Missile Defense Agency celebrates opening of Von Braun III building on Redstone Arsenal

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama — Lt. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly said it’s appropriate that the Missile Defense Agency’s new six-story office center on Redstone Arsenal is part of a complex named for Dr. Wernher von Braun, whose team based in Huntsville put the nation’s first satellite and astronaut in orbit and the first men on the moon.

El Paso Native Selected for Promotion to Major General

An El Paso native whose Army career is opening doors for women in the service has been nominated for promotion to major general, the Defense Department announced on Wednesday.

Tobyhanna Strong On Radar Support

In the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, a large, white radome dominates the high ground at Tobyhanna Army Depot symbolizing the growing number of radars and sensors that depot personnel maintain for the military.

Luis Velez, left, and John Radzikowski set up a Lightweight Counter Mortar Radar system for rotation testing in an anechoic test chamber. Tobyhanna Army Depot employees conduct full organic repair on the entire AN/TPQ-48 LCMR system.

Radars at Tobyhanna run the gamut from Air Defense, Air Traffic Control, Ground Surveillance, Airborne, Shipborne, Range Threat systems and critical Counter Fire systems, supporting the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy.

Taiwan Develops Advanced Missiles

Taiwan's Hsiung Feng III missile displayed during Taiwan's national day parade in Taipei. Taiwan rolled out its top military weaponry with the aim of stirring China and boosting nationalist fervor

This year Taiwan started to deploy supersonic anti-ship missiles in response to China’s growing naval arsenal. Those third generation Hsiung Feng missiles that are now positioned on some 20 ships point to a strengthening in Taiwan’s normally low-key domestic missile production. But its military might is growing at a time when relations with Beijing are better than ever.

U.S. Navy Conducts Integration Flight Tests of ATK’s Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile

The AARGM weapon is a medium range, supersonic, air-launched tactical missile compatible with U.S. and Allied F/A-18, EA-6B, F-16 CJ/MJU and Tornado IDS/ECR aircraft.

ATK’s (NYSE: ATK) Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) recently completed an initial flight integration test on the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft in May and has completed multiple flight hours of integration testing on FA-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft. This series of successful captive-carry tests is part of the process to validate the compatibility of AARGM with these platforms and to pave the way for all U.S. Navy strike aircraft to leverage AARGM’s defense suppression capability. With continued successful flight performance, AARGM is expected to complete the Navy’s Operational Test Readiness Review and transition into initial operational test and evaluation later this year.

Navy Radar Efforts Solidify BMD Commitment

Contractors vying for the U.S. Navy’s proposed Air and Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) say they can deliver the system for much less than the government’s cost estimate because of their extensive experience building similar radar programs in recent years.

Poland, U.S. Strike Deal On Air Force Deployment

Lee Feinstein, Hillary Clinton, Jacek Najder, and Radoslaw Sikorski at the signing of a new missile defense system agreement

Poland has signed a deal with the United States on the deployment from 2013 of aircraft and training staff to help bolster the EU nation’s military capacity, Poland’s defence minister said Monday.

Washington Times Opinion Column Discusses US Options in Dealing with Iran

Iran’s rapacious quest for nuclear weapons is more than a mere dilemma. If the Islamists in Tehran are successful, the balance of power in the world’s most productive oil region will change – and not to the benefit of the West.

The U.S.-Russia Missile Defense Impasse

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Obama met privately before the G8 meeting in Deauville, France, and discussed the longstanding dispute between the two countries over missile defense, says CFR Russia expert Stephen Sestanovich.

Politico Opinion Piece – Spelling Pentagon waste: MEADS

The following is  a re-post of an opinion piece by Tom Schatz from Citizens Against Government Waste. It is not meant to be a representation of MDAA’s opinion, but is merely part of the entire missile defense picture.

Republicans campaigned in 2010 to reduce the deficit by cutting spending. They promised to cut $100 billion in non-defense discretionary spending in the first fiscal year.

But defense covers nearly two-thirds of all discretionary spending. While the Republicans’ initial plan excluded defense, the fiscal year 2012 budget approved by the House in April agreed with Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ plan to locate $178 billion in savings through fiscal year 2016; $100 billion would be reinvested in defense and $78 billion cut outright.