HB 1291

1	House Memorial
2	A memorial to the Congress of the United States, urging
3	the United States Department of Defense to award the
4	contract for the creation, development, and implementation
5	of the Mobile User Objective System, known as MUOS, to the
6	project team from the State of Florida led by the Raytheon
7	Corporation in partnership with Honeywell Space Systems.
8
9	WHEREAS, one of the most important components of an
10	effective and efficient military, whether in periods of war or
11	peace, is its communications system, and
12	WHEREAS, because the military superiority of the United
13	States is based in large part on the use of technologically
14	advanced weaponry and weapons systems, it is of the utmost
15	importance that the United States military utilize an equally
16	advanced communications system, and
17	WHEREAS, the communications system currently being used by
18	the servicemen and servicewomen of the United States Armed
19	Forces provides limited connectivity and will fall below useful
20	performance standards by 2009, and
21	WHEREAS, the Mobile User Objective System, known as MUOS,
22	is a massive and dynamic communications network being developed
23	for the safety and security of the United States military, and
24	WHEREAS, MUOS, the United States Navy's next-generation
25	satellite communication system, solves the limitation problems
26	of the current system by providing a replacement which will
27	enable worldwide ground communications among all branches of the
28	United States military by 2009, and
29	WHEREAS, with the MUOS system, American military personnel
30	will have reliable radio communications capabilities from the
31	air, ground, or sea, whether they are fighting in dense jungle
32	terrain or in urban war zones, and
33	WHEREAS, more importantly, because of its effectiveness and
34	efficiency, the MUOS communications system will save the lives
35	of men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces, and
36	WHEREAS, the United States Navy is scheduled to award the
37	$6.2 billion contract for the MUOS system in the first quarter
38	of 2004, and
39	WHEREAS, with its proposal to secure the MUOS system
40	contract being led by the Raytheon Corporation's St. Petersburg
41	Division in partnership with Honeywell Space Systems in
42	Clearwater, the State of Florida is currently competing for the
43	contract against California's Lockheed-Martin, and
44	WHEREAS, under Florida's proposal, Raytheon would serve as
45	the prime contractor, responsible for overall system design,
46	integration, and communications software, and Honeywell would
47	develop the satellite's computer, which would provide control of
48	the payload that transmits signals among aircraft, ships,
49	military ground stations, military vehicles, and military
50	personnel, and
51	WHEREAS, the Raytheon/Honeywell Florida team has the
52	expertise and commitment to develop the technology, talent, and
53	resources needed to land this Tier I system project, and
54	Raytheon and Honeywell have already invested heavily in the
55	technology needed to develop such a timely and reliable
56	communications system, and
57	WHEREAS, the MUOS contract would create an estimated 1,000
58	high-technology jobs along the Interstate-4 corridor, paying an
59	average salary of $65,000 per year, with staffing beginning in
60	mid-2004 and building to full strength in 2005, and
61	WHEREAS, the high-wage project work would be spread
62	throughout Clearwater, Tampa, Orlando, and the Kennedy Space
63	Center, with labor income generated by the MUOS project
64	averaging $65 million per year by the end of 2005, and
65	WHEREAS, the MUOS contract is scheduled to be completed in
66	2013 after the full constellation of satellites and ground
67	systems are in operation, and
68	WHEREAS, in keeping with Florida's long and proud history
69	in space integration and launch operations, securing the MUOS
70	contract would open the door for an influx of aerospace
71	technology work in the state, thus elevating the stature of
72	Florida's technology base, and
73	WHEREAS, MUOS would be a catalyst to increase engineering
74	and high-tech job opportunities in Florida, attracting companies
75	serving both the space and defense industry, and
76	WHEREAS, the initiation of the MUOS project would stimulate
77	business, engineering, and computer-related talents within
78	Florida's universities and would generate the required
79	specialized competencies among our graduates who are seeking
80	high-technology careers, and
81	WHEREAS, MUOS would establish Florida as a premier
82	academic, scientific, and technology leader in the nation, and
83	WHEREAS, state university officials are eager to partner in
84	this venture which would capitalize on the considerable
85	intellectual resources within our state university system, and
86	WHEREAS, by mobilizing the resources within its
87	institutions of higher education through internships, Florida
88	would cultivate a workforce that is focused on high-technology
89	and produce a steady stream of professionals who are prepared to
90	bring innovative advancements to the space research and
91	development industry, and
92	WHEREAS, it is imperative that the State of Florida invest
93	in and leverage its intellectual assets in order to diversify
94	its economy so that it no longer relies on substantial
95	exploitation of its physical and natural assets, and
96	WHEREAS, the award of the MUOS contract to Raytheon would
97	shift Florida's economic paradigm, freeing it from reliance on
98	the tourism industry and enabling the state to cultivate high-
99	paying jobs and stimulate the quality of education and research
100	within the state university system, and
101	WHEREAS, the State of Florida is committed to assisting the
102	Florida MUOS Team in technology development, is committed to
103	recruiting engineers to support the MUOS project and retaining
104	trained engineers and scientists within the state, and
105	recognizes the need to support and enhance high-technology
106	research in Florida's universities, NOW, THEREFORE,
107
108	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
109
110	That the House of Representatives of the State of Florida
111	urges the United States Department of Defense to award the
112	contract for the creation, development, and implementation of
113	the Mobile User Objective System, known as MUOS, to the project
114	team from the State of Florida led by the Raytheon Corporation
115	in partnership with Honeywell Space Systems.
116	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be
117	dispatched to the President of the United States, to the
118	President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the
119	United States House of Representatives, to the United States
120	Secretary of Defense, and to each member of the Florida
121	delegation to the United States Congress.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.