The Patriots defending ASAB

Photo By Staff Sgt. Kenneth Boyton | A U.S. Army Soldier assigned to Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment works on an M1085A1 long-wheelbase truck engine at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, Nov. 20, 2020. The truck provides tactical unit and cargo mobility and has a maximum payload capacity of 10,000 pounds. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kenneth Boyton)  

ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, KUWAIT

12.11.2020

Story by Staff Sgt. Kenneth Boyton 

386th Air Expeditionary Wing

Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, is home to thousands of U.S. Air Force Airmen, U.S. Army Soldiers and coalition forces.

Day and night, defenders from the 386th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron can be seen roaming the base, scanning the perimeter and ensuring that no threat comes close to the base.

But another unseen protector also watches over the base, keeping its eye toward the sky, scanning for threats from above.

“Our Patriot missile system has dedicated crews who are fully prepared to defend the base from any aerial threat,” said U.S. Army Capt. Brandon Toum, commander of Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment. “Soldiers are collecting information from multiple points to enhance our situational awareness of the area.”

The battery command post has several screens which are constantly being monitored and updated with real-time information from different sources.

The Patriot system is also expeditionary, meaning Soldiers can move it to an entirely new site and quickly become operational.

This allows countless assets, whether they are fixed or temporary structures, to be protected from any aerial threat.

“Once we get notified that a threat is in the air, we get the okay to react and can launch a missile in seconds,” said Warrant Officer Kane Clendenin, Charlie Battery, 3-2 ADA air and missile defense systems technician.

The system has proven to be a critical asset to the mission and to the safety of service members and coalition forces for decades past, and will certainly continue to be a critical asset in an uncertain future.

• Date Taken: 12.11.2020
• Date Posted: 12.30.2020 01:57
• Story ID: 384739
• Location: ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, KW