MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS

November 1 - November 7, 2022

THE WEEK IN BRIEF

On Tuesday, November 1, Iran is planning to send more than 200 additional combat drones to Russia via the Caspian Sea, according to the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence directorate (GUR). Those shipments will be followed “in a few weeks” by the delivery from Iran to Russia of short-range ballistic missiles (SRBM) via direct flights to Russia and over the Caspian, a source in Ukrainian intelligence told The War Zone.

On Tuesday, November 2, Air raid sirens sounded on a South Korean island and residents evacuated to underground shelters after North Korea fired more than 20 missiles, at least one of them in its direction and landing near the rivals’ tense sea border. South Korea quickly responded by launching its own missiles in the same border area. The launches came hours after North Korea threatened to use nuclear weapons to get the U.S. and South Korea to “pay the most horrible price in history” in protest of ongoing South Korean-U.S. military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. The White House maintained that the United States has no hostile intent toward North Korea and vowed to work with allies to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

Also on Tuesday, China’s secretive reusable spaceplane released an object into orbit, according to tracking data from the U.S. Space Force. China carried out the second launch of its “reusable experimental spacecraft” from Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert atop a Long March 2F rocket Aug. 4.

On Thursday, November 3, North Korea fired at least six missiles into the sea, including an intercontinental ballistic missile that triggered evacuation warnings and halted trains in northern Japan, adding to a recent barrage of weapons tests that has escalated tensions in the region. The ICBM test was followed by launches of two short-range ballistic missiles in the morning, drawing swift condemnation by North Korea’s neighbors and the United States, which reacted by extending ongoing joint air force exercises with South Korea.

Click here to read all of this week's headlines.

MDAA ALERTS

Absolute Power

"Early last week in an historic power move to achieve absolute power, on full display of the world stage, to all of China, to the tributing perimeter nations, and to the Western World, Xi Jinping was elected to an unprecedented third term as General Secretary of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). General Secretary Xi Jinping, consolidated his absolute power by eliminating all dissenters to his policies..."

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.

Taiwan Incursion Updates

Track the number and type of incursions in the Taiwan Strait, the number of missiles fired, aircraft crossing the ADIZ, and daily news highlights.

Track updates on the tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK

Sergeant

Michael Dillard

Sgt Dillard is a Space and Missile Warning Technician in the Combat Operations Division, 613th Air Operations Center at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Sgt Dillard is also responsible for ensuring Space Domain Awareness, Personnel Recovery actions, and Dynamic Targeting space support within the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) area of responsibility. In this position, Sgt Dillard significantly contributed to missile defense through his superior warning of hostile engagements, innovative computing solutions, and procedural developments to tackle adversarial expansion. During this period, Sgt Dillard’s aptitude, professionalism, and dedication to the mission yielded over 1,100 hours of missile defense operations through the 24/7/365 utilization and monitoring of Processing and Display Subsystem-Migration (PDS-M). His contributions ensured Pacific Air Forces and INDOPACOM senior leaders were provided with timely missile warning and threat assessment information for 482 ballistic missile activities across the DoD’s largest area of responsibility. His actions directly contributed to the successful missile defense of 36 nations and the United States homeland. Additionally, Sgt Dillard’s excellence in missile defense drove an innovative effort to enhance communication methodologies for missile tracking. He leveraged existing communication platforms to construct a no-cost overlay that enabled more rapid, accurate, and timely tracking for ballistic missiles. By using existing communication platforms, it allowed command centers to immediately onboard this product and begin receiving critical information to compliment response option planning. This innovation will eventually be shared with the intelligence community, critical command centers, and missile defense organizations across the DoD. Finally, Sgt Dillard’s exemplary work in missile defense led to the implementation of three reporting procedures which closed a survivability gap of missile identification for next-gen adversarial missile technology. These procedural developments enhanced battlespace awareness, increased response times, and ultimately synchronized missile defense units across the INDOPACOM area of responsibility. Sgt Dillard entered the Air Force in 2016 from Biloxi, Mississippi. He completed Enlisted Undergraduate Space Training in Jan 2017 and has since held a variety of space operations positions. In his previous assignment, Sgt Dillard was a staff evaluator at Space Delta 4 responsible for standards, procedures, and evaluations for Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) operations at Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado, following his position as a Crew Chief for 2nd Space Warning Squadron in which he analyzed and reported missile warning data.

Click her e to view all the awardees from the 2022 Indo-Pacific Air & Missile Defender of the Year Award Ceremony.