In the midst of one of the largest Russian missile barrages into Ukraine and a year after the war, MDAA co-hosted with the Netherlands high-level talks on integrated air missile defense with senior leaders and decision makers from multiple nations and NATO. Included in the barrage was the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, one of three types of hypersonic missiles in their arsenal. The three types of hypersonics include the MRBM Kinzhal, the ICBM SS-19, and the SLCM Zircon. With the destruction and atrocities of over 300,000 casualties in the ongoing war in Ukraine, a learning opportunity to academically study and review the Russian missile threat that Ukraine has endured over the past year was presented. The Study named ‘Putin’s War, A European Tragedy & The Strategic Impact of Air Denial’ was given by Air Commodore Dr. Frans Osinga of Leiden University. Dr. Osinga used the air war over Ukraine as a case study for how to counter the Russian threat through air denial.

Dr. Osinga argued that air and missile defense capabilities are critical to deter any Russian aggression toward NATO. To this end, he outlined three ways NATO can improve its air denial mission. First, we must invest in conventional deterrence-by-denial capabilities. Second, we must address critical capability shortfalls in A2/AD, specifically stand-off munitions, SEAD/DEAD, enhanced GBAD, TBMD, and counter-drone capabilities, electronic warfare, C4ISR, and to bring 5th generation combat aircraft online. Finally, NATO must exploit the West’s asymmetric edge to avoid attritional confrontation in the sea and in the air.

Click here to read Dr. Osigna’s powerpoint as was presented to the ‘High Level’ talks on February 10