During the first week of December, the MDAA Team had the honor of participating in the Multilateral Integrated Air and Missile Defense Summit and Senior International Leader Event – Pacific 2024 (MISSILE-PAC 24) led by BG Pat Costello 94th AAMDC Commander. Recognizing the importance of Missile Defense to our U.S. Allies and Partners across the Indo-Pacific, the venue was hosted by the 94th AAMDC at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam and coinciding with the anniversary of Pearl Harbor and the birth of the Army’s 94th AAMDC for the air and missile defense of US Forces in the Pacific. On December 3rd, MDAA was asked to provide an innovative demonstration of a combat proven Ukrainian acoustic sensor system with an open architecture and fused data sharing network through the Space Force Universal Data Library (UDL) and Joint Fires Network (JFN). On December 4, MDAA presented the history, concept, evolution and results of this combat-proven and U.S. tested capability demonstration. Presenting for MDAA was Dr. Alexey Boyarsky, Mr. JD Gainey and myself.
Recognizing the growing threats and proliferation of Nuclear Missile capabilities by China, Russia, and North Korea across the Indo-Pacific, there is a growing sense of urgency to advance U.S. capabilities and capacities for Missile Defense. To counter the sophisticated Missile and Drone threats in the Indo-Pacific, the MISSILE-PAC 24 brought together 253 participants from 12 nations to include France, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Australia, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This was an historic first for some of these nations and a tremendous surge of interest as the previous year’s participants numbered less than 75 attendees. INDOPACOM remains at the forefront of developing and integrating sophisticated Missile Defense Campaign Designs. It is the largest and oldest Combatant Command, and it has guaranteed the peace and stability for almost 80 years while confronting the malign threats of China, Russia, and North Korea.
The relevance and critical core essence of an Allied/Partner Pacific Missile Defense team is to gain a decisive strategic competitive advantage in the Pacific on integrated Air and Missile Defense that shares comprehensively the requisite data from sensors and effectors to shorten the defensive kill-chain. Investing in Trust making, Relationship building, Team making to have integration with allies and partners for agile procurement, kill web technologies and reliable supply chain networks to rapidly produce and deploy missile defense capabilities in mass is the vision and the reality of a Peaceful Pacific. Specifically, having Combined and Joint requirements for rapid adaptation, forward deployment, and innovation of Cheap, Attributable, Distributable missile and drone defense sensor and shooter capabilities to face the evolving existing, growing overmatch of missile and drone threats from China, Russia and North Korea in the Pacific is a mandate for global stability and world order.
Due to the vastness of the Indo-Pacific, having Combined, Joint persistent overhead sensor capabilities with open data sharing through and from the Space Domain is essential to sustained stability and peace. Additionally, the United States and its Pacific allies and partners must strengthen their collective operational alignments to play effectively as a team through open architecture systems and Joint exercises. To leverage Hawaii’s unique strategic position in the Indo-Pacific, MDAA has partnered with the University of Hawaii’s unmatched Space Programs through ARTEMIS. The ARTEMIS program is a 9-month executive training initiative focusing on the development, utilization and policy implications of satellite sensor technology for Earth observation. The curriculum is designed for professionals aiming to lead and innovate in the field of space operations and technology. The program offers modules on satellite sensor development and utilization, space energy, dual-use technology exploration, and the integration of policy and engineering for space operations. It is poised to advance workforce development for space operations through a rigorous, application-oriented curriculum.
The program name ARTEMIS – Advanced Reconnaissance and Tracking for Environmental Monitoring and Indo-Pacific Security. Artemis is the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt, symbolizing vigilance and protection which is an appropriate name for this program. ARTEMIS aligns with a recently signed MOU between the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UHM) and the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA). Statements from both the Provost of UHM (Michael Bruno) and the Chairman and Founder of MDAA (Riki Ellison), which provide the context for which ARTEMIS is being developed, can be found here: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2024/01/16/space-science-initiative-mou/
Purpose: Illuminate the importance of the Indo-Pacific region and Hawaii’s critical role and consequential contributions to National Security. Showcase the State of Hawaii as an emerging market for Space activities and STEM programs through ARTEMIS.
Objective: Identify the emerging strategic challenges and opportunities across the ARTEMIS construct as it relates to the National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy. Inform and generate ideas to define the 2025 CAPSTONE Projects.
From Hawaii to California and on to Arizona, MDAA is combining Executive Education, Science, and Technology to advance America’s relative-competitive advantages for Missile Defense. It is now two weeks later from this catalyst event in Hawaii and we stand beside the memorial of the USS Arizona at the University of Arizona in Tucson reflecting and empowering new motivations for America’s Missile Defense. The loss of the USS Arizona and many American Lives stands as the iconic symbol of Pearl Harbor and as a symbolic warning for what could happen with lack of integrated air and missile defense. We have absorbed and strengthened from the team trust and team building of the success in Hawaii to now the defense of the United States Homeland here in Arizona and on our national borders. Our University of Arizona AETOS is empowered.
