MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS February 4 - February 10, 2020 THE WEEK IN BRIEF Click Here to Watch The Missile Defense Mondays Video On Tuesday, it was reported the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) returned to sea for trials and testing to ultimately become operational again. The USS Fitzgerald has undergone two years of repairs and modernization after a fatal collision in 2017 that claimed the lives of seven Sailors. Also on Tuesday, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile that struck a weapons depot in Marib, Yemen. The weapons depot is located within a military camp used by Saudi-backed forces in the region. The extent of the damage was undisclosed. On Wednesday, it was reported Greece is planning to deploy Patriot missile defense systems to Saudi Arabia. Greek officials stated the unit will help defend Saudi energy infrastructure. It is not known how many systems will be sent or when they will arrive in Saudi Arabia. On Thursday, it was reported the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has called on industry for new designs and prototypes to design and build an interceptor capable of defending against regional hypersonic weapon threats. Whitepapers are requested by March 19th on submissions for a Hypersonic Defense Regional Glide Phase Weapons System interceptor. On Sunday, Iran unveiled a new short-range ballistic missile called the Ra’ad-500 that uses a new advanced composite engine and a moving nozzle. According to Iranian media reports, the Ra’ad-500 has a range of 500 kilometers and accuracy under 30 meters. Also on Sunday, Iran launched a Simorgh space launch vehicle (SLV) in an attempt to put the Zafar 1 satellite into orbit. The first two stages of the Simorgh SLV functioned properly but failed to provide enough speed for the Zafar 1 to be put in orbit. This is Iran’s fourth failed space launch since January 2019. On Monday, the Trump Administration released the President’s Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021. The Department of Defense’s budget request is $705.4 billion and includes $20.3 billion for missile defense and defeat projects. The Missile Defense Agency requested a total of $9.2 billion. This includes funding for the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) and modifications to the Aegis Weapon System, SM-3 Block IIA, and THAAD interceptors for an Improved Layered Homeland Defense. Click here to read all of the headlines from the week. MDAA ALERTS The New Reality “And just weeks ago, for the first time since President Truman established the Air Force more than 70 years earlier, we created a brand-new branch of the United States Armed Forces. It’s called the Space Force." - President Donald Trump speaking in the State of the Union Address on February 4, 2020. Click here to read more. Breaking Video: Missile Defense FY21 Budget Request For your awareness and interest, today marks the release of the missile defense budget for Fiscal Year 2021. The Department of Defense is holding a press conference this afternoon on the Missile Defense budget request. Click here to read more. MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES Aegis Afloat Aegis Afloat is the sea-based component of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). Aegis BMD builds upon the Aegis Weapon System, Standard Missile, and Navy and joint forces’ Command, Control and Communication systems. Learn more about the Aegis Afloat system. Greece In 1964, Greece and several other NATO countries signed the “Multilateral Agreement” for use and operation of the NATO Missile Firing Installation (NAMFI) at Crete, Greece’s largest island. The agreement established Greece as one of NATO’s leaders in air and... Learn more about Greece's missile defense capabilities. Iskander-M (SS-26) The Iskander (SS-26 Stone) began development in the early 1970s to replace the Scud-B, however, its development was accelerated to replace the SS-23 Spider, which Russia retired in 1988 because of restrictions mandated by the INF Treaty. Learn more about the Iskander-M MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Master Sergeant Michael Benson MSgt Benson is a Space System Operator assigned to the NORAD-USNORTHCOM Command Center as the Senior Missile & Space domain NCO Evaluator at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. MSgt Benson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Hanover High School, graduating in June 2002. After graduating from high school, MSgt Benson entered the Air Force Basic Training in August 2002. After completion of basic training he entered Enlisted Prerequisite Training (ESPT) at Vandenberg AFB. Upon graduation of ESPT, he entered Perimeter Acquisition Attack Characterization System training at Vandenberg AFB, after completion he reported to his first duty station, the 10th Space Warning Squadron at Cavalier AFS. Over the next 17 years, MSgt Benson served as a Flight Chief, Operations Flight for the 1st Space Operations Squadron, Section Chief twice, and NCOIC five times. MSgt Benson’s awards and decorations include three Air Force Commendation Medals, Air Force Achievement Medal, and the Nuclear Deterrence Operations Service Medal. MSgt Benson earned his Associate Degree in Space Technology from the community college of the Air Force. He is married to Tricia Benson and has two children, Westley and Makayla. Click here to view the nominees and winners from the 2019 NORAD & USNORTHCOM Missile Warning and Defender of the Year. NEWS MDAA IN THE NEWS Missile Defender of the Year was raised in Warren - 02/10/2020 - Times Observer USS Lake Erie Sailor Honored as Missile Defender of the Year - 02/10/2020 - U.S. Navy MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS Outgoing ADA commandant to be honored - 02/04/2020 - The Lawton Constitution Two rockets fired at Israel from Gaza, one intercepted by Iron Dome - 02/04/2020 - The Times of Israel Space Sensor Layer Is The Pentagon’s Next Tech Mega-Project - 02/04/2020 - Forbes Fmr. Lt. Gov. Treadwell: Missile defense is now more important than ever - 02/05/2020 - American Military News America must aim for tech advances that support homeland missile defense - 02/05/2020 - The Washington Times MDA taps industry to build interceptor to defend against hypersonic threats - 02/06/2020 - DefenseNews Greece Is Sending Patriot Missiles To Saudi Arabia To Guard “Critical Energy Infrastructure” - 02/06/2020 - The Drive America’s missile defense cannot afford a decade-long gap - 02/07/2020 - Defense News Four friction points to watch in the FY21 defense budget - 02/10/2020 - Defense News USS Fitzgerald Returns to Sea - 02/10/2020 - U.S. Navy THREAT NEWS Yemen’s Houthis launch missile attack on weapons depot in Marib - 02/04/2020 - Middle East Monitor North Korea’s Next Submarine May Make Nuclear Talks Even Harder - 02/04/2020 - Bloomberg The Baltic States are Target Number One - 02/06/2020 - Mordern Diplomacy Hypersonic missiles are coming, upending arms control - 02/06/2020 - Deccand Herald Russian warships fire cruise missiles during exercises in Norwegian Sea - 02/07/2020 - 112 International IRGC Unveils New Missile with Composite Engine - 02/10/2020 - Tasnim News Agency Iran again fails to put satellite into orbit amid US worries - 02/10/2020 - ABC News OTHER NEWS Russia Begins Production of S-400 Air Defence Systems for India - 02/04/2020 - Sputnik BAE Systems awarded two Navy contracts - 02/05/2020 - Homeland Preparedness News DoD budget proposal includes $7.8 billion in cuts, transfers from Defense agencies - 02/07/2020 - Federal News Network Vice chief of staff: Speed of modernization no longer at ‘glacial pace’ - 02/07/2020 - Army News Service Japan to launch intelligence-gathering satellite on Sun. after delay - 02/07/2020 - The Mainichi The Complicated Combat Future of the U.S. Air Force - 02/10/2020 - The National Interest Stay Connected: ‌ ‌ ‌ 515 King Street, Suite 330, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!