THIS WEEK IN MISSILE DEFENSE

December 14 - December 23, 2019

THE WEEK IN BRIEF

Click Here to Watch This Week in Missile Defense Video

On Monday, December 16th, it was reported Russia had conducted a test fire drill of a new Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile at the Kapustin Yar testing range. Russia’s Defense Ministry stated the missile hit the designated target and the crew practiced relocating to a new position as quickly as possible after the launch.

On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated his country was testing new advanced uranium enrichment IR-9 centrifuges. The centrifuges can be used to enrich mined uranium 50 times faster than IR-1 centrifuges which iran was limited to under the JCPOA.

On Friday, President Trump signed both the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2020 passed earlier in the week by the House and Senate. The laws provide $10.4 billion in funding to the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and directs MDA to be in charge of developing defenses against hypersonic weapons. This includes the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) and accelerates the development of systems to intercept hypersonic weapons. The NDAA also established the Space Force as the sixth military branch of the U.S. military.

On Saturday, it was reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un presided over a meeting of the Workers’ Party’s Central Military Commission to discuss steps “to bolster up the overall armed forces of the country… militarily and politically.” This comes as negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea continue to remain stalled. North Korea has promised the U.S. a “Christmas gift” if there was no progress made to lift sanctions on the country. Speculations of North Korea’s “gift” have ranged from a public announcement ending the self-imposed moratorium on long-range missile tests to the test of a new or improved version of the North’s existing ICBMs.

Click here to read all of the headlines from the week.

MDAA ALERTS

At the Forefront of the Next Decade

On December 23, 1969, the United States Navy started the development of the Aegis combat system to be the brain of its future ships and which would later become what is the world’s greatest platform for 360 degree integrated air and missile defense.

Click here to read more.

Unified in Defense

Through the turmoil of partisan politics, a unifying $738 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2020 has been delivered to the United States President from the House and Senate, expected to be signed this evening, is a testament to the importance and value of the Department of Defense.

Click here to read more.

RECENT MDAA EVENT

2019 New Jersey Reception of Champions

Click here to learn more about the event and read a transcript of Riki Ellison's remarks.

MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES

Hwasong-15/KN-22

On November 29, 2017 around 3:00am Pyongyang Time, North Korea test fired a ballistic missile from the Sain-ni area. This test came after a two-month lull in North Korean missile tests. The test was a milestone as it marked the longest flight of a North Korean ICBM and theoretically...

Learn more about the Hwasong-15

Hypersonic Weapon Basics

Hypersonic weapons incorporate the speed of a ballistic missile with the maneuvering capabilities of a cruise missile. Hypersonic weapons refer to weapons that travel faster than Mach 5 (~3,800mph) and have the capability to maneuver during the entire flight.

Learn more about hypersonic weapons.

Kh-47M2 Kinzhal ("Dagger")

On March 1, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin debuted the Kh-47M2 as one of the six new Russian strategic weapons. Just over a week later, the Russian Aerospace Forces conducted the first successful test firing of the air-launched Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

Learn more about the Kinzhal.

MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Captain Jason Laboy

Capt Laboy is the Deputy Chief of Standardization and Evaluations Division at the 460th Operations Group at Buckley AFB, Colorado. He is a certified combat mission ready crew commander, instructor, and evaluator. Capt Laboy leads a 13-person unit which plans and organizes standardization and evaluation of over 300 SBIRS operators. He is the key technical advisor to Wing and Group leadership on mission readiness and warfighting capabilities on all matters pertaining to the operation and employment of SBIRS. He led the evaluations team during a 72-hour scenario to assess the crew readiness of over 230 military and allied mission combat ready operators, validating more than 140 mission tasks and 3,000 training hours. Capt Laboy directed the update of over 30 mission procedures and the re-write of a 95-step checklist which made possible the operations transfer of the SBIRS satellite constellation with no mission degradation. Capt Laboy served as Wing Executive Officer while deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. He provided 24/7 support to the Wing Commander on the wing’s execution of operations in support of coalition forces in Afghanistan during Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and NATO’s Resolute Support Campaign Mission. He facilitated the Commander’s intent, which allowed the wing to overcome 59 indirect fire attacks and enable 6,052 combat sorties, resulting in 1,287 enemies killed in action. Capt Laboy entered the Air Force in 2010 after earning his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and commission via the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Puerto Rico. He was assigned to the 320th Missile Squadron, F.E. Warren AFB, Wyoming, where he served as an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Crew Commander and Assistant Flight Commander. He was later assigned to the 2nd SWS at Buckley AFB, Colorado, where he served as Flight Commander in charge of a 42 active duty, reserve, and multinational military personnel executing more than 1,500 infrared events and enabling more than 752 hours of perfect missile warning operations. Capt Laboy was hand-picked to support exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian at Osan AB, South Korea, where he was the OIC of the Combat Operations Division for Space at the Korean Air and Space Operations Center.