Huntsville Update
Written by Jennifer Devlin, MSMF Huntsville Staff Writer
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) hosted an Industry Days Conference in Huntsville featuring general sessions and one-on-one meetings, and covering a variety of subjects vital to the missile defense community.
GENERAL SESSIONS
Two key sessions were those led by U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Gary Connor, deputy program manager, Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS), Missile Defense Agency, and Lieutenant General Patrick O’Reilly, director, MDA.
Other general sessions focused on: BMDS; the Space Tracking and Surveillance System; Terminal High Altitude Area Defense; Command, Control, Battle Management and Communications; Ground-based Midcourse Defense; BMDS Sensors, targets and countermeasures; agency operations; advanced technology; Airborne Laser (ABL); Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense; and test, engineering and acquisition. All discussion about MDA’s Engineering and Support Services (MiDAESS) program was prohibited.
BUDGET DIALOGUE CONTINUES
O’Reilly and Connor both stressed the importance of maintaining a high standard of excellence regardless of budget challenges. Connor mentioned that the command will increase the size and qualifications of MDA’s government work force and its efficiency of operations. “Focusing on integration is the key to our success,” stressed Connor in his opening remarks. He asked the crowd and the industry to help MDA integrate sensors, command and control, and shooters in order to support those defending us abroad.
Both speakers responded to the budget crisis with a focus on enhancing protection while maintaining mid-course capability and balancing mid-course R&D with early intercept R&D. Enhancing protection will include more THAAD and SM-3 interceptors, and the conversion of six additional Aegis ships. Maintaining mid-course capability will be implemented through a focus on procuring, backfilling and refurbishing ground-based interceptors. Balancing mid-course and early intercept R&D will mean the termination of the Multiple Kill Vehicle and the Kinetic Energy Interceptor programs, as well as leveraging emerging early interceptor technology to hedge against growth, and canceling ABL Tail #2 and focusing the program on R&D.
COMMAND GROWTH
O’Reilly acknowledged that “the threat grew slower than anticipated, but it is on a deliberate march forward. We also predicted our capability would grow faster than it has.” He explained that quality control is the command’s number-one impediment, and the number-one risk to the command’s growth is systems capabilities and configuration growth. He will focus the command’s energy into interoperability instead of buying new systems, and developing architecture that will provide greater effectiveness and capability.
Political Support in Budget Crisis
U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith (D-Ala.) (right) continues to support the missile defense community, vowing to keep pursuing solutions to the current budget decisions.
Griffith met with representatives from Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing and Teledyne Brown in early June to develop a strategy to fight budget cuts. He also met with leaders from the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C., and with DIA Director Lieutenant General Ronald Burgess Jr. (left) In this meeting with Burgess, Griffith stressed the importance of Huntsville’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC), emphasizing the role MSIC plays in Huntsville and in the country’s missile defense system, stating, “I and the entire Alabama delegation is committed to supporting their mission and ensuring they remain in Huntsville.”
Griffith also conveyed that “missile defense is one of my top priorities because it affects so many aspects of life in North Alabama. From job security to national security, the Tennessee Valley’s quality of life depends on the success of our missile defense program.” ♦