DVIDS – Today, the 164th Air Defense Artillery Brigade recognized the accomplishments of 12 Soldiers graduating from the 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command’s Patriot Training Program during a ceremony at the Florida Army National Guard’s Regional Training Institute at Camp Blanding Joint Training Center.
The program, designed to teach Army National Guard air defenders how to properly integrate systems such as Patriot Surface-to-Air Missiles and THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) within their existing command, is the product of a growing challenge air defense units have faced in past years.
Due to a major increase in threats, the air defense artillery community has faced an uptick in mobilizations and missions. International crises have demanded the expedited and unplanned mobilizations of assets such as THAAD and Patriot weapon platforms, designed to intercept and destroy enemy ballistic missiles. The need to quickly integrate these systems into existing commands have proven to be one of the major challenges to Army National Guard air defense artillery brigades, spurring the creation of the Patriot Training Program.
“This program is designed to fill a capability void for National Guard air defense brigades, giving them Patriot and THAAD experience, which we had previously lacked,” said Maj. Gen. Timothy Sheriff, Commander of the 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Command. “Air Defense is one of the top modernization priorities of the Army. As we move toward multi-domain operations, we’re required to enhance our capabilities and look at new ways to defend the force.”
