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Dear Members and Friends,
We had the honor of speaking and presenting at the Multilateral Integrated Air and Missile Defense Summit and Senior International Leader Event – Pacific 2024 (MISSILE-PAC 24), attended by representatives from 13 nations - a demonstration we organized on the island of Hawaii on December 3rd, 2024. My speech to the audience on Wednesday December 4th, 2024.
“Kia ora e te whanau - In Maori it means Welcome Family as I am coming from New Zealand and induction into the Maori Sports Hall of Fame Saturday night.
I come from the Pacific. My great great grandfather was the Chief of the South Island in the late 1700s to 1800s. My Grandfather was the Chief Medical Officer for the Pacific for the British Empire in the 1920s through 1930s and received the Order of the British Empire from King George V. My Uncle Riki was also Chief of the South Island and served for the Royal Canadian Airforce in WW2.
I was born in NZ and lived there, Malaysia, and a lot of my life on the West Coast of the United States, my first port of entry was here in Hawaii in 1968.
We as an alliance are committed to making the Pacific a safer place.
Our mission, which has been strong for over 40 years, is to make the world a safer place through advocacy and education for the development and deployment of missile defenses.
We relentlessly support warfighters around the world in their efforts to obtain missile defense capabilities within their areas of responsibility.
We are a DO Tank.
It is people and relationships that matter—it is trust that is the most powerful weapon we have as an allied force.
As an Allied Pacific team, we face several challenges:
- A challenge to the world order here in the Pacific.
- A high-end missile threat and a low-end drone threat.
- A cost curve revolution in IAMD in a war of attrition.
- A lack of data sharing.
We must focus on both high-end threats and cheap, distributable, and attritable capabilities from the low end.
A year ago, we introduced combat-proven disruptive technology from Ukraine used against Russia to this conference. After the conference, we briefed NORTHCOM, NATO, NATO AIRCOM, USAFE, and 32 NATO Air Chiefs. The Supreme Allied Commander, 32 Defense Ministers, and the Chairman of the JCS were also briefed. Over the next 12 months, we led over 20 demonstrations/tests on bases and test ranges, starting with USAFE & NATO AIRCOM at Ramstein AFB, Germany, in Romania in May with 11 NATO nations, with R&E at the Yuma Proving Ground, and recently with SAGU in Estonia with 13 NATO nations, and now here in Hawaii.
Due to the phenomenal success in combat every day in Ukraine and our demonstrations, NATO has moved to acquire this capability for Ukraine, ensuring 100% coverage for 20 million euros. Several other NATO countries are in the process of acquiring this capability.
After the Romania demonstration last May, I approached the 94th AAMDC Commander BG Pat Castello to consider a demonstration of the system here in Hawaii for this conference and for you, the Pacific Allies. We further briefed INDOPACOM, PACAF, and the 94th AAMDC earlier this summer to put this in motion. We also briefed the Mayor of Honolulu and the FAA for their support.
This demonstration has two unique aspects. It is being conducted off the military base and outside the fence line—the first in the US and the world outside of Ukraine for demonstrating dual-use capabilities for civilian and military air awareness. Secondly, the data collected traveled from Oahu to Eastern Europe for processing, then back to Colorado, and finally forwarded to Oahu, where it ended up in front of the warfighters and the Joint Fires Network. Under the leadership of OSD R&E Mission Capabilities and with the support of the military stalwarts on Oahu, the demonstration was planned and executed in under three weeks, meeting all objectives and exceeding expectations. This opens the door for additional, rapid and secure allied and partner sensor integration to enhance our air domain and war fighting.
We are here together to Win as a Team, a Pacific Team and bringing the Pacific Nation together to best defend themselves.
“Winners Associate with Winner to Win!"
Fight On!
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