MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS March 28th - April 3rd, 2023 THE WEEK IN BRIEF On Tuesday, March 28, North Korea unveiled new, smaller nuclear warheads and vowed to produce more weapons-grade nuclear material to expand its arsenal, state media said on Tuesday, as a U.S. aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea for military drills. North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) released photos of the warheads, dubbed Hwasan-31s. Leader Kim Jong Un visited the Nuclear Weapons Institute and inspected new tactical nuclear weapons and technology for mounting warheads on ballistic missiles, as well as nuclear counterattack operation plans. On Wednesday, March 29, a senior Russian diplomat said that Moscow will no longer inform the U.S. about its missile tests, an announcement that came as the Russian military deployed mobile launchers in Siberia in a show of the country’s massive nuclear capability amid the fighting in Ukraine. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in remarks carried by Russian news agencies that Moscow has halted all information exchanges with Washington after previously suspending its participation in the last remaining nuclear arms pact with the U.S. On Thursday, March 30, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, in cooperation with the U.S. Navy, successfully conducted Flight Test Aegis Weapon System 31 Event 1a (FTM-31 E1a). The test demonstrated the capability of a ballistic missile defense (BMD)-configured Aegis ship to detect, track, engage, and intercept a medium range ballistic missile (MRBM) target in the terminal phase of flight utilizing the Standard Missile–6 (SM-6) Dual II with Software Upgrade (SWUP) in a single salvo of two interceptors. FTM–31 E1a was the third successful flight test of an Aegis BMD-equipped vessel using the SM–6 Dual II missile and the first Aegis Baseline 9.C2.0 (BMD 5.1) intercept of an MRBM target using the SM-6 Dual II SWUP missile. On Monday, April 3, after a Russian attack using anti-air missiles to hit land targets, six civilians were killed in the Ukrainian town of Kostiantynivka on Sunday, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Two S-300 missiles and four Uragan Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) projectiles struck a residential area in the city of Donetsk according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The S-300 system is a long-range surface-to-air missile platform. The anti-air system possesses the capability to launch the missiles against ground targets, but the missiles are expensive munitions. The Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate said in December that such a tactic was indicative of Russia's dwindling supply of missiles. Click here to read all of this week's headlines. MDAA ALERTS Smoke on the Water "Right now the international system is under stress for the first time the United States is facing two major nuclear powers whose vital national security interests is in competition with the United States..." Click here to read more. MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES Ukrainian War Updates Track the number and type of missiles used in the Ukrainian war, the number of casualties, and daily news highlights. Track updates on the conflict in Ukraine. Taiwan Incursion Updates Track the number and type of incursions in the Taiwan Strait, the number of missiles fired, aircraft crossing the ADIZ, and daily news highlights. Track updates on the tensions in the Taiwan Strait. MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Second Lieutenant Jeffrey Dunagin Lt Dunagin is a Crew Commander in the Missile Warning Operations Center at the 13th Space Warning Squadron at Clear SFS, AK. Lt Dunagin exercises operational control of the Clear Upgraded Early Warning Radar. His primary duties include the detection and reporting of missile warning events, tracking of over 9,000 low-earth orbiting satellites, tracking of new foreign and domestic launches, and the collection and routing of space object identification data. Lt Dunagin supports missile warning threat assessment and space domain awareness for the North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Space Command. Lt Dunagin graduated from the University of Colorado in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Astrophysics. He commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Space Force through Air Force Officer Training School in 2020. He then attended Officer Undergraduate Space Training at Vandenberg SFB, CA and Space Warfighter Follow-on at Peterson SFB, CO on his way to his first operational assignment at Clear SFS. Lt Dunagin’s awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terror Medal, and the Air and Space Training Ribbon. Click here to view all the awardees from the 2022 Alaska Missile Defender of the Year Award Ceremony. NEWS HEADLINES MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS South Korea’s ‘Three Axis’ Defense System Is in Trouble - The Diplomat - 03/28/2023 Lockheed to Equip US THAAD With Rocketdyne Boost Motors, Thrusters - The Defense Post - 03/29/2023 MDA Test Successfully Intercepts Ballistic Missile Target - MDA News Release - 03/30/2023 Multibillion-Dollar Guam Defense Poses New Missile Defense Challenges - Aviation Week - 03/30/2023 Largest European Integrated Exercise Air and Missile Defence Exercise Ends - NATO - 04/03/2023 THREAT NEWS Russia fires supersonic at mock target in Sea of Japan - Reuters - 03/28/2023 Russia to upgrade Moscow's missile defenses by year's end - Defense News - 03/29/2023 Could missile tests by N. Korea, Russia influence Iran's plans? - The Jerusalem Post - 03/29/2023 China says it's open to more military cooperation with Russia - SCMP - 03/30/2023 Iran says it warned off US Navy aircraft close to the Gulf of Oman - Reuters - 04/03/2023 OTHER NEWS Electronic Warfare is 'new frontier for US Missile Defense Agency - c4isrnet - 03/28/2023 China Unveils Naval Variant of WZ-7 Recon Drone - Naval News - 03/31/2023 SpaceX rocket launches Space Development Agency's first satellites - Defense News - 04/02/2023  Stay Connected: MDAA | 515 King Street, Suite 330, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!