Last Wednesday, on a sunny morning, the 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command (AAMDC) HQ Battery gathered on the training grounds where century-old pines meet the rolling Pfalz. These American Soldiers of the Army Air Defense Artillery Branch, with the mission of Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD), stand on European soil with an unbreakable commitment kept for over a century by the United States Army Europe to preserve peace, stability, and freedom for Europe.  

As U.S. Army Europe’s theater missile‑defense headquarters, the 10th AAMDC leads to further empower NATO IAMD nations through its current PATRIOT and SHORAD batteries and its expertise in planning, operations, and leadership. The 10th AAMDC is commanded by Brigadier General Curtis King and overseen by the United States Air Force Europe, integrating into a continent‑wide defense. The 10th AAMDC planners integrate sensors, interceptors, and data collection to best provide the United States Forces in Europe and NATO defense against Air and Missile Threats. Live‑fire rotations in Poland and rapid deployment demonstrations across Eastern Europe validate the formation’s readiness to defend critical assets and preserve freedom of maneuver for the U.S. Army Europe.  

It is without a doubt, a remarkable and challenging mission that is compounded with the lack of capacity of Missile and Drone Defense systems. It comes down to the grit, commitment, ingenuity, and phenomenal leadership of these American soldiers and officers to do the best with what missile and drone defense capacity they are given, using their leadership, trust, and relationships jointly and with the NATO Allies in IAMD to make the European Theater a safer place.  

Carrying forward the historic legacy of Allied unity, these Soldiers stand shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, heart to heart with NATO partners in Poland, Germany, the Baltics, the Netherlands, Romania, Nordic Nations and other NATO nations —manning PATRIOT batteries, mastering SHORAD systems, learning the combat air, missile, drone defense lessons from Ukraine, to best lead Europe and NATO in integrated air and missile defense 

The 10th AAMDC is a World-Champion Culture on Europe’s front line for Air and Missile Defense.  

This marks our 48th Champion event in MDAA history. Now at a total of 532 Champions, the six exemplary World Champion awardees we recognized from the 10th AAMDC in the field in Germany are: 

Sergeant, Fields, Tyler 

Sergeant, Larry, Devonte 

Specialist, Sarfo, Samuel 

Specialist, Meno, Alec 

Specialist, Cortes, Christopher 

Specialist, Carney, Joaquin  

Hooah!