MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS January 12 - January 18, 2021 THE WEEK IN BRIEF Click Here to Watch The Missile Defense Mondays Video On Monday, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), ADM Michael Gilday, stated the Navy should divest in Aegis Ashore and transfer the system to “ground forces” in order for the Navy to focus on its core missions. There is currently one operational Aegis Ashore site in Romania, a second operational site under construction in Poland, and a third site at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in Hawaii currently used for testing and development. On Tuesday, it was reported the Japanese government plans to consider in 2021 ways to further cooperate with the U.S. on missile defense initiatives. A main consideration for the Japanese government is joining the U.S. Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tracking Layer by potentially collaborating on the development and deployment of the small satellite sensors. On Thursday, North Korea held a nighttime military parade to celebrate the end of the eighth Workers’ Party Congress. During the parade, North Korea displayed several of its recently tested short-range ballistic missiles to include the KN-23, KN-24, and the KN-25. Also displayed were two new missiles, a possible variant or new missile similar to the KN-23 SRBM and the Pukguksong-5 submarine launched ballistic missile. Also on Thursday, it was reported the DoD had approved low rate initial production for the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS). IBCS ties together various sensors and shooters to track and intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aircraft. The Army currently expects to equip its first unit with the IBCS system by October 2022. On Friday, it was reported the Missile Defense Agency had selected L3 Harris to build a prototype satellite for the future Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) system. Work for the prototype is expected to be completed by July 2023. Throughout the week, Iran launched several ballistic and cruise missiles during several days of military exercises. On Thursday, Iran’s Navy launched several ship- and land-based cruise missiles at targets in the sea during a drill in the Gulf of Oman. On Friday, Iran launched several ballistic missiles at “hypothetical enemy bases.” Saturday, Iran launched several anti-ship ballistic missiles, with at least two hitting targets 1,800 km away in the Indian Ocean. Missiles used during the two day “Great Prophet 15” exercise included the Dezful, the Ghadr, the Emad, and the Sejjil ballistic missiles. Click here to read all of this week's headlines. MDAA ALERTS Divest to Invest "Army Aegis Ashore, AAA" “To remain ahead of our competitors, we will divest ourselves of… non-core Navy missions like Aegis-ashore. Transferring shore-based Ballistic Missile Defense sites to ground forces enables Sailors to focus on their core missions at sea and frees up resources to increase our lethality.” Click here to read more. MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES Aegis Ashore Aegis Ashore was first announced in 2009 as part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) and is the land-based variant of the sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system. Aegis Ashore shares components of the ship-based version including the Aegis AN/SPY-1 radar, Command, Control, and... Learn more about Aegis Ashore. KN-23 North Korea first displayed the KN-23 in a military parade on February 8th, 2018. The DPRK first tested the missile on May 4th, 2019 in what it described as test of a ‘tactical guided weapon’. The test was conducted from Wonsan and had a range of 240 km and an apogee (maximum height on the ballistic rectory) of 60 km. Learn more about the KN-23. Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) The Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) is the Marine Corps’ new push for modernizing its Ground Based Air Defense (GBAD) capabilities. It is part of the Corps plan to upgrade their two active Low Altitude Air Defense (LAAD) battalions, which currently rely on dismounted... Learn more about the MADIS. MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Staff Sergeant Gersom Rivera SSgt Rivera is a security forces craftsman for the 268th Security Forces Squadron, 168th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, Clear Air Force Station, Alaska. He is responsible for providing installation security and law enforcement at the 11,500 acre remote, subarctic installation, in support of the Air Force’s 24/7 ballistic missile warning/defense and space surveillance missions. SSgt Rivera aided development of a mission essential list; provided oversight of the installation entry control process--ensured 100% compliance of COVID-19 and health protection condition protocol. He assisted critical electronic security system functions and issued 60+ restricted area badges for LRDR contractors in a five month period, keeping the restricted area badging system unhindered. He networked in newly appointed position and established communication with POCs for Missile Defense Agency/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project which bolstered base relationships. SSgt Rivera enlisted the Puerto Rico Air National Guard in September 2006. He graduated from the Security Forces Academy, Lackland Air Force Base, Texas and was assigned 156th Security Forces Squadron (SFS), Muniz Air National Guard Base, Puerto Rico. While assigned to the 156th SFS he deployed to Manas Air Base, Kyrgyzstan in December 2008 and Al Dhafra AB, United Arab Emirates in January 2013. SSgt Rivera later joined Clear in December 2015 and has served as one of the installation’s defenders since that time. He was selected as the Pass & Registration noncommissioned officer in charge and is serving as the installation’s point of contact concerning fitness determination, for denial of installation access and access credentials. SSgt Rivera is also the point of contact for the newly implemented Air Force Justice Information System in Clear AFS as well as the Unit Security Manager. Prior to his current assignment, SSgt Rivera served as a Security Response Team Member for the 268th Security Forces Squadron, Clear AFS, Alaska. His awards and decorations include the Air Force Achievement Medal. Click here to view all the awardees from the 2020 Alaska Missile Defender of the Year. NEWS MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS Israeli Corvette Emerges With A Double Load Of Iron Dome Missiles As Potential Threats Grow - 1/19/2021 - The Drive Missile Defense Costs To Soar $5B A Year: CBO - 1/19/2021 - Breaking Defense Why America needs a layered homeland missile defense - 1/19/2021 - Defense News U.S. Army’s Air & Missile Defense Capability Enters Low-Rate Initial Production - 1/15/2021 - DefenseWorld.net Northrop Receives Shelters to Outfit Missile Defense Battle Command System for Poland - 1/15/2021 - DefenseWorld.net L3Harris to build prototype satellite capable of tracking hypersonic weapons - 1/15/2021 - C4ISRNET Air Defense: Integrated Multi-Threat Defense System - 1/15/2021 - Strategy Page Surface Warriors Recognize top Performers with Inaugural Parsons Award - 1/15/2021 - Naval Sea Systems Command Navy Pushing Aegis Ashore To Army, No Agreement Yet - 1/15/2021 - Defense Daily U.S. Army’s future battle command system is cleared for production - 1/14/2021 - Defense News HI-EMA makes corrections 3 years after false missile alert while DOD defends Hawaii - 1/14/2021 - KHON2 Boeing Starts Working On New Seeker For PAC-3 - 1/14/2021 - Aviation Week Network Here’s the latest on the U.S. Navy’s new Constellation-class frigate - 1/13/2021 - Defense News Raytheon prepares to build SM-2 ship-launched radar-guided missiles for U.S. allies in $8.5 million deal - 1/13/2021 - Military & Aerospace Electronics New START extension to give time for talks on future arms control – Russian ambassador - 1/13/2021 - TASS Russian News Agency The Navy just got its hands on a new frickin’ laser weapon to play with - 1/13/2021 - Task & Purpose Japan to mull joining US ‘satellite constellation’ initiative to counter missile threats - 1/12/2021 - The Mainichi CNO: Divest Aegis Ashore Sites to Ground Forces - 1/12/2021 - Seapower THREAT NEWS Are Hypersonic Weapons All Hype? - 1/19/2021 - The Diplomat Experts split over NK’s nuclear missile threat - 1/19/2021 - The Korea Herald North Korea unveils submarine-launched ballistic missile at military parade - 1/15/2021 - CNN Iranian Guard drones in drill mirror those in Saudi attacks - 1/15/2021 - News4Jax.com China building ‘greatest expansion of a nuclear arsenal’ since Cold War, State Department warns - 1/15/2021 - Washington Times Russian Navy deploys new coastal missile brigade equipped with Bal and Bastion missile systems - 1/15/2021 - Navy Recognition Year 2020 in Review: Results of Russia’s Nuclear Weapons Modernization - 1/14/2021 - The Jamestown Foundation - Eurasia Daily Monitor S. Korea to boost capabilities to counter NK missile threats: defense ministry - 1/14/2021 - The Korea Herald Iranian kamikaze drones said spotted in the possession of Yemen’s Houthis - 1/14/2021 - The Times of Israel Air Defense: Pantsir Gets Patched - 1/13/2021 - StrategyPage Iran holds missile drill in Gulf of Oman amid tensions - 1/13/2021 - Federal News Network Russian Navy to get its most powerful submarine by the end of 2020 - 1/12/2021 - Russia Beyond Russia to continue rearming in 2021 – Part 1 - 1/12/2021 - Army Recognition North Korea confirms development of hypersonic missiles - 1/12/2021 - Daily NK OTHER NEWS Bolstering U.S.-Japan technology ties is key to deterring threats in Asia - 1/13/2021 - Defense News Fatah-1: A New Security and Technological Development About Pakistan’s Indigenous GMLRS - 1/12/2021 - Modern Diplomacy Stay Connected: ‌ ‌ ‌ MDAA | 515 King Street, Suite 330, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] About our service provider Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!