Email from August 14th, 2026 Click here to view the Alert on the MDAA website Follow and Support MDAA   MDAA Alert: 2026 Huntsville Alabama Breakfast of Champions Head Table at the 24th Annual Breakfast of Champions in Huntsville, Alabama, August 12, 2026. Left to Right: General (Ret) Jim Dickinson, LTG John Rafferty, LTG. Brian Gibson, General Mike Guetlien, General (Ret.) Glen Van Herck, General Stephen Whiting, LTG. Richard Zellman Present at Table but not pictured: Lt. Gen. Heath Collins Dear Members and Friends, One of our great traditions, which is deeply embedded in our culture of winning, is hosting the Breakfast of Champions at the Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville Alabama. We hosted our first one in August of 2003, with the then US Army Space and Missile Defense (SMDC) Commander LTG Larry Dodgen and Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Director Lt Gen Ron Kadish in response to the urgency of National Security President Decision Directive (NSPD), 23 December 2002, which directed the deployment of an operational National Missile Defense system, which was declared the following year as operational. We MDAA were formed at that same time to advocate for Missile Defense. To help set the champion culture we recognized and threw our first ever Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance balls to each of the organization's leaders, MDA Director Lt Gen Ron Kadish and SMDC Commander LTG Larry Dodgen- the two best missile defense champions of that year and of that era as we look back. This year’s 23rd Breakfast of Champions is following this tradition by bringing collectively SMDC, MDA and the Golden Dome for America (GDA) together as our GOLD Team! We are doing this to carry winning culture in recognizing our best Champions of Missile Defense for this Year. Just like in 2003 at the SMDC Symposium, we are responding to Executive Order 14186, which directs the Department of War to design a next-generation, layered missile defense shield to protect the entire U.S. Homeland against ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and advanced cruise missile attacks--Golden Dome for America (GDA). GDA is a multitude factor of 100 times plus more complex than the GMD system of 22 years ago. The GDA Executive Order was announced on 27 January 2025, with the upcoming first operational deployment on schedule for 2028. General Mike Guetlein, US Space Force, was confirmed to be the first Direct Reporting Program Manager (DRPM) of the Office of Golden Dome for America on 17 July 2025. It has been one year since this confirmation, and DRPM Gen Mike Guetlein and the Office of GDA are moving fast down the timeline to achieve a major operational milestone and systems demonstration by 2028, two years from now . We are recognizing at this Breakfast of Champions the “Golden Team ” and its champion organizations: The Missile Defense Agency led by MDA Director, Lt Gen Heath Collins, and the US Army SMDC Command General led by LTG John Rafferty. Significantly adding to this “Trifecta” Gold Team is SPACECOM led by Gen Stephen Whiting. The unification of this Golden Trifecta came together for this Breakfast of Champions to recognize their best teammates together. Grateful of Great Teammates: Our People, Our Allies, and Our Industry were all represented in a packed setting early in the morning at the center of gravity for the Missile and Drone Defense Enterprise in Huntsville Alabama to recognize their Great Teammates of this great mission. Over 9,000 people of the enterprise attended the SMDC Symposium this week We are grateful for all the Great Teammates that attended and for our General Officers attending being a Great Teammate in recognizing their best and united this World Championship team. Pure Gold! MDAA’s mission is to make the world safer by advocating for the development and deployment of missile defense systems to defend the United States, its Armed Forces, and its Allies against missile threats. Our foundational successes as an organization are forged from Advocacy for and Recognition of the Warfighter and Missile Defense Leadership Development, both Civilian and Military. These 12 Champions now join 1,734 other MDAA Missile Defense Champions for their incredible service to missile defense to make our Nation and World safer. We are honored to introduce our 2026 Missile Defense Champions. GDA John "J.R" Riordan Ms. Dianna Pearce MDA Mr. Brian McDavid Mr. Marc Skelley Mr. Matt Schaffer Mr. J. Schuyler Wlodarski SMDC LTC Nate Hunter LTC Tim Minter 1SG Lashedrick Richard Ms. Jessica Grubbs Mr. Mason McCallister Mr. Archie Ramos Winners Associate With Winners to Win! Be a Great Teammate! Riki Ellison Chairman and Founder Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance   Click Here to Join MDAA _____________________________________________________________________ MDAA is a non-profit, non-partisan tax-exempt 501(c) (4) organization. Our mission is to make the world safer by advocating for the development and deployment of missile defense systems to defend the United States and its allies against missile threats. We are a membership-funded organization that does not advocate on behalf of any specific system, technology, architecture or entity. Founded in 2002, MDAA is the only organization in existence whose primary mission is to recruit, organize, and mobilize proponents to advocate for the critical need of missile defense. Visit our website www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org for more information.   Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance 515 King Street, Suite 330 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: (703) 299-0060 Email: [email protected]   Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance | 515 King Street Suite 330 | Alexandria, VA 22314 US Unsubscribe | Constant Contact Data Notice