MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS

July 25th - July 31st, 2023

THE WEEK IN BRIEF

On Tuesday, July 25, the Iranian Navy and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corp (IRGC)'s Navy both received a cruise missile that is supposed to extend their ability to strike at ships in the region. The missile is called the Abu Mahdi and is said to be a “high-precision naval cruise missile.” This would give them a cruise missile with a claimed range of 1,000 km, Iranian state media claimed on Tuesday. The announcement comes amid rising naval tensions as the US has sent more warplanes and ships to the Persian Gulf. Iran doesn’t have a very large navy or air force, and therefore using missiles and drones is the main way Iran can threaten ships and other naval forces.

Also on Tuesday, a Russian fighter jet launched flares at a US MQ-9 Reaper drone flying above Syria and “severely” damaged its propeller recently, US Air Forces Central (AFCENT) Commander Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich alleged today. “On 23 July, 2023 at 12:23 a.m. (EST) Russian fighter aircraft flew dangerously close to a U.S. MQ-9 drone on a defeat-ISIS mission, harassing the MQ-9 and deploying flares from a position directly overhead, with only a few meters of separation between aircraft. One of the Russian flares struck the U.S. MQ-9, severely damaging its propeller,” Grynkewich said in a press release.

On Wednesday July 26, the Baltic states have presented a joint contribution to the emerging NATO air defense rotational model in the region, a recent alliance policy meant to create a beefier defensive posture on Europe’s north-eastern flank. The three nations hope that the move, an outgrowth of NATO’s plans for a regionalized defense concept, will tweak the alliance’s longstanding air-policing mission into a more comprehensive air-defense operation, combining ground-based systems with warplane patrols.

On Thursday, July 27, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss military issues and the regional security environment, state media said Thursday, illustrating Pyongyang’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine as the isolated country celebrated the 70th anniversary of an armistice that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War. The North Korean festivities were to be highlighted by a military parade Thursday night in the capital, Pyongyang, where Kim — possibly in the presence of Shoigu and a visiting Chinese ruling party official — could showcase his most powerful, nuclear-capable missiles designed to threaten neighboring rivals and the United States.

Click here to read all of this week's headlines.

MDAA ALERTS

"Theory will only take us so far" - J. Robert Oppenheimer

"The first Nuclear bomb was developed and tested 78 years ago on July 16, 1945, out of the White Sands Missile Range and Los Alamos New Mexico. An American Team led by Dr J. Robert Oppenheimer with supervision, resources and support by the United States Army General Leslie Groves proved the splitting of Atoms, “fission”, for a controlled chain reaction in the creation of the nuclear bomb. This past weekend, Hollywood premiered and released the blockbuster movie Oppenheimer, which recognized and celebrated the famous American nuclear physicist who led the efforts of a diverse and eccentric team of 4,000 people and 2 billion dollars. In five years this team achieved a world-first nuclear capability that ended World War II with Japan and has helped deter great power war since then..."

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

Airman First Class Garrett Tully

A1C Garrett F. Tully is an Air Tasking Order Production Technician for the 603rd Air Operation Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany as of November 2022. His previous duty was a Tactical Datalink Manager for the Joint Interface Control Cell. He was the primary datalink maintainer in charge of ensuring situational awareness to US Forces and Allied nations across EUCOM, AFRICOM and the United States. Additionally, A1C Tully provides command and control data to various ballistic missile defense locations that require data to successfully track and destroy potential missiles and hostile aircraft that are threats to US Forces and our Allies.

A1C Tully enlisted in the United States Air Force on 04 May 2021. Upon completion of Basic Military Training, he attended technical training at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi and graduated as a Command and Control Battle Management Operation apprentice. Upon completion of technical training, he was assigned to the 603rd Air Operations Center, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. A1C Tully is nominated for the DOY award because he excelled among his peers by creating and implementing the twenty-four-hour coverage schedule as the AOC began crisis management operations in response to Russian aggression toward Ukraine. As Russian troops streamed across the Ukrainian border, A1C Tully manned the watch position coordinating with Joint Fires units across the “Eastern Flank” to enable data sharing and critical targeting between Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft and FCUs. These efforts resulted in over two-hundred tracks of interest and a complete air domain awareness picture for the AOC’s Senior Air Defense Officer. Airman Tully managed the extremely complex hub of US and NATO alliance systems in the AOC, totaling over fifty-four unique data pathways across four domains and five physical terminals. As TDC, he executed troubleshooting techniques to restore information flow to US Army assets critical to the IAMD mission inherent to the Eastern Flank. Primarily coordinating through US Army Europe (USAREUR) and its subordinate units, A1C Tully managed to facilitate over ninety-five percent network uptime leading to non-stop missile defense coverage for NATO Allies.

Click here to view all the awardees from the 2022 U.S. Missile Defender of the Year Award Ceremony.

NEWS HEADLINES

MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS

India developing its own 400 km class Long-Range Surface to Air Missile air defence system - Economic Times - 07/26/2023

Ukraine Air Force Says 36 Russian Cruise Missiles Downed - The Defense Post - 07/27/2023

NORTHCOM nominee backs ‘look at’ potential changes to homeland missile defense rules - Breaking Defense - 07/27/2023

THREAT NEWS

Russia had a super-advanced air defense system within 300 meters of a drone attack in Moscow, but failed to shoot it down - Business Insider - 07/25/2023

Russian jet launches flares at MQ-9 Reaper in Syria, ‘severely damaging’ propeller: US - Breaking Defense - 07/25/2023

OTHER NEWS

Missile threats are more than just theoretical — here are realistic solutions - Breaking Defense - 07/27/2023

Will the U.S. and Iran Come to Blows in the Persian Gulf? - International Policy Digest - 07/28/2023

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