MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS December 5th - December 11th, 2023 THE WEEK IN BRIEF On Wednesday, December 6th, Israel's Arrow air defense system intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen over the Red Sea, targeting the southern city of Eilat. Although sirens were triggered, the missile did not enter Israeli airspace, and there was no threat to civilians. The Houthis claimed responsibility, citing attacks on military targets in the Eilat area. This marks the fourth interception by the Arrow system during the Israel-Hamas war. Meanwhile, Hezbollah, supported by Iran, continued daily attacks on northern Israel. The IDF responded with artillery and tank fire in southern Lebanon, escalating tensions along the northern border since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October. On Thursday, December 7th, in written testimony for the House Armed Services Committee, it was revealed that the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense site in Poland will be set to become operational after facing construction delays and geopolitical changes since its initiation in 2009. Navy Rear Adm. Douglas Williams provided details, indicating that the site would be formally accepted into the Navy's inventory on December 15, 2023. Upgrades will continue until May 2024, with NATO assuming command and control in July 2024. The Aegis Ashore Poland, located in Redzikowo, is part of the broader European defense against ballistic missile threats. The site utilizes the Aegis Combat System and Standard Missile 3 interceptors, with potential considerations for hypersonic threats. On Monday, December 11th, The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), in collaboration with various commands, successfully conducted a test of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. Using an upgraded Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) in two-stage mode, the test demonstrated the system's enhanced capability to engage Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs) more rapidly. The upgraded GBI featured a new kill vehicle and integrated sensor data from different radar systems. The test also introduced the 2-/3-Stage selectable GBI capability, which will increase battlespace flexibility for homeland defense. The GMD system aims to protect against ballistic missile threats from rogue nations, with a focus on intermediate- and long-range ballistic missiles. The successful test highlights ongoing improvements in the existing interceptor fleet and the development of Next Generation Interceptor technology by the MDA. Click here to read all of this week's headlines. MDAA ALERTS Tremendous Success "Today, the United States again proved kinetic energy intercept of an ICBM target in space in its successful intercept of the capability enhancement 2 (CE2) on a two stage fly out of the three stage Ground Based Interceptor which are operationally deployed in silos in Fort Greely Alaska today defending the entire 50 states from an ICBM attack..." Click here to read more. MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Major Juan Francisco Rivera MAJ (P) Rivera commissioned into the active Army in May of 2007 after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree. He also holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from the American Military University. His military education includes the Army Basic Officer Leadership Course II, Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic Course, Air Defense Artillery Captains Career Course, and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Following commissioning, he served in the following key assignments: Platoon Leader and Executive Office, 4th Battalion (C-RAM), 5th Air Defense Artillery, Fort Hood, Texas and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; Commander, D Battery (C-RAM), 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery, Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Air Defense Officer, 3rd Brigade (Stryker), 2nd Infantry Division, the 7th Infantry Division, and I Corps Headquarters, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; Commander, Headquarters Support Company, 7th Infantry Division (Forward), Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Afghanistan; Deputy G35 Future Operations, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC), Kaiserslautern, Germany; Operations Officer (S-3) and Executive Officer (XO), 5th Battalion (Patriot), 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, Baumholder, Germany; Brigade Operations Officer (S-3), Air Defense Artillery Brigade Mission Command Element (rotational), Ansbach, Germany; Deputy G35 Future Operations, 94th AAMDC, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. MAJ (P) Rivera currently serves as the G35 OIC for the 94th AAMDC. MAJ (P) Rivera’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star with one oak leaf cluster, Army Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon 2nd Award, NATO Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, and Afghanistan Campaign Medal. He has also been awarded Combat Action Badge and the Air Assault Badge. MAJ (P) Rivera is married to Shayla River, his wife of 15 years. They have two boys, Ezra (11) and Elias (9). Click here to view all the awardees from the 2023 Indo-Pacific Missile Defenders of the Year  NEWS HEADLINES MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS Space Development Agency wants missile-defense satellites with infrared sensors to track hypersonic missiles - Military+Aerospace Electronics - 12/05/2023 US faces hurdles next year for Guam’s missile defense, experts warn - Defense News - 12/07/2023 Senate confirms new SMDC Commanding General - Fox54 - 12/07/2023 THREAT NEWS Russia launches cruise missile barrage on Ukraine after long pause - CNN - 12/08/2023 Taiwan says it spotted a Chinese surveillance balloon as the island’s election nears - AP - 12/08/2023 French frigate shoots down drones over Red Sea: Military - Al Jazeera - 12/10/2023 OTHER NEWS EUCOM, AFRICOM, Space Force activate new service component command - SpaceWar - 12/11/2023 MDA gets full-fledged director - Inside Defense - 12/11/2023 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!