MISSILE DEFENSE MONDAYS April 4th - 10th, 2023 THE WEEK IN BRIEF On Tuesday, April 4, less than 11 months after applying, Finland officially became the 31st member of the NATO alliance, with a signing ceremony in Brussels. The signed agreement may be bittersweet for Finnish prime minister Sanna Marin, who championed the NATO membership but on Sunday saw her party defeated in a general election that will cost her the prime minister’s chair. However, the new government, led by the conservative National Coalition Party, has backed NATO membership. Also on Tuesday, it was reported that Belarusian troops have begun training on a nuclear-capable Russian missile system following President Vladimir Putin‘s decision to deploy tactical weapons on Belarusian territory, Moscow and Minsk said on Tuesday. Putin on March 25 said he would station tactical nuclear arms on Russia’s ally, a move that drew widespread criticism. Tactical nuclear arms are battlefield weapons that, while devastating, have a smaller yield than long-range strategic weapons. On Friday, April 7, the reports of rocket attacks on Thursday came shortly after videos captured clashes between Israel's Police force and hundreds of Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Jerusalem. Violence between Israelis and Palestinians has escalated this week following Israeli police raids at the compound of the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, a site which is also holy in Judaism. The growing tensions come during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which coincides with the Jewish Passover holiday this year. Riki Ellison, the chairman and founder of Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, told Newsweek in October 2022 that the Iron Dome system is more designed to intercept rockets and not cruise missiles. "[Iron Dome] wasn't designed for cruise missiles, it was designed for rockets," Ellison said, adding that the Iron Dome costs far less per rocket interception when compared to the Patriot missile defense system.  On Monday, April 10, China ended three days of military drills around Taiwan on Monday saying they had tested integrated military capabilities under actual combat conditions, having practised precision strikes and blockading the island that Beijing views as its own. Taiwan responded to Beijing's announcement by saying it would "never relax" its efforts to strengthen combat readiness and would closely monitor China's missile forces and movements of the Shandong aircraft carrier. Beijing began the drills on Saturday after Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Click here to read all of this week's headlines. MDAA ALERTS Smoke on the Water "Right now the international system is under stress for the first time the United States is facing two major nuclear powers whose vital national security interests is in competition with the United States..." Click here to read more. MDAA WEBSITE UPDATES AND FEATURES Ukrainian War Updates Track the number and type of missiles used in the Ukrainian war, the number of casualties, and daily news highlights. Track updates on the conflict in Ukraine. Taiwan Incursion Updates Track the number and type of incursions in the Taiwan Strait, the number of missiles fired, aircraft crossing the ADIZ, and daily news highlights. Track updates on the tensions in the Taiwan Strait. MISSILE DEFENDER OF THE WEEK Technical Sergeant Aaron Trujillo TSgt Trujillo is a Crew Chief at the Clear Space Force Station, Missile Warning Operations Center. TSgt Trujillo exercises operational control of the Clear SFS Upgraded Early Warning Radar, practicing uncompromising situational awareness for detecting and reporting missile warning events. Tracks over 9,000 low earth-orbiting satellites, debris, and rocket bodies, tracking new foreign and domestic launches, and space object identification. He develops data analytic tactics to maintain situation awareness for current/upcoming events to correlate variables of likely outcomes to adversarial launches. TSgt Trujillo is part of a team that supports missile warning threat assessment for the North American Aerospace Defense Command, Northern Command and Space Domain Awareness for the Space Defense Squadron. TSgt Trujillo Enlisted in 2002 and was stationed at Buckley AFB in 2003 as a Security Forces member for the 460 Security Forces Squadron. 2005-2006 TSgt Trujillo was deployed to Camp Bucca, Iraq, he was charged with securing detainees in a Theatre Internment Facility, who were suspected of attacking coalition forces. Upon arrival TSgt Trujillo volunteered for the quick reaction force, that would process inbound/outbound detainees, conduct compound searches, hold the line of compounds of 800+ detainees and provide security for school so that detainees could pursue their education. TSgt Trujillo would receive an Army Commendation Medal for his hard work and dedication. 2006-2007 TSgt Trujillo volunteered for a deployment to Baghdad, Iraq as an M2 .50 CAL Machine Gunner with the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron. TSgt Trujillo’s Squad was tasked as a Personal Security Detail for the 92nd MP Battalion. Click here to view all the awardees from the 2022 Alaska Missile Defender of the Year Award Ceremony. NEWS HEADLINES MDAA IN THE NEWS Israel's 'Iron Dome' Defense System Compared to U.S. NASAMS, Patriots - Newsweek - 04/07/2023 MISSILE DEFENSE NEWS Ukraine downs 14 of 17 Russian kamikaze drones during nighttime air attack - Euromaidan Press - 04/04/2023 Finland approves $345 million deal for David’s Sling long range air defense system - Breaking Defense - 04/05/2023 Leaked Documents Suggest Ukrainian Air Defense Is in Peril if Not Reinforced - New York Times - 04/09/2023 THREAT NEWS General Staff: Russia launches 3 missiles, 47 airstrikes in the past day - Kyiv Independent - 04/05/2023 Ukraine Situation Report: Russian Border Towns Hit With Onslaught of Attacks - The Drive - 04/06/2023 China Deploys Aircraft Carrier Strike Group off Taiwan's East Coast - UNSI News - 04/06/2023 China-Taiwan: Aircraft carrier 'seals off' island on third day of drills - BBC News - 04/10/2023 Russia deploys S-400 air defense missile systems in Donbas to counter US HIMARS Rockets - Army Recognition - 04/10/2023 OTHER NEWS Russia to hold Arctic drills with non-Arctic nations - Defense News - 04/04/2023 Defying China, McCarthy stands united with Taiwan's president - NBC News - 04/05/2023 Navy taps Raytheon to start work on hypersonic missiles for aircraft carriers - ABC15 Arizona - 04/05/2023 Rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia hold first high-level talks in seven years - BBC News - 04/06/2023  Stay Connected: MDAA | 515 King Street, Suite 330, Alexandria, VA 22314 Unsubscribe [email protected] Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] powered by Try email marketing for free today!