Malden Mills Industries Inc., developers and manufacturers of Polartec performance textiles, announced that the U.S. Congress and President Bush has approved over $15 million for Polartec garments for the U.S. 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 program, which provides remote physiological monitoring of soldiers in combat.

In addition to electronic textiles, three Polartec programs continue to receive funding in the 2006 Defense Spending Bill.

Warfighters want and need only the best gear available,” said Malden Mills CEO Michael Spillane. We are honoured to have this business and to have the support of our elected officials.  They have worked tirelessly to ensure that our deployed soldiers have the gear necessary to successfully execute their mission.”

Polartec fabrics are used extensively in all branches of the United States military including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces.

The announcement of $15 million for Malden Mills to continue their research and development is great news for the state of New Hampshire and our armed forces,” stated Congressman Jeb Bradley (NH-01).  New Hampshire citizens have long played a vital role in our nation's defense as members of the armed services and as civilians working at the many businesses that produce high quality products for the military.”

Based in Lawrence, Massachusetts and Hudson, New Hampshire, Malden Mills is the worldwide producer of high-quality Polartec branded fabrics used in products that require extreme performance.