MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS June 28 - July 5, 2022 THE WEEK IN BRIEF On Friday, July 1, the Spanish army deployed a NASAMS air defense missile system in Latvia in response to the need to strengthen the defense capabilities of the Baltic region after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. An important component of NATO’s deterrence and defense posture is a military presence in the eastern part of Alliance territory. In recent years, Allies have enhanced NATO’s forward presence by establishing multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Allies agreed to establish four more multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. This brings the total number of multinational battlegroups to eight, extending all along NATO’s eastern flank – from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Black Sea in the south. Also on Friday, reports emerged that Germany is considering buying a missile defense system from Israel or the United States to defend against threats including Russian Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad. The Iskander missiles can reach almost all of western Europe and there is no missile shield in place to protect against this threat, Germany’s chief of defense Eberhard Zorn said in an interview published on Saturday. He did not specify the names of the systems but was most likely referring to Arrow 3 from Israel and THAAD from the U.S. Early Friday morning, Russian missile attacks on residential areas in a coastal town near the Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed at least 19 people, authorities reported, a day after Russian forces withdrew from a strategic Black Sea island. Video of the pre-dawn attack showed the charred remains of buildings in the small town of Serhiivka, located about 31 miles southwest of Odesa. The Ukrainian president’s office said three X-22 missiles fired by Russian bombers struck an apartment building and two campsites. Friday evening, an Atlas V rocket lifted off from a pad at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying a missile-warning satellite and another spacecraft to orbit. One of the two spacecraft, called the Wide Field of View (WFOV) satellite, is the Space Force Space System Command's testing platform for a new generation of missile-surveillance technology. The other is a satellite bus hosting a number of technology demonstrations for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Current space-deployed weapons tracking systems focus on ballistic missiles, which have limited maneuverability. The DoD has created a new system, the Overhead Persistent Infrared program (OPIR), to track next-generation hypersonic threats, such as the Kinzhal. WFOV is the testbed for those technologies. On Saturday, July 2, The Israeli military said it shot down three unmanned aircraft launched by the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah heading toward an area where an Israeli gas platform was recently installed in the Mediterranean Sea. The launch of the aircraft appeared to be an attempt by Hezbollah to influence U.S.-brokered negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over their maritime border, an area that is rich in natural gas. Hezbollah issued a short statement, confirming it had launched three unarmed drones toward the disputed maritime issue over the Karish field on a reconnaissance mission. Click here to read all of this week's headlines. MDAA ALERTS Combined Power Today and tomorrow, NATO is meeting in Madrid to discuss its new strategic construct, focusing on how to best deter Russia and China, the two most threatening nations to the world order. In Madrid, the heads of state will discuss Russia and, for the first time as an... Click here to read more. The Reign In Spain “We will significantly strengthen our deterrence and defence posture to deny any potential adversary any possible opportunities for aggression. To that end, we will ensure a substantial and persistent presence on land, at sea, and in the air, including through strengthened... 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. India Since China’s rise to power and threat to dominate the Asian continent, India and the United States have collaborated on defense issues in the region. For instance, both states are members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue—or the Quad—the strategic dialogue between... Click here to read more about Iran. MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Staff Sergeant Alexander Bryson SSG Bryson is currently assigned as a Forward Area Air Defense Army Airspace Command and Control (FAAD A2C2), HQ Battery, 1-188th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Regiment. SSG Bryson was selected as the acting Platoon Sergeant while the actual Platoon Sergeant was away for a professional military education school for three weeks. SSG Bryson was also selected as the Range Safety Officer for the M4 range at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. He has also volunteered to cover shifts for all the other FAAD A2C2 throughout the rotation. Joint Air Defense Operations Center (JADOC) Team 4 performed without error during the Culminating Training Event (CTE) at Fort Bliss, Texas in June 2021, performing 100% on 96 Target of Interest prosecutions, which is tied for the most prosecutions during the CTE. JADOC Team 4 has not been cited for any errors on any Falcon Virgos, Falcon Gains, Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) or simulations since 1-188th ADA Regiment conducted the battle hand-off on in July 2021 in the National Capital Region (NCR). Team 4 also includes the top Fire Distribution Control Crew from the training conducted during Exercise America’s Shield at Camp Grafton Training Center in May 2021. As the best JADOC team, Team 4 has been selected to support 2-263rd ADA (South Carolina Army National Guard) CTE to train their JADOC teams so they are fully mission capable upon arrival in the NCR. SSG Bryson began his Military service in 2007 when he enlisted in the North Dakota National Guard as a Bridge Builder Crewmember (12C). In 2009 he re-classed as an Air Defense Battle Management System Operator (14J – now 14G) in order to mobilize in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He is a graduate of the 12C Advanced Individual Training, 14J re-classification course, Combat Engineer (12B) re-classification course, Warrior Leader Course, and 14G Advanced Leaders Course. In 2019, he completed his Bachelor’s Degree in History with Minor in Criminal Justice from the University of North Dakota. SSG Bryson’s deployments include Operation Enduring Freedom (2009-2010), Operation Enduring Freedom (2012-2013), and Operation Nobel Eagle (2021-2022). HQ NCR 1-188th ADA. SSG Bryson lives in Grand Forks, North Dakota and previously worked in sales for DSG, an Industrial products wholesaler. Click here to view all the awardees from the 2022 National Capital Region Air and Missile Defender of the Year Award Ceremony. NEWS MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS Lawmakers push for directed energy weapons, suggest collaboration with Israel - Breaking Defense - 6/28/2022 US to announce the purchase of medium- to long-range surface-to-air missile defense system for Ukraine - CNN - 6/29/2022 U.S. military picks Corvid Technologies for software development for missile defense test and measurement - Military + Aerospace Electronics - 6/29/2022 Lockheed Martin Breaks Ground on New Missile System Integration Lab - Huntsville Business Journal - 6/29/2022 Israel to ask Biden for okay to provide air defense laser to Saudi Arabia – report - The Times of Israel - 6/29/2022 Hexagon US Federal announces US Army CRADA - Intelligence Community News - 6/29/2022 Atlas V rocket launches classified missile-tracking satellite for US Space Force - Space - 7/05/2022 U.S. military’s newest weapon against China and Russia: Hot air - Politico - 7/05/2022 THREAT NEWS Satellite images reveal the construction of Russian radar to track stealthy F-35 - The Barents Observer - 6/28/2022 New USAFE Commander: It’s Time to Concentrate on Russia, China ‘24-7, 365’ - Air Force Magazine - 6/29/2022 Russian missiles kill at least 19 in Ukraine’s Odesa region - NBC News - 7/01/2022 OTHER NEWS U.S. Carrier Abraham Lincoln to Participate in Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2022 - USNI News - 6/29/2022 Spain starts deployment of NASAMS air defense missile system in Latvia due to invasion of Ukraine - Army Recognition - 7/01/2022 Germany looks to buy Israeli or U.S. missile defense system - Reuters - 7/01/2022 Israel shoots down Hezbollah drones over Mediterranean - NPR - 7/05/2022 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!