10th AAMDC leader highlights importance of air and missile defense at international conference

Courtesy Photo | Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen Burnley speaks at the International Air and Missile Defense Conference held in Seville, Spain, during the week of March 16. Burnley, who serves as the command sergeant major for the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, highlighted the importance of air and missile defense within the NATO framework, and shared lessons and updates from ongoing efforts to improve interoperability of equipment, tactics and procedures among NATO countries. (Courtesy photo)  

SEVILLE, SPAIN

03.16.2015

Courtesy Story

10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command

SEVILLE, Spain - Air and missile defenders from around the world met in Seville, Spain, this week to discuss initiatives in ground based and tactical ballistic missile defense. During the two-day conference, military leaders from countries all over Europe, the Pacific, and Southwest Asia discussed ways to achieve an integrated approach to air and missile defense and share some of their specific challenges.

Command Sgt. Maj. Stephen Burnley of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command was a keynote speaker who briefed Army Air Defense in the European context. He discussed initiatives that are building interoperability within NATO, and shared lessons from the integration of Patriot units in the NATO command and control architecture during Operation Active Fence in Turkey. He highlighted exercises like the upcoming Tobruk Legacy in the Czech Republic that will demonstrate the alliance's ability to integrate Ground Based Air Defense sensors and shooters from five different countries, with five different systems, into a common operational picture.

"This is huge when we talk about expanding NATO's capabilities against the emerging unmanned aerial vehicle and surveillance threat," he said.

Burnley went on to point out that these events also support the European Phased Adaptive Approach by adding capacity into the architecture.

When asked about his unit’s upcoming training in Poland, Burnley said, "It is a great training opportunity for our Soldiers, demonstrates our ability to maneuver within NATO’s interior lines, and it assures our allies that we are committed to the alliance, which by the way is the longest and most successful in history. It will be an incredible event."

Maj. Craig Cotner, 10th AAMDC chief of Active Defense, jointed Burnley at the event.

Contner sat on a panel that dealt with exercising command and control over increasingly complex systems. He was joined by leaders from Sweden and Norway. He provided insight and experiences on command and control of multiple systems within the same architecture. Cotner also highlighted the importance of joint and multinational exercises when developing our capabilities across the alliance. He stressed that although our technology continues to expand, we must not forget the importance of training and leader development.

• Date Taken: 03.16.2015
• Date Posted: 03.20.2015 06:29
• Story ID: 157615
• Location: SEVILLE, ES