MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS December 12th - December 18th, 2023 THE WEEK IN BRIEF On Tuesday, December 12th, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Washington seeking additional air defense support amid uncertainty if Congress will pass a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. Zelenskyy and President Biden discussed strengthening Ukraine's defense, focusing on air defense and disrupting Russian logistics. Zelenskyy aims for air superiority to intensify ground offensives in 2024. Despite bipartisan support, House Republicans, hesitant about additional aid, pose a challenge. Zelenskyy urged swift aid, emphasizing the need for better air and missile defense systems. The aid package also includes funds for Israel and Indo-Pacific security. On Wednesday, December 13th, the U.S. destroyer Mason shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle, believed to have originated from Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen. This marks the second instance this month where the Mason had to take such action. The incident occurred as the Mason responded to reports of a commercial oil tanker under attack from suspected Houthi forces. The Mason, part of the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower's strike group, has been actively involved in intercepting air drones and missiles, as well as providing assistance to commercial vessels in the Middle East amid heightened tensions in the region. On Monday, December 18th, North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile, confirmed by Japanese and South Korean officials. South Korea identified it as the solid-fuel Hwasong-18 ICBM, with a range of over 9,300 miles, capable of reaching anywhere in the U.S. The missile flew 620 miles, landing between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. U.S. National Security Adviser condemned the launch as a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. This follows North Korea's earlier tests of the Hwasong-18 in July and April. The launch coincided with another short-range ballistic missile test. The U.S. and South Korea's joint defense efforts prompted these responses from North Korea. Click here to read all of this week's headlines. MDAA ALERTS About Time "We congratulate the Missile Defense Agency for the handover of the Aegis Ashore Site in Redzikowo, Poland to the Navy. The site is scheduled to become fully operational in March 2024 which will mark final completion of EPAA phase three. This handover signifies another significant milestone in the progress of the site, which has faced significant delays and was scheduled to be completed in 2018..." Click here to read more. MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Mr. Steve Allen Mr. Steve Allen is the former Deputy Division Chief for the Ballistic Missile Defense Team at United States Northern Command (NC/J31). Mr. Allen was commissioned through the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at Louisiana Technical University in June 1978 and entered active duty as a Missile Operations officer in February 1979. During his first assignment at Ellsworth AFB, SD, he worked in Minuteman II operations as an Operations Instructor, Crew Commander, and Training Crew Commander for the 44 Strategic Missile Wing’s Blanchard Trophy winning Competition Crews. In March 1983, he was transferred to Vandenberg AFB as a part of the ICBM “School House” at the 4315 Combat Crew Training Squadron. Mr. Allen has had various duties, from Headquarters-level assignments at HQ Strategic Air Command and HQ Air Force Space Command, to operational assignments at Intercontinental Ballistic Missile units, the US Space Command Space Control Center, and the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center. While at Cheyenne Mountain, he played pivotal roles in national-level operations, such as the Mir re-entry, Y2K, shuttle collision avoidance, National Missile Defense, and the establishment of Operation NOBLE EAGLE during 9/11. Mr. Allen retired from the Air Force in April 2002 as a Colonel and became a Department of Defense contractor managing a 10 million dollar contract. In February 2004, Mr. Allen joined the US Northern Command staff as the Deputy BMD Division Chief. While at US Northern Command, Mr. Allen was instrumental in bringing the Ground-Based Mid-Course Defense (GMD) system to its inaugural 24/7/365 operational capability in 2006. US Northern Command continues to operate the GMD system in defense of the homeland. Mr. Allen is married to the former Deborah Frank of Alexandria, LA and they have 2 sons. Click here to view all the awardees from the 2023 NORAD & USNORTHCOM Missile Warning and Defenders of the Year  NEWS HEADLINES MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS This Is Exactly How The Latest Ballistic Missile Defense Test Worked - The Drive - 12/13/2023 Norway reinforces Ukrainian air defense with more NASAMS batteries - Aviacionline - 12/13/2023 American Radar That Can See Everywhere Helps Take Out Test Tactical Ballistic Missile - Autoevolution - 12/14/2023 The Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System in Naval Support Facility Redizkowo, Poland, Transfers Ownership from Missile Defense Agency to the U.S. Navy - U.S. Naval Forces Europe/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs - 12/15/2023 Slovenia Buys Two German IRIS-T SLM Air Defense Systems - The Defense Post - 12/15/2023 THREAT NEWS Timeline Shows Latest Flare-Up of China-Philippines Territorial Dispute - Newsweek - 12/12/2023 Seoul Scrambles Jets After Chinese, Russian Warplanes Approach - VOA News - 12/14/2023 US and Britain say their navies shot down 15 attack drones over the Red Sea - AP News - 12/16/2023 OTHER NEWS Australia considers US request to send warship to Red Sea as Houthis target shipping lanes - The Guardian - 12/13/2023 Space Force’s first six missile-defense satellites in medium orbit to cost about $500 million - Space News - 12/18/2023 Satellite Photo Points to North Korea's New Russian-Made Radar Plane - Newsweek - 12/18/2023 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!