In the midst of President Putin showing videos of dropping nuclear missiles on the United States, following the leadership of the Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un as the only other leader in the world to animate nuclear attack on the United States in video bullying, MDAA was in Europe with visits to U.S. Army Europe in Wiesbaden, U.S. Air Forces in Europe in Ramstein, and European Command in Stuttgart, Germany addressing the egregious capability and capacity gap in missile defense for the defense of NATO and U.S. forces in Europe.

With demonstrated Russian aggression in the Ukraine, increasing Russian military capability in Anti-Access and Area Denial (A2/AD) over European airspace, and in a national presentation by President Putin showing new missile capabilities to defeat a NATO member, the United States who contributes 26% – the most by 12% of any NATO member to the annual budget of 29 counties that belong to NATO, Russia is a clear and present missile threat to NATO.

Deterrence, stability, and reassurance to NATO to negate intimidation, threats, and bullying by Russian missiles requires integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) capability that is planned, exercised, deployed in the front with the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence and U.S. Combat Brigade Teams, in the reinforcements of the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF),  U.S. Corps, and in the rear of logistics hubs and air bases. The fiscal irresponsibility of the European Union and NATO nations of tremendous amounts of resources in military personnel and investments which are designed to defend their borders and battle Russia or any outside nation, should Article 5 be invoked, are not able to defend themselves against ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missile, and drone swarm threats from Russia that it has demonstrated and shown.

NATO and the United States have divested in missile defense capacity, capability, training, and exercises in Europe against Russia since the Cold War ended in 1989. NATO however, has recognized Iran in 2010 as a missile threat to Europe and proceeded with the United States to put forth well over $10 billion of capability and capacity to defend NATO Europe from Iranian ballistic missiles with the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA).

NATO, it’s willing nations that border or are in close proximity to Russia and the United States Forces in Europe must readdress, reinvest, recommit, plan, exercise and train it’s air and missile defense capacity and capability.

Four crucial steps forward would then to be implemented:

• An overall master Integrated Air and Missile Defense cross-domain plan, inclusive of NATO Allied Nations of the willing and U.S. forces in Europe to define what is required.
• An annual overall master Integrated Air and Missile Defender cross domain exercise to prove out the master plan, and to train competency, reliability, and confidence in operations.
• Establishment of a NATO Center of Excellence school in Integrated Air and Missile Defense cross domain in Europe.
• NATO member nations of the willing to take ownership of the mission and invest in air and missile defense capabilities and building capacity in their efforts of attaining the NATO intent of 2% of their GDP into their defense budgets.

It was peace through strength that broke the Soviet Union without going to war and its peace through strength today to deter Russia from aggression towards NATO.

We must have the collective courage to lead, increase our strength to maintain peace in defiance of Russian bullying and aggression.

Peace through Missile Defense