Integration and innovation discussed at 2024 Fires Symposium

FORT SILL, Okla. - Key leaders from the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command and 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade attended the 2024 Fires Symposium from May 6-8, 2024, to discuss challenges, opportunities, innovations and integration in air defense and field artillery with leaders from around the world.

During the symposium, Brig. Gen. Maurice Barnett, commanding general of the 10th AAMDC, and Col. Ro Clemente, G3 operations officer of the 10th AAMDC, led a panel that focused on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine through the lens of air defense, integrated air and missile defense, and how to build and communicate expertise to U.S., ally and partner leaders at echelon.

"What we have seen in Ukraine and experienced in exercises is that integration is tough business," Clemente said. "But we bring the observations from Ukraine back and build them into the exercises we conduct to continue to build integration in the Alliance and with our partners."

Integration is not put into practice just during exercises. One of the primary efforts to build integrated air and missile defense across Europe is through the European Sky Shield, another topic mentioned during the panel. The European Sky Shield Initiative is a project to build a ground-based integrated European air defense system which includes anti-ballistic missile capability.

"We are getting the alliance connected through European Sky Shield and it's gaining a lot of momentum," Barnett said when asked about integration efforts in Europe.

The panel concluded with discussing how air defenders must be experts in all things air defense, not just specific platforms, to enable ground force commanders to make informed decisions on the battlefield. "The expectation of air defenders is you can talk everything air and missile defense," Barnett said.

This level of expertise and relationship with the ground force is best exemplified with the relationship between V Corps and 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade during exercises like exercise Austere Challenge 24, during which Col. Bruce Bredlow and the 52nd ADA Brigade staff were working directly with V Corps to advise on both friendly and hostile air defense operations during the exercise.

The Fires Symposium is an annual event designed to bring together leaders from around the world from the air defense and field artillery community. Industry leaders, innovators, allies, and partners from all over the globe came together. This year's Fires Symposium was a fantastic success and stressed one common theme: no one can do it alone. Integrated air and missile defense is a team effort, built on relationships of trust that make everyone stronger together.

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