MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS
November 10 - November 16, 2020
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On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee put forth its defense budget for Fiscal Year 2021. The budget increased procurement as well as increased the budgets for several Navy, Air Force, Army, and Defense-Wide projects. The mark includes $10.23 billion for the Missile Defense Agency, which is $1.1 billion more than the MDA budget request released in February. This includes funding for an eighth THAAD battery and the reliability improvements for the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system.
Also on Tuesday, Israel delivered the first multi-mission radars to be used in the U.S. Iron Dome missile defense batteries. The delivery came over one month after Israel delivered the first of the two Iron Dome batteries to the U.S. Army. On Friday, the Army activated two air defense artillery batteries at Fort Bliss, Texas to test and evaluate the integration of the Iron Dome systems.
Also on Tuesday, it was reported that Azerbaijan used strike drones against Armenia and had blown up the Armenia or-M2KM SAM system. This came as it was reported that Armenia had fired a Russian-made Iskander ballistic missile at Azerbaijani forces.
On Friday, the U.S. began a two-week air and missile defense live-fire drill with NATO allies Germany, Netherlands, and Greece in Crete. This year, U.S. Army Air Defense Soldiers will operate the German variant of the Patriot system to demonstrate flexibility.
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Our Veterans, Our Leaders |
The depth of character, the wealth of resilience, the service of the nation over self, and the relentless leadership defines our country’s veterans. We look up to them, we follow them, we want to be around them for they are the salt, the sweat, and the tears of what makes our nation great...
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With an acting U.S. Secretary of Defense abruptly appointed and a U.S. presidential election being contested, our adversaries may well be calculating opportunities to gain influence. In this gray zone competition environment, tensions with China are heightening...
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MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES |
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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 of US funding...
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The FIM-92 “Stinger” is a short-range man-portable air defense system. The stinger was designed to provide air defense capabilities to U.S. and allied troops when forward deployed and thus eliminate the immediate need for air support should an enemy aircraft threaten the troops...
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A variant of the Changjian-10 land-attack cruise missile, the CJ-20 is an air-launched LACM capable of carrying both conventional and nuclear warheads. Still under development, U.S. Air Global Strike Command estimates the nuclear-capable variant will be operational by 2018...
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MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK |
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Sergeant Vincent Weiters
SGT Weiters is a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) who continues to grow exponentially in his role at the Military Police Ground-Based Interceptor Security Company at Fort Greely, Alaska. He utilizes his experience as an Air Force Security Policeman, with his personal experience, and experiences gained while serving with the 49th GMD to help his colleagues on a daily basis. He is proactive and diligent in his work while he serves as The Equal Opportunity NCO, Assistant Master Resilience Trainor, Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention, and Hazardous Materials Certifier. SGT Weiters is a vital part of Team, Squad, Platoon, and Company Level Training, training Soldiers for internal and external evaluations. He trains his fellow Soldiers in Room Clearance, Hand Cuffing Techniques, Interpersonal Communication Skills, and Entry Control Point Procedures. His fellow Soldiers see him as a leader to emulate. In 2003, one year after completing High School, SGT Weiters enlisted in the Air Force. He went to Lackland Air Force Base (AFB) to complete basic training and Security Forces Advanced Individual Training. His first duty station was at F.E Warren AFB, Wyoming working in the Convoy Support Squadron. In 2005, SGT Weiters enlisted in the Wyoming Army National Guard as a Dental Specialist for six years. In 2011, SGT Weiters took an interstate transfer to the Alaska Army National Guard to work in the Medical Detachment unit. In his time in the unit, SGT Weiters completed Warrior Leader Course in 2012 and was promoted to Staff Sergeant in 2013. In 2015, SGT Weiters joined the 49th Missile Defense Battalion at Ft. Greely, Alaska. In 2016 he reclassified to Military Police. In 2020, SGT Weiters successfully completed Military Police Advanced Leader Course. SGT Weiters awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. SGT Weiters has also earned the M4 Carbine Expert Badge and Drivers Badge. SGT Weiters has also successfully completed Equal Opportunities Leaders, Master Resilience Training, and Hazmat Transportation.
Click here to view all the awardees from the 2020 Alaska Missile Defender of the Year.
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MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS
THREAT NEWS
OTHER NEWS
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