstone Arsenal in January 2024. The Center has increased the local engagement with the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE) located in Research Park, just north of Redstone Arsenal. With 1100 employees in Huntsville, the Center is one of N. Alabama’s largest employers.

Requested Action:

■ Recognition the Army Corps of Engineers Huntsville Center provides unique expertise and value across the Army, DoD Combatant Commands, and the Veteran’s Administration, including many projects valued in excess of $100M.

WORKFORCE

National Impact:

The shortage of available workers with the necessary skills sets to succeed hampers the ability for companies to grow and thrive. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides federal funding for workforce training and education and is due to be passed in the next Congress.

Community Impact:

North Alabama companies provide critical deliverables thanks in large part to the quality of talent. For these companies to continue to grow and thrive, we recommend the following refinements based on the experiences of our local WIOA Board, which serves the interests of 13 counties in north Alabama.

Requested Action:

■ We support the renewal and enhancement of the WIOA Act by increasing funding and flexibility in what training and training providers can be funded. We also support increased funding and flexibility by providing more coordinating grants. These efforts will encourage an increased effort by industry and workforce development partners to provide targeted training and education that upgrades talent towards a more highly skilled and participating workforce.

CHILDCARE

National Impact:

Access to affordable, quality childcare is a challenge for working parents across the country. Federal relief funds enabled providers to retain their workforce through bonuses and other financial incentives without drastically increasing costs for working parents, and ultimately helped stabilize the industry. With the end of that relief funding, childcare providers find themselves again in a fragile situation to retain their workforce and provide the affordable, quality childcare needed in our communities.

Community Impact:

While affordable, quality childcare is an issue across the country, childcare demand exceeds supply by nearly 50 percent in north Alabama, making this is a critical workforce need. Data shows that women and minorities are most impacted by the childcare shortage, making this a significant focus for equity, as well.

Requested Action:

• We support efforts to build a strong, stable childcare system that meets the needs of families, providers, and employers. We also support tax credits for parents, childcare programs and their staff, and businesses that provide childcare benefits to their employees.

QUANTUM COMPUTING

The Department of Defense (DoD) has identified quantum computing, including quantum annealing and gate-based quantum computing, as critical technologies for national security and defense applications. Northern Alabama, particularly the Huntsville area, will play a pivotal role in supporting these strategic objectives through its innovative engineering and technology industrial base coupled with close partnerships to Team Redstone mission objectives. Quantum computing, as a key enabler, cuts across multiple technology domains including advanced optimizations for extremely complex, multi-variate problem sets, encryption protocols to secure against quantum cyber-attacks, advanced simulations down to the molecular design level to develop next generation materials and energetics, as well as acceleration of artificial

intelligence and machine learning to process and analyze vast amounts of data much more quickly than conventional computers.

Several legislative proposals have been put forward in 2023 and 2024, for example, Senate Bill: S.1439 - Quantum Sandbox for Near-Term Applications Act of 2023, to invest in quantum technologies for the public-private partnerships to advance U.S. quantum computing. The FY25 Defense Appropriations Act includes a provision for DARPA to undertake Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing.

Across the Tennessee Valley there is active engagement of research and development efforts related to quantum computing. Quantum computing’s applications to Team Redstone’s National Security priorities include but are not limited to atomic level materials design optimizations, complex logistics supply efficiencies, advanced manufacturing optimization, advanced autonomy algorithms, maximizing sensor to shooter missile defense against overwhelming, swarming threats, and enhanced mission planning for contested battlespace operations. Beyond defense, quantum computing technologies is also showing promise for drug discovery which can be integrated into the Bioscience community and quantum computing can optimize domestic manufacturing processing, transportation logistics, and even agriculture, all of which are key to the Huntsville community.

The region’s proximity to research centers and collaboration with academic institutions, such as the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and Alabama A&M provide a solid foundation for exploring both quantum annealing and gate-based quantum computing. For example, UAH’s emphasis on quantum key distribution and photonics research into application of meta-structures and single semiconductor quantum dots, and quantum devices will enhance secure communications and advanced sensing. Alabama A&M is also prioritizing quantum computing as a potential HBCU regional center of excellence. These initiatives contribute to the DoD’s goals of advancing quantum technologies for secure communications, advanced sensors, and strategic systems.

Requested Action:

■ Fund the creation a near-term quantum computing application center in Huntsville. The first of its kind quantum center will strategically focus on quantum computing technologies and the development of near-term quantum computing applications. The centers objectives will be:

• Workforce Development: A quantum knowledgeable workforce has been identified as a key risk area for the DoD. Training the next generation workforce in quantum algorithm development is critical and the center will teach quantum algorithm development as well as provide a better understanding for how quantum computing works synergistically with other emerging technologies such as AI, ML, robotics, automation, etc.

• Use Case Identification with Huntsville Community: From national security and bioscience to agriculture and manufacturing, there are a variety of industries which can benefit from near-term quantum computing technologies. The center will create a use case identification program to identify the right problem sets for the technology to provide next generation solutions for today’s problems. The goal would be to find efficiencies, save costs, and optimize operations and develop the applications to be deployed within 24 months or less.

AUKUS

AUKUS is a trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States that was announced in September 2021. Its primary goal is to strengthen security and defense collaboration among the three countries, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, to counter challenges

such as China’s growing influence and military presence. AUKUS consists of three pillars: (1) Undersea Warfare, (2) Advanced Capabilities Development and (3) Broader Defense Coalition. AUKUS Advanced Capabilities Pillar 2 focuses on enhancing joint capabilities and technology cooperation among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Northern Alabama, particularly Huntsville and its surrounding region, plays a significant role in multiple U.S. defense and technology sectors and thus can strongly support AUKUS Pillar 2’s strategic objectives especially in the areas of cybersecurity, AI, quantum computing, hypersonics and electronic warfare.

Industry and Federal Agency partnerships across the Tennessee Valley view the promise of AUKUS as representing a new way of conducting business in connection to building capabilities between the U.S. and Allied nations. For example, AUKUS’ focus to increase multinational collaboration will allow for a complete review and potential adjustments of U.S. ITAR regulations and associated current constraints to speed capability to our Allied partners. The focus on AI, quantum computing, hypersonics, and cybersecurity under AUKUS aligns with existing DoD priorities but may also accelerate timelines for research and development (R&D). AUKUS could additionally lead to shared manufacturing arrangements to drive down production unit costs. Finally, to keep pace with AUKUS goals, DoD should review current practices and adopt more agile acquisition models, reducing the time it takes to field new technologies.

In summary, AUKUS representing not only a major strategic partnership with Allied partners to counter the China threat has resultant benefits for Indo-Pacific stability but also will have positive ramifications on streamlining current U.S. policies and regulations to develop, integrate, and field critical national security capabilities.

Requested Action:

■ Embrace AUKUS Pillar 2 strategy and support a complete review of ITAR, DoD contracting, and acquisition strategy regulations. This focus should include streamlining export controls, agile procurement models, shared production standards, increased collaborative R&D policies, more unified operational, interoperable frameworks, and more resilient supply chain security compliances. Look for ways to ensure that implementation of AUKUS utilizes the many resources in Northern Alabama and, conversely, help communicate those opportunities to Alabama’s defense industrial base partners.

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2024

In May of 2024, Congress passed the five-year FAA Reauthorization Bill. The 2024 FAA Reauthorization Bill authorized $4B in grant funding annually through the Airport Improvement Program (AIP).

The 2024 FAA Reauthorization Bill also authorized $350M for a new grant program to offset costs incurred by airports in connection with the transition from firefighting foams that contain Per – and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (“PFAS”), which have been designated as “hazardous substances” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)(also known as the “Superfund” law). The FAA required airports to use firefighting foam containing PFAS for decades. Airports currently face unlimited potential liability for costs associated with PFAS remediation, as well as costs associated with transitioning to fluorine free firefighting foam. Funding for the AIP program and the PFAS Replacement Program have been authorized by the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Bill, but Congress has not passed a spending bill appropriating those funds.

TSA recently imposed a new requirement on airports to screen aviation workers. This new requirement went into effect in September of 2024, and it imposes a substantial unfunded mandate on, and creates new liability for, airports.

Community Impact:

The Port of Huntsville has immediate needs for infrastructure investments to continue to be able to meet the expected flow of passengers and goods due to Huntsville becoming the largest city in Alabama and the growth of business and commerce in the region. To keep pace with the passenger demands and provide modern and improved facilities, the Port of Huntsville needs more funds to meet future needs and protection from liability for PFAS and regulatory burdens.

Requested action:

■ Congress should pass spending bills that appropriate the full amount of authorized funds to the AIP Program ($4B), the PFAS Replacement Program ($350M), and the Spaceport program ($10M).

■ Congress should pass legislation providing airports with immunity from liability for PFAS contamination under CERCLA or otherwise.

■ Congress should pass legislation prohibiting TSA from requiring airports to conduct aviation worker screening.

UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE SPACE DEVELOPMENT AGENCY-SOUTH

The United States Space Force’s (USSF) Space Development Agency (SDA) became a tenant at Redstone Arsenal (RSA) in 2022 when it established SDA-South: a state-of-the-art Space Operations Center to serve as one of two primary command and control nodes for SDA’s proliferated satellite constellation in low Earth orbit.

National Impact:

SDA was established in 2019 to be a constructive disruptor in space acquisition. SDA is responsible for rapidly delivering space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter through development, fielding, and operation of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture – a constellation of hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit. SDA capitalizes on a unique business model that values speed and lowers costs by harnessing commercial development to achieve a proliferated architecture and enhance resilience.

As part of USSF, SDA reports to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration for acquisition matters and to the Chief of Space Operations for all other matters.

Community Impact:

SDA-South continues its growth path to approximately 70 civilians, military, and contractors following the completion of SDA’s Space Operations Center in late summer 2024. SDA contract awards in excess of $300M have already been made, benefitting the local Huntsville/Madison County area with more growth envisioned in the near future.

Requested Actions:

■ Fully fund the President’s Budget Request for Space Development Agency.

■ Advocate for SDA’s continued independence and authorities.

■ Ensure SDA has access to all existing rapid acquisition pathways (Middle Tier of Acquisition, Software Acquisition Pathway) and contracting mechanisms (Other Transactions Authority, Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Technology Transfer programs) to ensure speed of acquisition and delivery; advocate for additional acquisition options that enable spiral development of new types of space systems.

ARMY FUTURES COMMAND – CONTESTED LOGISTICS CROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAM

The Contested Logistics Cross-Functional Team is a subordinate unit within Army Futures Command and was established on Redstone Arsenal in 2023. One of three AFC Cross-functional teams on Redstone Arsenal, the CL CFT is established to focus on leveraging new technologies to increase efficiencies across the force from the Divisional level down to the tactical platoons. Its location at Redstone Arsenal complements the operational and strategic sustainment and logistics focus of Army Materiel Command, located here in Redstone Arsenal.

Focus areas of the Contested Logistics CFT are:

■ Command & Control of Autonomy (C2): Employ, command and control autonomous supply and distribution assets (air, land, sea) to mitigate capability and capacity gaps and execute multiple resupply operations.

■ HMI Supply & Distribution: Autonomously distribute critical supplies (ammunition, fuel, maintenance, medical) to land-based formations dispersed over extreme distances in a contested environment, independent of stationary or fixed facilities.

■ Advanced Power: Reduce need for consumable liquid fuels and batteries by integrating solutions in power generation, battery alternatives, hybrid drives, sustainable fuel technologies, and rapid fuel additives.

■ Demand Reduction: Reduce the frequency of and demand for resupply and distribution of critical supplies (ammo, fuel, maintenance, medical) to sustain Warfighters and increase operational reach, endurance, speed, and ease

■ Precision Sustainment: Use AI, LLMs, and ML to collect, store, process, and utilize key logistics and medical supply data to make better and faster decisions and provide more options for the means and mode of distribution

■ Predictive Logistics: Predict demands of fuel, ammunition, maintenance failures, medical supply needs while connecting to sensors providing real-time data on the consumption/expenditures of critical supplies.

National Impact:

The ability to support, maintain and sustain our combat forces across the globe through ground, air and sea is a national imperative. Large scale combat operations of the future will necessitate continuous moving, enormous expenditures of ammunition, fuel and other classes of supply all while the force is likely dispersed among neighboring island chains separated by a vast ocean. Creating capabilities that will enable our success will require that we change the way we resupply our forces, reduce demand of critically needed items and autonomously deliver supplies to forward deployed forces.

Community Impact:

The CL CFT office will continue to lead efforts to develop and provide new logistics and sustainment requirements. These new capabilities will come from the numerous defense contractors in the northern Alabama region that provide support in the development, production, and fielding of advanced capabilities and autonomous resupply systems needed to sustain our forces in theater.

Requested Actions:

■ Increased support for requirements development, partnerships across the DoD and funding for the testing, evaluating and fielding of Contested Logistics systems. Support for programs include:

• Precision Sustainment: Enabling rapid, data driven and resilient logistics by leveraging advances in AI/ML.

• Human Machine Integration of distribution systems: Developing fully integrated HMI delivery systems deployable to ground, air and sea while incorporating autonomous capabilities, extending commanders operational reach and endurance while reducing risk to Soldiers.

• Advanced Power: Leveraging new technologies in power generation, storage and recharge that are more efficient and decrease logistics resupply requirements.

• Demand Reduction: Utilizing advanced manufacturing, alternative fuels, and new materials to reduce weight and delivery times to meet requirements at the point of need.

AMC

National Impact:

The U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) is one of four Army Commands and is comprised of 10 subordinate commands across the U.S. AMC develops and delivers materiel readiness solutions to ensure globally dominant land force capabilities. AMC synchronizes and integrates the Army’s total capabilities in support of the Chief of Staff of the Army’s priorities and Combatant Command requirements. As the Army’s Lead Materiel Integrator, Army Materiel Command manages the global supply chain, synchronizing logistics and sustainment activities across the Army. AMC delivers precision sustainment and materiel readiness to an expeditionary global force from the Joint Strategic Support Area to the tactical point of contact across the spectrum of conflict in support of the Joint Force.

Central to AMC’s priorities are: Modernizing the Organic Industrial Base (OIB), Modernizing the Training of the Work Force, Alternative Military Construction, Partnership in north Alabama Energy and Nuclear Project, Support to Worldwide Contingencies (to include INDOPACOM and Ukraine).

Organic Industrial Base Modernization – In 2024, AMC concludes its first year in a 15-year ($18B) OIB Modernization plan that will upgrade facilities and infrastructure across 23 sites (to include five hard iron depots, arsenals, and ammunition plants) that have been in operation since WWII.

Modernizing and training the workforce. The human capital dimension of modernizing the OIB entails hiring and reskilling/upskilling current workforce.

Alternative Military Construction – AMC continues to develop more efficient and effective in how we do construction projects on military installations

Community Impact:

AMC and three of its subordinate commands, Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM), Army Contracting Command (ACC) and U.S. Security Assistance Command (USASAC), are headquartered at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL. These commands bring make up a significant portion of Redstone’s 45,500 total workforce.

Requested Actions:

■ Continue to support AMC’s 15-year OIB Modernization Plan as it is a vital component of how we maintain and sustain our soldiers’ equipment and facilities.

■ Develop regulatory and statutory actions to fund training and modernization of the AMC workforce outside of AWCF dollars.

■ Mature the FY24 NDAA pilot program for repair and replacement of barracks to an AMC wide process, accelerating the ability to modernize and improve facilities.

SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS

National Impact:

Small Business are the backbone of America and in particular plan an oversized role in R&D, Innovation, and patent awards. Unfortunately changes to both the Tax code and R&D funding programs (SBIR/STTR) are threatening America’s small businesses.

On the tax side - Changes made to section 174 of the Internal Revenue Code by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that went into effect in 2022, will potentially have a devastating effect on America’s Small Business innovation ecosystem, and disincentivize many small businesses from performing R&D work. The changes will require businesses to amortize R&D expenses over a five-year period, rather than allowing them to be deducted in the year they were incurred. These changes will drive the cost of performing R&D much higher, resulting in a larger tax burden for many high-tech companies. This will particularly harm and disincentivize R&D focused small businesses like those participating in the SBIR/STTR programs. For entities such as sole proprietorships, partnerships, and sub-s corporations, this tax obligation flows through directly to the individual owners.

In terms of R&D funding – The SBIR/STTR funding is one of the most successful programs both funding R&D efforts by small business and providing innovation to the end user. The program was started as a pilot program in 1982 and after 43yrs still remains a pilot program that needs to be reauthorized eveyr5yr. The SBIR/STTR program is set to expire in FY26 and needs to be reauthorized. We strongly recommend making the program permanent. We also recommend a change in the size standard from its current 500 employee limit to align it with the 541715 NAICS code for Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology), which is the national standard for R&D programs. The SBIR program was started as a pilot program in 1982 to bring innovation to our federal agencies and enable America to stay at the forefront of technology on the global stage. At that time, the small business size standard for the 541715 R&D NAICS code was 500 employees. When the SBIR pilot program was written, the 500-employee limit was explicitly written into the bill, rather than tying it to the R&D NAICS code. After 43 years, the SBIR program remains a pilot program with the same 500 employee limit. Meanwhile the R&D NAICS code for physical, engineering, and life sciences has increased to its current level of 1,000 to 1,500 employees, depending on the specific industry. Furthermore, the urgency in getting innovative technology to the field (and particularly to our warfighter) has increased exponentially.

Local Impact:

Huntsville ranks in the top 10 communities that receive SBIR and STTR funding. Unless Congress acts swiftly to restore the Sec. 174 deduction in tax code and reauthorize the SBIR/STTR program, the long-term effects to Huntsville’s innovation economy could be devastating. Fewer small businesses and startups will want to incur the cost of R&D work, leaving it primarily to larger, established businesses who have the cash reserves and profits to amortize their taxes. Many small businesses will simply opt out of innovation programs like SBIR/STTR, resulting in less innovation and a reduction in STEM jobs.

Requested Actions:

■ Restore tax incentives for long-term R&D investment by ensuring that companies can fully deduct R&D expenses each year

■ Reauthorize the SBIR/STTR program and make it a permanent program

■ Realign the size standard for the SBIR/STTR program with the R&D NAICS code, 541715

225 CHURCH STREET NW, HUNTSVILLE, AL 35801 256-535-2000 HSVCHAMBER.ORG

For more information, please contact:

Mike Ward, CCE, IOM Senior Vice President, Government & Public Affairs Huntsville/Madison County Chamber 256 -535-2030 mward@hsvchamber.org