As we begin the year of 2024 and look back on achievements and developments involving missile defense in 2023, we want to highlight the significant collaboration and team building we were a part of with the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC) in Hawaii at the end of 2023.

Last month, from December 4th to 8th, 2023, the 94th organized the 3rd Multilateral Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Summit at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. Attended by General officers and senior military leaders across Services from the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand, the summit addressed IAMD challenges and opportunities in the Indo-Pacific region. 

On December 7th, 82 years ago, the United States was attacked in Hawaii and Guam by Japan that brought the United States into World War II. The direct consequences of not having air defense has partial responsibility for this significant defeat. Legacy of its Coastal Artillery Command of Hawaii and its inability to conduct its mission on that fateful day is at the core of the 94th Army’s Air and Missile Defense Command’s commitment of never letting this happen again. 

The symbolism of hosting this conference on December 7th reflects an understanding that not having sufficient readiness or capacity or capability in place in Hawaii or Guam contributed to the initial failures in World War in the Indo-Pacific. Without sufficient capability in place today we risk being unprepared and vulnerable to an attack of a potential start of World War III in the near future. 

We look at those historical events and the people, such as 97th Coast Artillery (AA) 1st Lt William Sylvester, killed in a car while driving through Hickam Field racing to get his guns in place as a Japanese Zero strafed the runway. That happened in Hawaii and we honored it, recognized we had empathy together with our allies on it, specifically Japan on Pearl Harbor day the 7th of December to acknowledge our allies in the Pacific region to come together and integrate on this most important mission of missile defense from all threats in the Indo-Pacific, specifically China, Russia, and North Korea. 

Our vision from this historical memorial event and its ramifications are: 

1. Coalition of the Willing Nations to integrate their IAMD Force together in the Pacific. 
2. Develop common systems – sensors and effectors – and integrate with open architecture amongst our allies. 
3. Develop opportunities to conduct much more relevant and combined annual IAMD exercises and live fires – starting in Guam in 2025 with our Allies to increase readiness and preparedness on IAMD improving the island’s IAMD with Hub and Spokes.
4. Putting real capability on Guam including A3/4 radars, Patriot launchers, LTAMS, THAAD, Link 16, AEGIS VLS, IFPIC and our Pacific Allies with their Aegis BMD IAMD Ships, their NASAM systems, their Over Horizon Radar Capabilities and future developing capabilities to defend Guam as a hub with spokes into the first and second island chain.

In the first days of 2024 we have seen cooperation with a coalition of the willing producing winning that can lead to major investments in common systems. NATO Allies’ $5.5 billion investment announced on January 3rd 2024 in up to 1,000 new Patriot air defense missiles shows the vision and importance of modern integrated missile defense systems and common systems. 

We look forward to 2024 encouraging our Indo-Pacific Allies, our European Allies and Partners, our Middle East Allies to commit to real movement and real actions for the deployment of Integrated Air and Missile Defense making our World a Safer Place.