MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS February 16 - February 22, 2021 THE WEEK IN BRIEF Click Here to Watch the Missile Defense Mondays Video On Tuesday, it was announced that the U.S. State Department approved a possible $197 million missile sale to Egypt. The sale will include up to 168 RIM-116C Rolling Airframe Missiles Block 2 tactical missiles and comes shortly after the State Department approved a $104 million Large Aircraft Countermeasures System to Egypt in December. Also on Tuesday, it was reported that the Russian Pacific Fleet’s Admiral Tributs large anti-submarine ship and missile boats carried out an artillery shelling in the Sea of Japan. The shelling involved coastal, air, and maritime targets and practiced the ships’ ability to manage electronic jamming, damage control, narrow passage, and practical firing ground tests. On Thursday, it was announced that Israel and the U.S. have begun developing the Arrow-4 missile defense system. The Arrow-4 will improve on the previous systems and is set to replace the Arrow-2 interceptors over the coming decades. On Saturday, it was reported that at least four rockets struck an Iraqi airbase, injuring one person who worked for a U.S. defense company. The attack took place at Balad airbase in Salah al-Din province, and no group immediately claimed responsibility. On Monday, it was reported that the U.S. and Japan kicked off the computer-based Resilient Shield 2021 naval drills. The drills, which are set to run through Friday, are focused on ballistic missile defenses in response to the increasing tensions from China and North Korea. Click here to read all of this week's headlines. MDAA ALERTS New Jersey Champions “It is about people first. It really is. And without putting people first, you can’t get the mission in excellence, you can’t get the systems in excellence. So it is that commodity is our most valuable commodity that we have. And we have an opportunity today to recognize that commodity by putting people first...  Click here to read more. The "C" Gen. James McConville, the U.S. Army Chief of Staff, defined ‘Convergence’ as the importance of not so much “speed and range”, but “speed and lethality” for an Army that has to be fit and ready to take on competition in a Great Power strategic environment. The heart of this effort is the collection of concepts and systems...  Click here to read more. MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES Directed Energy Directed energy weapons stand as a potentially tremendous development for any missile defense system, both in their own right and as a complement to kinetic weapons systems. Directed energy weapons use high-energy lasers or high-power microwaves, as opposed to the projectiles of traditional kinetic weapons... Learn more about Directed Energy. Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Basics Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) pose unique strategic challenges that are relatively new to military planners. Diverse UAS models have proliferated across the globe over the past decade while the technology has improved, allowing greater use of UAS systems... Learn more about UAS. SS-N-30 Bulava Russia’s 3M-14 Bulava ballistic missile is the submarine-launched variant of the SS-27 Topol-M. The Bulava, which represents the pinnacle of Russian ballistic missile technology, can hold 10 warheads with each warhead having a yield of approximately 550 kt. The Bulava’s range has been slightly reduced... Learn more about the SS-N-30. MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Sergeant First Class Sean Clark SFC Clark joined the Florida Army National Guard at age 17 on March 24, 2002, as part of the A-Battery 2/265th Air Defense Artillery Battalion. He served as an Avenger Crewmember until 2006, when he transitioned to the Military Police branch. SFC Clark served two tours in Afghanistan (2004-2005 and 2008-2009). In November 2009, he transferred to the Alaska Army National Guard as part of 2nd Platoon, A-Company, 49th Missile Defense Battalion, where he patrolled and secured the Missile Defense Complex. In 2011, SFC Clark transitioned from the Military Police Company to serve on a missile defense crew. In March 2014, SFC Clark transferred to the Colorado Army National Guard and served with the 100th Missile Defense Brigade and served on a crew until 2016 when he moved to the Brigade S-3 Operations to certify crews and test software. In 2018, he became the Readiness Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO)/ Training NCO until he was promoted to sergeant first class and returned to Delta Crew as a Future Operations Officer. In February 2020, SFC Clark transferred to 3rd Battalion, 157th Field Artillery Regiment to serve in a broadening assignment as the retention NCO. Click here to view all the awardees from the 2020 NORAD & USNORTHCOM Missile Warning and Defender of the Year Award Ceremony. NEWS MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS Operational Comms, Missile Tracking Sats Up In 2024: SDA - 2/12/2021 - Breaking Defense Japan signs USD287 million contract for SM-3 Block IIA interceptor missiles - 2/12/2021 - Janes.com MDA Reopens Search For Powerful Laser Interceptor - 2/12/2021 - Aviation Week Newsletter Kongsberg Defence to upgrade NASAMS air defense missile system for Norway - 2/16/2021 - Army Recognition Navy to Fully Integrate Laser into Aegis Combat System - 2/16/2021 - National Defense Air Force Selects GURU for the AVATAR Program - 2/16/2021 - AiThority ‘Iron Dome’ plans being finalized as U.S. Army begins training on systems - 2/16/2021 - Defense News State Department approves possible $197M missile sale to Egypt - 2/17/2021 - UPI.com U.S. Navy ship sails by China-claimed islands in South China Sea - 2/17/2021 - UPI.com Reports: U.S. spy plane, missile tracking ship deployed near North Korea - 2/17/2021 - UPI.com Second test of Air Force’s drone-killing laser may start later this year - 2/22/2021 - UPI.com SDA preparing to buy 150 satellites in next tranche of military space architecture - 2/22/2021 - Federal News Network Soldiers See – And Touch – Full-Scale LTAMDS - 2/22/2021 - Shephard Media Israel, U.S. Launch Development of Arrow-4 Missile Defense System - 2/22/2021 - JewishPress.com U.S., Japan Begin Joint Military Drills after China Enters Japanese Waters - 2/22/2021 - Newsweek Biden Pledged New Missile Defenses, His Pentagon May Be About To Deliver - 2/22/2021 - Breaking Defense THREAT NEWS Iran to Unveil Homegrown Kaman-22 Armed Drone This Month - 2/16/2021 - The Defense Post Admiral Tributs, Pacific Fleet’s missile boats conduct artillery fire in Sea of Japan - 2/16/2021 - Tass Rockets target north Iraq airbase hosting U.S. troops - 2/16/2021 - France 24 Iran’s Army Test Fires Short-Range ‘Smart’ Missile - 2/16/2021 - Military.com N. Korea expands missile facilities, but no unusual signs at nuclear sites: defense ministry - 2/17/2021 - The Korea Herald Russia announces multiple missiles towards Bear Gap as US Air Force bombers deploy to Norway for first time - 2/22/2021 - The Independent Barents Observer Iranian-backed militias likely behind deadly rocket attack on U.S.-led base, experts say - 2/22/2021 - NBC News Rockets hit Iraq military airbase hosting U.S. contractors - 2/22/2021 - Al Jazeera  OTHER NEWS Armenian ex-president admits using of ‘Iskandar’ missile against civilians of Ganja - 2/17/2021 - Trend Iran, Russia Start Naval Drill in Indian Ocean - 2/17/2021 - Voice of America Russian defense firm to unveil Antey-4000 anti-aircraft missile system abroad - 2/22/2021 - Tass  Stay Connected: ‌ ‌ ‌ MDAA | 515 King Street, Suite 330, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] Customer Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!