THIS WEEK IN MISSILE DEFENSE November 23 - December 6, 2019 THE WEEK IN BRIEF Click Here to Watch This Week in Missile Defense Video Last Saturday, General Kenneth F. McKenzie – the head of the military’s Central Command warned of an Iranian attack in the Middle East. The general said that America’s addition of 14,000 troops in the Persian Gulf since the spring would probably not deter Iran from carrying out a major strike. Last Monday, Turkey tested a component of its newly acquired Russian air defense system, a step that risks escalating a dispute with the U.S. and touching off possible sanctions. Military aircraft was used in the capital Ankara during the testing of the S-400 system’s radar-detection equipment. Last Tuesday, the Israeli military’s missile defenses intercepted a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel. The army identified two projectiles fired from the Palestinian enclave. One was intercepted by an Iron Dome missile defense battery. It was the second incident last week. This Tuesday, North Korea said that dialogue with the United States has been nothing but a “foolish trick” and warned Washington that it could be on the receiving end of an unwelcome Christmas gift. The North Korean regime has given the United States until the end of the year to drop its “hostile policy.” This Wednesday, South Korea and China agreed to beef up diplomatic and cultural exchanges to “completely normalize” ties that soured over the deployment of U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in 2017. Relations between the countries were strained by the dispute that erupted over the installation of the U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea. Click here to read all of the headlines from the week. MDAA ALERTS Walking on Sunshine On the Korean Peninsula, North Korea has reached the apex in its charm offensive, maxing out its options and still not able to get the reaction from the West it seeks. Lifting crippling economic sanctions, recognition as a nuclear state, eliminating U.S. strategic presence on the Peninsula, and preserving its dictatorship... Click here to read more. Echoing in Guam Task Force Talon was created to command and deploy a temporary operational capability of a THAAD battery into Guam in 2013 to defend the American Territory from North Korea Ballistic Missiles and the intent of Kim Jong Un “seriously examining the plan for an enveloping strike at Guam through simultaneous fire of four... Click here to read more. MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES S-400 Triumf Air Defense System The S-400 Triumf is a mobile medium- and long-range air defense system. The S-400 began development in the 1990s and was first deployed in 2007. The system uses four different types of interceptors to destroy various airborne targets and also has the capability to use some S-300 legacy missiles. Learn more about S-400 Russia As the heir to the Soviet nuclear arsenal, Russia deploys the largest and most diverse nuclear missile force in the world. Reports indicate that Russia plans to spend 25% of its $560 billion budget for military modernization on upgrading its aging nuclear forces. a Learn more about Russia Terminal High Altitude Area Defense The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) element provides the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) with a globally transportable, rapidly deployable capability to intercept and destroy ballistic missiles inside or just outside the atmosphere during their final, or terminal... Learn more about THAAD MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK First Lieutenant Jordan Mays 1st Lt Mays is a Deputy Flight Commander for the 11th SWS at Buckley AFB, Colorado. He leads a flight of 34 active duty, reserve, and multinational military personnel executing global infrared surveillance and reporting for over 150K deployed joint warfighters across six geographic combatant commands. 1st Lt Mays directs command and control of the $32.6B SBIRS satellite constellation, 18 antennas, and six ground stations located around the world. He reports decisive first assessment and validation of worldwide missile launches to national leaders, the Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, and United States allied partners. In 2018, 1st Lt Mays completed his SBIRS Mission Commander certification with the Air Force’s highest evaluation score, mastering more than 420 hours of training and 54 job tasks related to missile detection. His expertise helped drive a record setting operations year at Buckley AFB, where over 805 missiles launches and over 20,000 major infrared events were detected and reported, an increase of 52% from 2017, which is the highest level of global activity to date. Additionally, his leadership was critical to his mission cell being recognized as the best in his squadron and the only error-free mission operations team for 2018. His crew flawlessly executed the detection and collection of 8,850 infrared events, including the reporting of a high-visibility foreign intercept test that the intelligence community and Secretary of Defense commended the crew for their performance. 1st Lt Mays commissioned through the U.S. Air Force Academy in 2015, where he received his B.S. in Business Management. While at the Academy, he played NCAA Division 1 Football, appearing in three bowl games and winning three Commander-In-Chief Trophies. 1st Lt Mays served his first duty assignment at Cavalier AFS, North Dakota. He led operations for a 36-member crew and focused on grooming operators for instructor and evaluator duties, while overseeing unit evaluations. He arrived at Buckley AFB in 2017 to serve in the Overhead Persistent OBAC, which provides users with real time battlespace awareness by coordinating directly with Combatant Commanders. 1st Lt Mays helped lead the first initiative to integrate OBAC capabilities into the 607th AOC at Osan AB, South Korea, during exercises Ulchi Freedom Guardian and Key Resolve. Click here to view the winners from the 2019 NORAD & USNORTHCOM Missile Warning and Defender of the Year. NEWS MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS Northrop sets up shop in Warsaw – 11/25/2019 – Defense News Turkey Begins Testing Missile Radars at Heart of Row With U.S. – 11/25/2019 - Bloomberg NATO Shows Off Missile Base In Romania, Calling It ‘Purely Defensive’ – 11/25/2019 – Radio Free Europe SMDC names its 2019 civilians of the year – 11/25/2019 - DVIDS Raytheon gets $97 million SPY-6 radar contract modification – 11/25/2019 – Defence Blog Turkey says it made no promises about not installing Russian S-400s: Anadolu – 11/26/2019 - WKZO Turkey ‘to sign new missile defence system contract’ with Russia, in fresh blow to US ties – 11/25/2019 – The Telegraph The Latest: Israel Shoots Down Rocket Fired From Gaza – 11/27/2019 – The New York Times Fleet Welcomes Newest Integrated Air and Missile Defense Top Tacticians – 11/27/2019 - DVIDS Ankara says it didn’t buy S-400 ‘to keep in box,’ needs more defense systems – 11/27/2019 – Daily Sabah MBDA Missile & Saab’s Radar System Integrated Into Northrop IAMD Battle Command System – 11/27/2019 – Defense World US Missile Defense Agency awards HBTSS Phase IIa contracts – 12/3/2019 – Air Force Technology Senators call for sanctions on Turkey over purchase of Russian missile defense system – 12/3/2019 – Task & Purpose EXCLUSIVE Killing Cruise Missiles: Pentagon To Test Rival Lasers – 12/3/2019 – Breaking Defense Israel Signs Deal to Provide Czech Republic With Missile Defense Technology – 12/6/2019 – The Algemeiner Aerojet Rocketdyne ready for production in Huntsville – 12/6/2019 – Alabama.com THREAT NEWS Special Report: ‘Time to take out our swords’ – Inside Iran’s plot to attack Saudi Arabia – 11/25/2019 - Reuters U.S. Commander Warns of Iranian Attack in Middle East – 11/25/2019 – The New York Times EXCLUSIVE-U.S. defense chief calls on Turkey to stop holding up NATO readiness plan – 12/3/2019 - NASDAQ US officials said to warn of potential new Iran threat to forces, interests – 12/4/2019 – The Times of Israel IDF commander warns: Israel racing to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated enemies – 12/4/2019 – World Israel News North Korea warns United States of an unwelcome ‘Christmas gift’ – 12/4/2019 – The Washington Post Hope Fading for Diplomatic Breakthrough to Denuclearize N. Korea – 12/4/2019 – Voice of America IMDO Director, IMoD: Iranian Presence in Region and Precision Munitions – Heightened Threat Level. Israel Prepares Accordingly. – 12/4/2019 – Israel Homeland Security US Intelligence Claims Iran Secretly Storing Short-Range Ballistic Missiles in Iraq – Report – 12/6/2019 - Sputnik OTHER NEWS Turkey tests Russian S-400 air defense missile system – 11/26/2019 – The Defense Post Israel taking credit for attacking Iran in Syria provoked retaliation – 11/26/2019 – The Jerusalem Post Russia Shows Off Hypersonic Nuclear Missile to U.S. Inspectors – 11/26/2019 – The Moscow Times Mysterious Airspace Violation That Triggered D.C. Lockdowns Highlights Air Defense Challenges – 11/27/2019 – The Drive China’s top diplomat Wang Yi says unilateralism, bullying ‘biggest threat’ to global stability – 12/4/2019 – South China Morning Post South Korea, China Agree to Step Up Exchanges to Re-Set Ties After Missile Defense Row – 12/4/2019 – The New York Times Israel Asks Trump To Withhold TOWs, Drones From Lebanese Military Aid – 12/4/2019 – Breaking Defense London Declaration (3-4 Dec. 2019) – 12/4/2019 – France Diplomatie Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs IDF tests new rocket propulsion system – 12/6/2019 – The Jerusalem Post New Russia-Turkey S-400 Missile Deal in the Works, Interfax Says – 12/6/2019 – Voice of America  Raytheon Wins $29M Repair Deal to Aid Standard Missile System – 12/6/2019 - Nasdaq Stay Connected: ‌ ‌ ‌ 515 King Street, Suite 330, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!