MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS May 26 - June 1, 2020 MDAA Virtual Congressional Roundtable Click here to learn more and RSVP for the event. THE WEEK IN BRIEF Click Here to Watch the Missile Defense Mondays Video On Tuesday, a Yemeni military base in Marib province was hit by a missile, killing seven people, including the son and a nephew of Yemen’s military chief of staff. Yemeni authorities blamed the attack on Houthi rebels, who did not immediately claim responsibility. The attack took place shortly after the expiration of a month-long cease fire that was announced on April 24. On Thursday, U.S. Army Futures Command commander, General Mike Murray, stated the Army’s Project Convergence exercise will move forward this fall. The exercise will test the sharing of targeting data amongst the Army’s newest weapon systems. GEN Murray was cautious about the participation of the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) and Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) systems because of delays to their testing schedule due to COVID-19. GEN Murray wants Project Convergence to be an annual exercise and foresees integrating the U.S. Air Force’s Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) in 2021. Also on Thursday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy received 112 Iranian built missile speed boats during a ceremony in the city of Bandar Abbas. Iran claimed the boats have high hydro-dynamic capability, speed, maneuverability, and offensive power to advance the IRGC Navy’s presence and capabilities in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. On Friday, U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) replaced expired Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors at the missile defense site located in Seongju. The number of new interceptors matched the number of interceptors taken out of service. Along with the new interceptors, the base also received construction material to improve living conditions for troops stationed at the base. Also on Friday, the Army laid out its plans to test the two recently purchased Iron Dome batteries in 2021. The batteries are expected to arrive at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in December 2020 and February 2021. After the successful conclusion of testing, the batteries will officially stand up at Fort Bliss, Texas, and be available for operational deployment by September and December 2021. On Friday, the U.S. State Department approved three foreign sales packages to support updates to Kuwait’s Patriot missile defense systems. One package includes 84 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors, but all packages are subject to change as Congressional clearance and negotiations with Kuwait proceed. Click here to read all of the headlines from the week. MDAA ALERTS Closed Skies, Open Space On Friday, the United States submitted its notice to the other parties of its intent to withdraw from the Open Skies Treaty that was first envisioned by President Eisenhower in 1955 to create stability within a nuclear arms race and stability within a Mutual Assured... Click here to read more. Bipartisan Restoration of American Deterrence “Currently, in the Indo-Pacific, that foundation of deterrence is crumbling as an increasingly aggressive China continues its comprehensive military modernization. This not a partisan issue.” – Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Chairman of the Senate Armed... Click here to read more. MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) element provides the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) with a globally transportable, rapidly deployable capability to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or just outside the...  Learn more about THAAD. Iron Dome (Israel) Israel’s current short-range anti-rocket, artillery and mortars system – Iron Dome – was independently developed by Israeli companies Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and IAI, before Raytheon joined the development process for the Tamir interceptor missiles in 2014, a condition... Learn more about Iron Dome. Patriot Missile Defense System The Patriot missile defense system is a ground-based, mobile missile defense interceptor deployed by the United States and many other nations. The Patriot system detects, tracks, and engages UAVs, cruise missiles, and short-range or tactical ballistic missiles. Learn more about Patriot. NEWS MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS Infrared sensors for the Space Force’s next generation missile warning satellites pass key milestone – 5/26/20 – Defense News US Navy will soon commission its Future USS Kansas City LCS 22 – 5/27/20 – Navy recognition Advanced air, missile defense, in hands of soldiers – 5/28/20 – Aerotech News Fleet Welcomes Newest Integrated Air and Missile Defense Warfare Tactics Instructors – 5/28/20 – DVIDS Some major Army programs slip due to coronavirus effect – 5/28/20 – Federal News Network Destroyer-fired Navy lasers will soon destroy attacking cruise missiles – 5/28/20 – Fox News Military project to develop mini Aegis destroyer made official – 5/29/20 – Aju Business Daily Kuwait wants to spend over $1.4 billion on Patriot upgrades – 5/29/20 – Defense News Army Invites Air Force ABMS to Big Network Test: Project Convergence – 5/29/20 – Breaking Defense The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency has a Bold New Plan for Protecting America. What’s ‘Plan B’ of it doesn’t work? – 5/29/20 – Forbes DoD Melds Four Commands For Multi-Domain Data Sharing Test – 6/1/20 – Breaking Defense IM-SHORAD mobile air defense system on Stryker A1 armored vehicle continues to be a priority for US Army – 6/1/20 – Army Recognition US Army to test two Iron Dome batteries in 2021 – 6/1/20 – Army Technology US Forces in S.Korea Replace ‘Expired’ THAAD Missiles – 6/1/20 – Defense World.net THREAT NEWS North Korea’s Kim, in first appearance in weeks, vows to bolster nuclear ‘deterrence’ – 5/26/20 – Reuters North Korea’s next step: launching of new heavily-armed submarine – 5/26/20 – Navy Recognition Russia Building Stealth Bomber that may carry ‘Invincible’ Hypersonic Nuclear Missiles: Report – 5/27/20 – Newsweek Over 110 Missile Boats Delivered to Iranian Naval Forces – 5/28/20 – Iran Front Page Missile strike on Yemeni military base kills 7, including top general’s son – 5/28/20 – Al-Monitor As Virus Toll Preoccupies U.S., Rivals Test Limits of American Power – 6/1/20 – New York Times Russia’s Strategic Missile Force to hold over 100 drills this year – 6/1/20 – Tass Sevmash Shipyard Handed Over Borei-A-Class SSBN ‘Knyaz Vladimir’ To Russian Navy – 6/1/20 – Naval News China’s missile and space tech is creating a defensive bubble difficult to penetrate – 6/1/20 – Defense News US Africa Command: Russian jets in Libya present broader worries for region – 6/1/20 – Military Times OTHER NEWS Putin Schedules Russian Victory Day Parade for June – 5/27/20 – The Wall Street Journal Time running out on the last US-Russia nuclear arms treaty – 5/27/20 – Defense News Senate’s NDAA markup is two weeks away. How will the pandemic change things? – 5/27/20 – Defense News The Pacific Deterrence Initiative: Peace Through Strength in the Indo-Pacific – 5/28/20 – War on the Rocks Trump administration ends waivers in Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran – 5/28/20 – The Hill Report: Iran-backed group’s drone shot down over Saudi Arabia – 5/28/20 – American Military News Support Swells for New Indo-Pacom Funding; Will Money Follow – 5/29/20 – Breaking Defense China says opposed U.S. THAAD defense system in S.Korea – 5/29/20 – National Post The European Union’s defense ambitions are still showing signs of life – 6/1/20 – Defense News 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!