April 9, 2022 [link removed] copy and paste this link to read the alert on MDAA's website. Follow and Support MDAA ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ MDAA Alert: The 2022 Indo-Pacific Missile Defenders of the Year August 5, 2022 The 2022 Indo-Pacific Missile Defender of the Year Awardees and presenters with Riki Ellison at the ceremony held in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 5, 2022. Dear members and friends, In the midst of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, the Chinese reaction of enveloping military exercises surrounding Taiwan over the past week and RIMPAC, recognition of the Indo Pacom Air and Missile Defense team was prioritized and made prominent. The Commander of INDOPACOM, Admiral John Aquilino, his Component Command Flag Officers and Australia recognized the 2022 Indo-Pacific Air & Missile Defenders of the Year in the center of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii. ​ The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance hosted the 2022 Indo-Pacific Air & Missile Defender of the Year Award Ceremony in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Friday, August 5, 2022. The event honored Air and Missile Defenders from the U.S. Army Pacific, U.S. Pacific Fleet, U.S. Pacific Air Forces, the U.S. Space Force, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and the Australian Defence Force. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Guardians demonstrated outstanding leadership excellence in air and missile defense in 2022 and directly contributed to the security of the United States homeland and our Allies and Partners in the Indo-Pacific. Attending the ceremony to recognize the champions of the Indo Pacific included Admiral John Aquilino, Commander of U.S. INDOPACOM; Lieutenant General James Jacobson, Deputy Commander of Pacific Air Forces; Major General Jamie Jarrard, Deputy Commander of U.S. Army Pacific; Major General Brian Gibson, Commander of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command; Major General Chris Smith, Deputy Commanding General (Australia) of U.S. Army Pacific; Brigadier General Christopher Niemi, Director of Strategy, Plans, Programs, and Requirements of Pacific Air Forces; Rear Admiral Daniel Martin, Director of Maritime Operations, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Brigadier General Duke Ota, Assistant Adjutant General - Air, Headquarters Hawaii Air National Guard; Colonel Masahiro Okumura - Koku-Jieitai (JASDF) Liaison Officer to PACAF A5I; Lieutenant Colonel Koji Yanazume - Liaison Officer to 94th AAMDC; President David Lassner, University of Hawaii. “It is about your leadership, your commitment to the Pacific. Because this is where it's at. Every major nation is in the Pacific. What happens here leads the world.” “I’ve been in missile defense for 40 years, this is the tipping point. This is not North Korea or Iran, this is a game on. You got to play. So, I'm grateful for each one of you that are making these decisions of courage to make our country great, to make our world great, and to fight for the freedoms that we have all had. So what a night, I appreciate every one of you. Thank you for your leadership and your commitment.” Riki Ellison at the 2022 Indo-Pacific Air & Missile Defender of the Year Ceremony in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 5th, 2022 This event marks the 33rd MDAA Missile Defender of the Year Award Ceremony on the Pacific rim, recognizing 580 awardees. In the Pacific, we have hosted seven missile defenders of the year ceremonies in Okinawa, seven in Alaska, six in Guam, five in South Korea, three in the Indo-Pacific event, and two in Japan. The 2022 Indo-Pacific Air & Missile Defender of the Year Awardees U.S. Army Pacific Awardee Lieutenant Colonel John Trahan 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii *** U.S. Pacific Fleet Awardee Lieutenant Daniel Gerew USS O'Kane (DDG 77) Naval Base San Diego, California *** U.S. Pacific Air Forces Awardee Airmen First Class Jovanna Hernandez 613th Air Operations Center Defense Team Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii *** Staff Sergeant Bonnie Bagnaro 613th Air Operations Center Defense Team Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii *** Staff Sergeant Courtney Meek 613th Air Operations Center Defense Team Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii *** Master Sergeant Saundra Collins 613th Air Operations Center Defense Team Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii *** Master Sergeant Brendan Villa-Hashimoto 613th Air Operations Center Defense Team Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii *** Major Marconi Cabatbat 613th Air Operations Center Defense Team Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii *** Lieutenant Colonel Lewis Collins 613th Air Operations Center Defense Team Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii *** U.S. Space Force Awardee Sergeant Michael Dillard Jr. 613th Air Operations Center (AOC) Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii *** Australian Defence Force Awardee Major Andrew Evans 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii *** INDOPACOM Career Achievement Awardee Rear Admiral Benjamin Nicholson U.S. Indo-Pacific Command *** Respectfully, ‌ Riki Ellison Chairman and Founder Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance Click Here to Join MDAA _____________________________________________________________________ MDAA is a non-profit, non-partisan tax-exempt 501(c) (4) organization. Our mission is to make the world safer by advocating for the development and deployment of missile defense systems to defend the United States and its allies against missile threats. We are a membership-funded organization that does not advocate on behalf of any specific system, technology, architecture or entity. Founded in 2002, MDAA is the only organization in existence whose primary mission is to recruit, organize, and mobilize proponents to advocate for the critical need of missile defense. Visit our website www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org for more information. Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance 515 King Street, Suite 330 Alexandria, VA 22314 Phone: (703) 299-0060 Email: [email protected] Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance | 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!