MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS April 5 - 11, 2022 THE WEEK IN BRIEF On Tuesday, April 5, the U.S. State Department approved the potential sale to Taiwan of equipment, training, and other items to support the Patriot Air Defense System in a deal valued at up to $95 million. The package would include training, planning, fielding, deployment, operation, maintenance, and sustainment of the Patriot Air Defense System and associated equipment, the Pentagon said. On Friday, April 8, the Pentagon announced that the U.S. Army will send a Patriot missile battery to Slovakia to backfill the country’s air defense capabilities. The Slovakian government, in turn, has agreed to give its sole, Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air system to Ukraine to aid in targeting Russian aviation. On Monday, April 11, Russia said that it had used cruise missiles to destroy S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems which had been supplied to Ukraine by an unidentified European country. Also on Friday, a Russian missile hit a train station in eastern Ukraine where thousands had gathered Friday, killing at least 52 and wounding dozens more in an attack on a crowd of mostly women and children trying to flee a new, looming Russian offensive, Ukrainian authorities said. The United States believes that Russia used an SS-21 Scarab short-range ballistic missile in the strike. According to a senior Pentagon official, Russia is resupplying and reinforcing its invasion force in eastern Ukraine with an 8-mile long convoy of vehicles heading to the region, indicating a new phase of the war is likely to occur there. On Sunday, April 10, Russian ally Serbia this weekend took the delivery of a sophisticated Chinese antiaircraft system in a veiled operation. Media and military experts said Sunday that six Chinese Air Force Y-20 transport planes landed at Belgrade’s civilian airport early Saturday, reportedly carrying HQ-22 surface-to-air missile systems for the Serbian military. Click here to read all of this week's headlines. MDAA ALERTS The Spread of Patriotism On March 29, 2022, the United States deployed the Patriot missile system in the Philippines for national and coastal defense training near Northern Luzon, during Balikatan 22. This is a historic first for the US-Philippine Alliance and showcases the strength... Click here to read more. MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES Ukrainian War Updates Track the number and type of missiles used in the Ukrainian war, the number of casualties, and daily news highlights. Track updates on the conflict in Ukraine. Missile Threat From China As a rising power in the Asia-Pacific region, China has developed a diverse and sophisticated arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles. These missiles are part of a broader military modernization to enhance Beijing’s ability to assert itself in regional and territorial matters. Learn more about the missile threat from China. MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Specialist Theodore Mandt SPC Mandt is currently assigned as a Sentinel Radar Operator in Team 4 of the Minimum Deployment Package (MDP) Platoon, Headquarters, 1-188th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Regiment. Although he does not come from an ADA background, SPC Mandt scored a 98% on the General Knowledge and has consistently stepped up and proved to be among the best Air Defense Battle Management System Operators (14G) within the Battalion. SPC Mandt has demonstrated a set of challenging and highly technical skills that go above and beyond what is normally expected out of a 14G Soldier. These skills were March Order and Emplacement, General Knowledge, MIDS/SADL radio initialization, Troop Leading Procedures, and Deployment Readiness Exercise testing. SPC Mandt volunteered for and taught a SINCGARS class, streamlined the process for requesting resupply of consumable items, and became a subject matter expert on the BlueSky Mast and Rajant Radio. During mission planning for a potential outside the Continental U.S. MDP Mission, Team 4 took the initiative to help plan and coordinate the weighing and load planning of all MDP equipment in preparation for the planned airlift. This mission would have been the first of its kind and the work they did set the standard for future units to follow. As a team, SPC Mandt and SPC Gibson identified the need for an update to the MDP Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in regard to the testing and configuration of the MOXA Modem in a classroom environment. This vital task had been overlooked by at least six MDP rotations that came before them. After conducting testing and troubleshooting with the 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, the team developed and trained the SOP resulting in consistent testing of the MOXA Modem over Cradle Point. SPC Mandt began his military service in 2014, enlisting into the North Dakota National Guard (NDNG) as a Combat Engineer. He is currently attending North Dakota State University for Veterinary Technology. SPC Mandt’s awards and decorations include the Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the NDNG Commendation Ribbon, the NDNG Emergency Service Ribbon, NDNG Service Ribbon, and the NDNG Basic Combat Training Ribbon.  Click here to view all the awardees from the 2022 National Capital Region Air and Missile Defender of the Year Award Ceremony. MDAA IN THE NEWS US approves air-defense upgrade for Taiwan as COVID-19 nixes reported visit by Pelosi The United States has approved a $95 million military sale to boost Taiwan’s air defenses, as China sends increasing numbers of warplanes near the island democracy. Click here to read the full article German 'Iron Shield' - Why Israeli Arrow-3, Iron Dome May Not Be Able to Protect Berlin From Russian Iskander Missiles According to Tal Inbar, a senior research fellow at the U.S.-based Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, while Iron Dome could likely intercept... Click here to read the full article NEWS MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS US NORTHCOM again asks for homeland cruise missile defense funding in wish list - Defense News - 4/5/2022 U.S. approves $95 mln boost to Taiwan’s air defense system - Reuters - 4/5/2022 Taiwan thanks US for Patriot missile weapons sale - Taiwan News - 4/6/2022 Missile defense systems nail target in flight test - Redstone Rocket - 4/6/2022 Patriot missile battery heading to Slovakia amid Ukraine invasion response - Military Times - 4/8/2022 Statement from the President on Delivery of Air Defense Systems to Ukraine - The White House - 4/8/2022 Space Development Agency to accelerate deployment of missile-tracking satellites - Space News - 4/10/2022 THREAT NEWS Missile kills at least 52 at crowded Ukrainian train station - The Hill - 4/8/2022 U.S. believes Russia used short-range ballistic missile in railway station strike -U.S. official - Reuters - 4/8/2022 Russian missile that struck rail station had ‘for the children’ written on it - The Hill - 4/8/2022 China makes semisecret delivery of missiles to Serbia - The Los Angeles Times - 4/10/2022 Russia has 8-mile military convoy, 'colossal' amount of equipment ready for new blitz: Live Ukraine updates - USA Today - 4/11/2022 Russia Says It Destroyed S-300 Missile Systems Given to Ukraine by European State - US News - 4/11/2022 OTHER NEWS Ukraine War Brings Germany Close to First-of-its-kind Deal With Israel for Missile Defense System - Haaretz - 4/5/2022 Slovakia to Supply S-300 Air Defense System to Ukraine - The United States Department of Defense - 4/8/2022 Pakistan carries out flight test of Shaheen-III ballistic missile - Hindustan Times - 4/11/2022 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!