Photo By Jason Cutshaw | Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, commanding general, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense...... read more read more
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The leader of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command said during his address at the 28th Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Aug. 5, that as the air and missile defense threat environment continues to grow more complex, the Army and the nation can depend on the command.
Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, USASMDC commanding general, focused on the Army’s integrated air and missile defense efforts, Army Space, and the Army’s newest military occupational specialty, the 40D MOS, during his speech reflecting the symposium’s theme of “Space and Missile Defense - Defending America at Home and Abroad.”
Gainey said that as the enterprise enters a new space and missile age – space no longer a benign environment but a contested domain critical to modern warfare – visionary leadership must ask not only, “What if,” but “What’s next?’”
“Combat credibility demands a strong focus on developing resilient space systems and counter-space capabilities to protect U.S. assets and deny adversaries access to space,” Gainey said. “Both Russia and China have made it clear that they intend to compete with us in space. We must make it clear that it’s a competition they can’t win.”
He said SMDC’s 1st Space Brigade is integrating close combat space interdiction into corps-level maneuver exercises, helping to isolate enemy long-range fires brigades and working to disintegrate enemy counterattacks. The creation of the new 40D Space Operations military occupational specialty, which goes live in 57 days, will bolster that mission.
“This is the first space-specific MOS for enlisted Soldiers, and it couldn’t have come at a better time,” Gainey said. “The establishment of 40D MOS will alleviate the burden on other Army branches who are lending their Soldiers to space operations. This new space operations MOS is designed to build a robust and experienced noncommissioned officer corps in Army space and will ensure that Army space formations are equipped with Soldiers who have experience in space operations.
“They will learn all aspects of space operations and global missile defense, becoming the senior enlisted advisors who can provide the vital, close space support that our Army will depend on in years to come and laying the groundwork for continued growth in Army space,” he added.
Moving to integrated air and missile defense, Gainey said adversaries are increasingly turning to air and missile weapons as their tools of choice for deterrence, retaliation and conflict.
“It’s no coincidence that as we enter this new air and missile age, the U.S. Army AMD force is undergoing the most significant modernization in our history,” he said. “Air and missile defense is the offensive line for the Army’s close combat forces. We stop the rush from drones, missiles, and air threats to enable fires and maneuver. Like every great football team, you need a great offensive line to win.”
Gainey said that over the next several years, the Army will field game-changing systems and software, starting with the Integrated Battle Command System.
“IBCS enables tailorable formations that can be dis-aggregated across terrain to meet the operational and tactical need,” he said. “Given our historical reliance on organic system sensors, IBCS’s ability to use data from multiple sensors and create a composite firing solution sparks a fundamental change in how we fight.”
He said that to compliment the IBCS, the Army will field the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor, replacing our workhorse—the Patriot radar; Indirect Fire Protection Capability; and Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense. Gainey said the next steps will also include a leaner version for light units, and additional counter-unmanned aircraft systems sets.
“Warfighting for today and tomorrow requires us to do things differently,” Gainey said. “The arc of warfighting is bending toward autonomous, remotely operated, and artificial intelligence-enabled systems. Army air and missile defense is no exception.
“Human and machine integrated formations, offensive and defensive integrated launchers, battle management with artificial intelligence functions to reduce cognitive load, cheaper and faster procurement, and continuous transformation across both time horizons and the breadth of our systems guide us as we continue to build combat ready formations that are leaner, faster, more lethal, and driven by the Army’s warrior ethos,” he added.
Looking forward, Gainey said we don’t wait for solutions to come to us, and we don’t settle for status quo.
“Creating all-domain advantage requires an active posture,” he said. “Consider our continued commitment to developing and implementing the missile defeat concept. Think of missile defeat as an encompassing framework. It includes those non-kinetic actions taken to delay, disrupt, degrade, and, ultimately, reduce the number of threats our forces must intercept in the air. Missile defeat is no longer a novel idea; it’s a strategic imperative. Put simply, missile defeat effects will be required to win in 21st century warfare.”
Gainey said one of the things that makes SMDC special is the innovation laboratory within its four walls.
“The synergies between the Tech Center, Center of Excellence, and warfighting units allow SMDC to invent, test, and field equipment with direct interaction between the minds developing new technologies and, ultimately, the Soldiers who will be using that tech in the field,” he said.
Gainey emphasized SMDC is continuing to lead the important work of building the Army Air and Missile Defense Strategy 2040 and said the command is taking stock of lessons learned from the field, the increased options that artificial intelligence and advanced technology present, and we are getting back to the basics.
“The Army AMD Strategy 2040 describes the fundamental changes in how we will fight in mid-century combat with tailorable formations that can be dis-aggregated across terrain for defense and to create pockets of air and missile superiority where needed most,” he said.
Gainey said future Army and Department of Defense initiatives to defend against advanced air and missile attacks continue to highlight the synergies between our space and missile defense industries.
“Space and missile defense superiority are interdependent,” Gainey said. “Success requires layered and integrated teamwork across an architecture. That includes capability that the Army can bring to bear in a terminal defense role, and the Army is integrated into the build of that design.
“Within the last decade, potential adversaries have developed more advanced and lethal long-range weapons, including ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles capable of striking the homeland with conventional or nuclear payloads. These comprise the most catastrophic threat to our homeland,” he added. “At SMDC, we are leaning our shoulders deeper into the task of homeland defense. I look forward to working with U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Space Command, Missile Defense Agency and other stakeholders as we continue to build and develop the next-generation defensive architecture that will keep our nation safe for years to come.”
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2025 12:13 |
| Story ID: | 544767 |
| Location: | HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 214 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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