Malden Mills Industries Inc., developers and manufacturers of Polartec performance textiles, has been awarded a military contract worth over $15 million for Polartec garments for the US Military in the 2006 Defense Spending

Bill. Included in this funding is $1.1 million to complete a third year of research and development of electronic textiles for the Army's Combat Casualty Care programme, which provides remote physiological monitoring of soldiers in combat.

In addition to electronic textiles, three other Polartec programmes will continue to receive funding in 2006. First, the Army Extended Cold Weather Clothing System (ECWCS) uses a range of Polartec fabrics to meet peacetime and deployment requirements for cold weather operations. Second, the Marine Corps Mountain Cold Weather Clothing and Equipment Program (MCWCEP) includes an integrated clothing component, which consists of a next-to-skin layer, a light and heavy weight insulating layer, a protective shell, and an outer insulating layer. And third, the Navy Air Warfare Centre's Multi-Climate Protection System (MCPS), a modular ensemble that provides total performance by layering thermal protection and shell garments.