United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command

Space and Missile Defense Command
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia
Active 1 October 1997 – present
Country  United States
Branch United States Army
Part of United States Strategic Command
Headquarteres Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, U.S.
Website www.army.mil/info/organization/unitsandcommands/commandstructure/smdc/
Commanders
Current
commander		 Lieutenant General James H. Dickinson
Insignia
Distinctive Unit Insignia

The United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) of the United States Army. The command was established in 1997.

The Army Space Command (ARSPACE) stood up in April 1988 as a field operating agency of the Deputy Chief of Staff (of the Army) for Operations and Plans.[1] As the Army component of U.S. Space Command, ARSPACE was to provide the Army perspective in planning for Department of Defense space support and ensure the integration of Army requirements into joint planning for space support and "conduct planning for DoD space operations in support of Army strategic, operational and tactical missions."

A relatively small organization, it was soon put to the test. The new command was instrumental in bringing space assets to U.S. Army forces during Operation Desert Storm. Following the war, new operational missions, such as the Army Space Support Teams and the Joint Tactical Ground Stations, became key elements of the Army space program.

Organizationally however, ARSPACE remained a command, a Tables of Distribution and Allowances, or TDA, organization with offices and directorates according to mission, rather than an Army operational Table of Organization and Equipment unit. This changed on 1 May 1995. On that date, ARSPACE's Military Satellite Communications Directorate or MILSATCOM Directorate became the 1st Satellite Control, or SATCON, Battalion—the first Army battalion with an operational mission tied to space systems and capabilities.

Structure

The SMDC is an organization composed of several components:

The 1st Space Brigade (Provisional) was activated in May 2003, with the 1st Space Battalion, the 1st Satellite Control Battalion (later to become the 53rd Signal Battalion), and the 193rd Space Battalion (Colorado Army National Guard).[9]

On 20 October 2007 the provisional 193rd Space Battalion became a permanent-status unit, the 117th Space Battalion.[10] The Colorado Guard's 117th Space Battalion is not part of 1st Space Brigade and is controlled by the National Guard. However, it has a Training, Readiness, Oversight (TRO) relationship with 1st Space Brigade.

The current SMDC commander is Lieutenant General James H. Dickinson with Senior Enlisted Advisor Command Sergeant Major Jerome Wiggins.

History

On Sept. 27, 1974, at the Missile Site Radar Complex near Nekoma, North Dakota, and at the Ballistic Missile Defense Center at NORAD, Cheyenne Mountain, the Safeguard System facilities were officially transferred to the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Defense Systems Command after a four and one-half year construction project by 10 companies.[11]

Air and missile defense (priority)

Air and missile defense is a modernization priority of United States Army Futures Command, an ACOM. The Air and missile defense CFT[12][13] is tasked with modernization of materiel for Air and Missile defense. Targeted areas currently include:

The LCMC (part of ASA(ALT)), the United_States_Army_Aviation_and_Missile_Command#LCMC is an associated unit of AMRDEC, now part of U.S. Army Futures Command, and the Air and missile defense CFT.

Vendors for Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) were downselected to two competitors in 2017, and 2018. The award to replace the Patriot radar is slated for 2023. [17]

The Space and Missile Defense program at West Point

After the 2001 Space Commission identified the need for Space cadre in the DoD, the United States Military Academy (USMA) initiated an SMD program. [18]

Commanders 1997-2010

  • LTG Kevin T. Campbell, December 2006-December 2010
  • LTG Larry J. Dodgen, December 2003-December 2006
  • Lieutenant General Joseph M. Cosumano, Jr.: from April 2001 – December 2003[19]
  • Brigadier General John M. Urias: March 2001 - April 2001
  • Lieutenant General John Costello: October 1998 - March 2001
  • Colonel (P) Steven W. Flohr: August - October 1998, Interim Commander
  • Lieutenant General Edward G. Anderson III: October 1997 - August 1998 Commander, USASSDC, October 1996 - September 1997

See also

Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense Comparable organizations

References

  1. ↑ "SMDC History: 20th anniversary of the creation of 1st SATCON Battalion". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  2. ↑ Meet your Army: Chief trains Soldiers to detect missiles, Accessed on 2016-09-06
  3. ↑ White, Dottie K (17 October 2017). "Army activates 2nd Space Battalion". US Army. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ Jason B. Cutshaw, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Public Affairs (29 November 2017) 53rd Signal Battalion leads the Army's space operations
  6. ↑ SGT Benjamin Crane, 100th Missile Defense Brigade (GMD) Public Affairs (15 September 2011) Missile defense exercise spans globe
  7. ↑ Carlson III, Staff Sgt. Jack W. (18 February 2010). "This week at the 49th Missile Defense BN". US Army. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  8. ↑ Associated Press, "U.S. Army tests new dirigible craft to detect cruise missiles", 20 April 2010.
  9. ↑ "The Eagle" (PDF). May 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-18.
  10. ↑ Kenney, Laura D. (25 October 2007). "117th Space Battalion's new colors flown on shuttle Atlantis". Peterson Air Force Base. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  11. ↑ Sharon Watkins Lang (SMDC/ARSTRAT Command Historian) (September 27, 2018) SMDC History: Army accepts Safeguard System
  12. ↑ Air and missile defense CFT (14 March 2018) Air and Missile Defense
  13. ↑ Army Directive 2017-24 (Cross-Functional Team Pilot In Support of Materiel Development)
  14. ↑ Sydney J. Freeberg, Jr. (January 26, 2018) $86,000 + 5,600 MPH = Hyper Velocity Missile Defense
  15. ↑ Sydney J. Freeberg, Jr. (22 August 2018) Why Hypersonics Are No. 1
  16. ↑ (19 March 2018) Air and missile defense CFT pursuing 'layered and tiered approach'
  17. ↑ Rich Abott (10/09/2018) Lockheed Martin And Raytheon Advance In Patriot Radar Replacement
  18. ↑ Jason B. Cutshaw, SMDC/ARSTRAT (23 March 2017). "SMDC partners with military academy to develop future space officers".
  19. ↑ "Conclusions and Appendicies" (PDF).
  • Official website
  • "Army Space & Missile Defense Command". GlobalSecurity.org.
  • Future Warfare Preparation: US Army Space & Missile Defense Command – animated dramatization of various missile defense scenarios (YouTube video made by Delta Research Inc for SMDC)

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