CoE visits Soldiers at JBLM

Courtesy Photo | Space professionals at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, join by the Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence to discuss Army space initiatives recently. The SMDCoE received warfighter feedback to successfully identify, develop, integrate and synchronize space, high-altitude and strategic missile defense capabilities across the competition continuum. (Courtesy photo)  

REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL, UNITED STATES

03.18.2024

Story by Jason Cutshaw 

U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – An Army Space and Missile Defense Command organization dedicated to providing capabilities to warfighters visited space professionals at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, recently to discuss Army space initiatives with them.

The Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence conducted a touch point on Army space operations with members of the 1st Multi-Domain Task Force; 1st Multi-Domain Effects Battalion; I Corps; 7th Infantry Division; Joint Special Operations Task Force-First Island Chain; and 1st Special Forces Group.

“It is critically important for us to receive warfighter feedback to successfully identify, develop, integrate and synchronize space, high-altitude and strategic missile defense capabilities across the competition continuum,” said Col. Tim Dalton, Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence deputy director. “The SMDCoE is dedicated to developing and preparing space and missile defense forces to fight and win our nation’s wars. A key component of that is talking to warfighters to understand the operating environment.”

During the visit, Sgt. Maj. Lonnie Dunbar III, SMDCoE senior enlisted leader, observed and assessed training to gain insights and feedback from Soldiers and leaders.

“The SMD school providing Soldiers with increased training opportunities through mobile training teams has had a major positive impact,” Dunbar said. “The Space Prototyping and Engineering Branch within our Army Capability Manager for Space and High Altitude has been a major help to the space operations officers. Soldiers and leaders conducting Army space operations are excited and care deeply for the Army space mission set they are invested in.”

Dunbar explained that as Army space professionals, these Soldiers play a vital role in every type of military operation. He said they must continue to be the tactical and technical experts in leveraging joint and Army space capabilities so that their units can dominate the space domain and win in battle.

“We, the SMDCoE, exist to provide capability to the warfighter so that they can prevail on the battlefield,” Dunbar said. “We must stay connected to the warfighter and never lose sight of the ‘Who’ that is leveraging our capabilities as they are the ‘Why?’ to what we do. It is important for us to gain candid feedback in order to improve upon our systems and processes so that we deliver the right capability at the right time.”

Lt. Col. Joseph Mroszczyk, 1st MDEB commander, said the primary purpose of the MDEB is to provide all-domain, long-range sensing and non-kinetic effects delivery. He added that each company within the MDEB leverages space capabilities to sense and support delivery of kinetic and nonkinetic effects in all domains.

Mroszczyk said he and Dunbar discussed the challenges of space talent management for enlisted Soldiers in the Space Control Company of the MDEB as there is not currently a military occupational specialty branch for space. He said Dunbar explained efforts to move toward the 40D space MOS and how it should be implemented over time.

“We had discussions on the SMDCoE school’s capacity shortfalls as we grow space capabilities in the MDTFs and Theater Strike Effects Group and the need for increased mobile training teams to support our staff and company training requirements,” Mroszczyk said. “I asked for help with flexibility to ensure schools located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, had the capacity and our Soldiers were able to get priority for attendance to meet our readiness requirements. We discussed training and organization for the space company and MDEB related to future fielding plans and structure changes, and I asked for his advocacy in the CoE to ensure our continually evolving operating construct and experimentation is accounted for.”

Mroszczyk said the SMDCoE supports his unit and Soldiers primarily with institutional training and as the proponent for the space company within the MDEB. He added that it is important for the MDEB to communicate with the SMDCoE to advance the unit's mission.

“The SMDCoE relationship is essential to enable the space and high altitude aspects of our training and education,” Mroszczyk said “We interact on proponent and equipment issues to stay nested with the Army enterprise and ensure future MDTFs and MDEBs are setup for success, as we are the first MDEB to achieve the full (modified tables of organization and equipment) design and are leading the Army.

“Sgt. Maj. Dunbar spent some time with the Soldiers of the space company made up of communications and intelligence MOSs and relayed how excited they are at the prospect of a space MOS being created soon and having the ability to stay focused on the space mission area. Most Soldiers only come to a space unit for one assignment. By the time they leave they are experts, but they may never get another opportunity to serve in a space assignment since they return to their primary MOS.”

• Date Taken: 03.18.2024
• Date Posted: 03.18.2024 08:12
• Story ID: 466335
• Location: REDSTONE ARSENAL, AL, US