MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS December 7 - December 13, 2021 THE WEEK IN BRIEF On Monday, The U.S. Missile Defense Agency finished installing radar arrays and wrapped up military construction for the Long-Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) at Clear Space Force Station, Alaska. On Thursday, Russia deployed the Buk air defense system to the village of Maslovka, only a short distance from the border with Ukraine. Also on Thursday, the Army awarded Purple Hearts to the 39 soldiers who were injured in January of 2020 when Iran struck their airbase in Iraq. On Friday, in the latest version of the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress scrapped its previous requirement for the U.S. Army to procure two additional batteries of the Iron Dome air defense system as an interim cruise missile defense capability, a move for which the Army has been pushing. On Monday, Iran began preparation for a space launch as negotiations continue in Vienna over its tattered nuclear deal. Click here to read all of this week's headlines. MDAA ALERTS Action Now "It’s all about action right now. It’s not delaying, not studies, not waiting for the next thing and the best thing. It is to get movement on ground and make the decision to defend Guam. Make the decision to defend it and then defend it with what you’ve got in place today...." Click here to read more. No Other Country “So I will put the American system up against any other. And I’ll do so with great pride and total confidence. No other country had the creativity to put such phenomenal computing power into our pockets. And no other nation has our astonishing universities, our ...” Click here to read more. MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES Denmark The North Atlantic Treaty Organization remains the bedrock of Denmark’s national security. It is also one of the two countries within the European Union that proposed a higher defense budget in 2010 than in 2009. In September 2011, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Arms Control... Learn more about Denmark. Boost Phase Missile Defense Boost phase missile defense entails the destruction of an enemy missile during the earliest stages of its flight, while it remains within the Earth’s atmosphere. A viable boost phase defense has long been considered the “holy grail” of BMD, as boosting missiles are much slower and... Learn more about Boost Phase Missile Defense. MDAA IN THE NEWS Time for Guam Missile Defense Build-Up is Now "There’s no time to spare when it comes to getting the tools in place to defend Guam — a U.S. territory, home to 168,000 Americans, and a centerpiece of America’s defensive abilities in the Pacific..." Click here to read more. "Pearl Harbor Incident Cannot Be Allowed to Happen Again" Senior US military officials urged to immediately strengthen Guam's defense capabilities against Chinese threats "Some senior U.S. military officials..." Click here to read more. Pentagon Allocates $11 Billion to Fund Military Infrastructure Projects on Guam Island "Lieutenant General Stephen D. Sklenka, Deputy Commander of USPACOM (US Indo-Pacific Command), announced earlier this week that the Department of..." Click here to read more. Calls Grow Urgent for Improving Guam's Missile Defenses "The tiny U.S. territory of Guam would play an outsized role in a U.S. war in the Pacific—and that’s why the Pentagon must urgently improve the island’s missile defenses, current and former..." Click here to read more. MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Specialist Austin Smith SPC Smith is a THAAD Battery Command Post Operator and Tactical Control Assistant with the E-3 Air Defense Artillery, 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. SPC Smith has directly contributed to the combat readiness of E-3 THAAD by passing Table IV certifications as a Battery Command Post Operator and Tactical Control Assistant with first time ‘GO’s with near perfect scores. He continually promotes crew readiness and trains new E-3 Soldiers as future Tactical Control Assistants (TCA). SPC Smith displayed exceptional self-development by cross training as a Radar Operator and Maintainer to increase his knowledge and expertise of the THAAD weapon system. SPC Smith has been instrumental in training over four new Tactical Control Officers (TCO) in the last year on the THAAD gunnery certification process. SPC Smith’s motivation and unparalleled performance in multiple typhoon readiness movements, Operation Orient Express, and Operation Iron Island has been invaluable and directly contributes to E-3 THAAD’s overall mission readiness. SPC Smith’s crew was awarded the Golden Coconut for achieving the greatest overall performance during the 2021 Table VIII evaluations, further distinguishing himself from his peers. SPC Smith is from Stokesdale, North Carolina. He graduated in the Top 20% from Northwest Guilford High School in June of 2018. He completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he earned the military occupational specialty of 14E Patriot Fire Control Enhanced Operator / Maintainer. He graduated the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) School in the Top 5% of his graduating class gaining the Additional Skill Identifier 7A THAAD Fire Control Communications/Radar Operator/Maintainer. SPC Smith’s awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service, and Army Service Ribbon. SPC Smith’s additional military education includes the Army Basic Space Course.  Click here to view all the awardees from the 2021 Guam Missile Defender of the Year Award Ceremony. NEWS MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS US Missile Defense Agency declares initial delivery of Long-Range Discrimination Radar in Alaska - Defense News - 12/07/2021 Saudi Arabia Pleads for Missile-Defense Resupply as Its Arsenal Runs Low - Wall Street Journal - 12/07/2021 U.S. Senate backs sale of missiles to Saudi Arabia - Metro - 12/08/2021 Army General Wants More Missile Defense Within First Island Chain - Defense One - 12/08/2021 Taiwan to set up 9 bases for anti-ship missiles - Taiwan News - 12/08/2021 US missile defense in S. Korea under constant review, upgrade: Pentagon press secretary - The Korea Herald - 12/09/2021 US Navy commissions Pearl Harbor-based USS Daniel Inouye - emissourian - 12/09/2021 Congress wants Hawaiian missile defense radar up and running by end of 2028 - Defense News - 12/10/2021 Congress drops Army mandate to buy more ‘Iron Dome’ defenses against cruise missiles - Defense News - 12/10/2021 THREAT NEWS US Presses India to Avoid Buying Russian S-400 Missile Defense System - Yeni Safek 12/09/2021 Turkey to receive more advanced S-400 anti-air missiles from Russia – analysis - The Jerusalem Post - 12/09/2021 Russia deploys Buk air defense system near Ukrainian border - Defence Blog - 12/09/2021 Satellite images, expert suggest Iranian space launch coming - ABC News - 12/13/2021 OTHER NEWS Space Development Agency to acquire 28 missile-tracking satellites to launch in late 2024 - Space News - 12/09/2021 Ukraine Commanders Say a Russian Invasion Would Overwhelm Them - The New York Time - 12/09/2021 39 soldiers injured in Iran missile attack to get Purple Hearts: report - The Hill - 12/09/2021 Iran Top Priority for U.S., Israel - U.S. Department of Defense - 12/10/2021 Taiwan’s defense ministry says it is confident Chinese invasion of the island would be very hard - NBC News - 12/13/2021 Stay Connected: ‌ ‌ ‌ MDAA | 515 King Street, Suite 330, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!