Dear Members and Friends,
A missile defense system, regardless of how advanced it is technologically, is only as effective as the men and women that operate it. It is these members of our Armed Forces across our four Services to whom we owe our recognition and support for their defense of our nation, our troops forward and our allies in 2014.
It was in this spirit that MDAA held its 2014 U.S. “Missile Defender of the Year” Awards on January 9 in Alexandria, Virginia, honoring the very best Missile Defender from the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. National Guard for 2014. These four individuals were chosen by their peers and commanders of their service branch for demonstrating excellence in their skills, commitment and leadership.
LTG Michael Dubie, Deputy Commander of the USNORTHCOM and NORAD presented the award for best 2014 U.S. National Guard Missile Defender to SSG Norman Perkins III. SSG Perkins is stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. He played an integral role in the successful test of the CE-II Ground Based Interceptor on June 22 in the defense of the U.S. homeland. Within his unit, SSG Perkins executes a variety of roles with skill and leadership, including as the Command Launch Equipment Operator, ADMIN and Training NCO, and Family Readiness Group Leader.
The award for the 2014 Missile Defender from the U.S. Air Force was presented by U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Missions Lt Gen Judy Fedder to Lt Col Jerry Frazier. Lt Col Frazier is stationed at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. He is a true leader in increasing allied missile defense capacity and capability, leading the joint forces interoperability engagements with the Gulf Cooperation Council. In 2014, he oversaw 62 engagements aimed at building relationships within the GCC on Integrated Air and Missile Defense.
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, LTG David Mann presented the award for the 2014 Missile Defender of the Year from the U.S. Army to SSG MichaelSean McSherry. SSG McSherry is currently deployed to the Arabian Gulf Region, where he and his soldiers operate a Patriot PAC-3 Battery. He recently contributed to an international live-fire exercise with the United Arab Emirates, and played a key role in the success of that operation. SSG McSherry said that he was selected not for his own actions, but for the accomplishments of the men and women under his command. In addition to being one of the finest Patriot units in the U.S. Army, under SSG McSherry’s leadership, they have completed over 70 college credit hours while on deployment, and have saved over $100,000 for their futures.
The Vice Chief of Naval Operations, ADM Michelle Howard presented the award for the best U.S. Navy 2014 Missile Defender of the Year to Fire Controlman Second Class Petty Officer Bartholomew Ringer. FC2 Ringer operates the SPY-1 Radar onboard the USS Donald Cook (DDG-67), the first of four Aegis BMD Destroyers deployed to the Mediterranean as part of President Obama’s European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA). He was responsible for the technical planning and execution of the first successful completion of the DOD’s testing requirements during the Atlantic Darts live tracking exercise. He also played a critical role in preparing the USS Donald Cook for the first ballistic missile defense patrol in the Mediterranean Sea as part of the EPAA.
MDAA would like to to thank the extraordinary group of leaders who gave honor to the four 2014 Missile Defense Defenders of the Year with their attendance at the MDAA 2014 Missile Defender of the Year Awards:
ADM Michelle Howard, Vice Chief of Naval Operations
*
LTG David Mann, Commander, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command
*
Lt Gen Michael Dubie, Deputy Commander U.S. Northern Command and Vice Commander, U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Command
*
Lt Gen Judith Fedder, Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Installations and Mission Support, Headquarters U.S. Air Force
*
VADM Thomas Rowden, Commander, Naval Surface Forces
*
Lt Gen Tod Wolters, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans, and Requirements, Headquarters USAF
*
Brig Gen Kenneth Todorov, Deputy Director, Missile Defense Agency
*
Brig Gen John Quintas, Commander, 380th Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia
*
BG Christopher Spillman, Commandant, Air Defense Artillery School
*
RADM James Kilby, Commander, Naval Surface War fighting Development Center
*
BG Daniel Karbler, Director, Joint and Integration Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, G-8
*
RADM Jesse Wilson, Director, Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Organization
The four winners, SSG Norm Perkins, Lt Col Jerry Frazier, SSG MichaelSean McSherry, and FC2 Bartholomew Ringer are the World Champions for 2014 for Integrated Air and Missile Defense. They are the best of the best.
