U.S. and Poland continue to grow air defense powerhouse

 POLAND | 08.12.2020 | Story by Staff Sgt. Andrew Mallett  | 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command  

U.S. and Poland continue to grow air defense powerhouse

By Staff Sgt. Andrew Mallett

Brig. Gen. Gregory Brady, the commander of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, visited Poland on Aug. 11-12 at the request of Polish Col. Kazimierz Dynski, commander of the 3rd Surface to Air Defense Brigade, in order to facilitate the planning and execution of future exercises in the European theater.

The two countries will be conducting the Astral Knight 20 exercise in September. Astral Knight 20 is the second iteration of a U.S. Air Force led exercise intended to produce a valid theater-wide integrated air and missile defense architecture. The U.S. and Poland are focusing on reinforcing NATO deterrence measures and reassuring NATO Alliances and Partners of a combined tactical defense of Europe.

The U.S. and Poland will also be simultaneously participating in the Tobruq Legacy 20 exercise in Lithuania along with 11 other NATO Allies. Tobruq Legacy 20 is a multinational air defense exercise. Lithuania will both host and direct the exercise.

During the exercise U.S., allies and partners will safely deploy and redeploy all equipment and personnel to host nation country and establish a combined U.S. and European Surface based Air Defense. The exercise will enhance the combined U.S. and European task force’s ability to control defensive fires in central and Eastern Europe and refine the NATO kill chain. It will also enable the development of standard operating procedures. The purpose of this exercise is to enhance interoperability with NATO forces and increase readiness through the integration of land component air missile defense capabilities.

"A trained and ready alliance deters real threats.” Brady said. “Participation in Astral Knight 20 and Tobruq Legacy 20 enhances our professional relationships and interoperability with ally and partner militaries. It also allows us the opportunity to demonstrate air and missile defense mission command, while simultaneously executing these exercises in Poland and Lithuania. We are proud of our strong relationship with our Polish counterparts in the 3rd Surface to Air Defense Brigade who will also be receiving the Patriot system in the near future. We look forward to enhancing our air and missile defense capability, increasing security along NATO's eastern flank, and preserving peace."

The Polish Army will be receiving Patriot missile systems in the next two to five years, according to an article in Defense News. The purchase of American made air defense systems has been part of an initiative to deter threats from foreign adversaries. In 2018, President Duda announced a $4.75 billion deal to purchase and co-produce a mix of air and missile.

This visit has been part of an ongoing relationship to pursue enhancement of Poland’s overall air defense capabilities. Polish Soldiers assigned to the 37th Air Defense Squadron, 3rd Surface to Air Defense Brigade visited the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in order to gain more understanding of the Patriot mid-range air and missile defense system and enhance their own training program on August 8-10, 2020 at the Baumholder Training Area, Germany.

“We have a long and proud history of friendship and partnership with the Polish air defense forces”, Lt. Col. Justin Logan, Commander of the 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, said. “We wanted to take advantage of current training to continue to build and strengthen our partnership.”

Polish and American integration into the battalion has been a valuable tool in continued learning for everyone involved, Logan explained. Training, logistics, and maintenance operations improve drastically when multinational soldiers can collaborate.

“We are excited to reach the highest level of interoperability as we can with the U.S.” Polish Army Capt. Daniel Pyza, assigned to the 37th Air Defense Squadron, said. “We want to obtain wisdom and experience as much as we can while we are here. We have always had great cooperation, and this is a continuation of that relationship.”

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ADA,USAREUR,USArmy,10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command,USArmyEurope,European Defenders,5-7 ADAR

38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade History

   The 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade is an active United States Army unit which provides air and missile defense to critical assets in the Pacific theater. Based at Osan Air Base from 25 May 1961 until 31 July 1981, its last assignment was as a major subordinate command in the Eighth United States Army.

SAGAMIHARA, KANAGAWA, JAPAN

07.12.2020

Video by Sgt. Raquel Birk 

38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade  

On Oct. 16, 2018, the 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade reactivated after nearly 37 years. The unit holds a rich history in the United States Army and took part in major conflicts spanning across three Army branches.

The 38th Brigade originally formed as a Coastal Artillery Brigade in August of 1918 as the command unit of three artillery regiments; 48th, 49th, and 50th Coastal Artillery Corps. The brigade served during World War I, supporting three subordinate units from Brest, France. The unit demobilized Feb. 28, 1919 when its Soldiers returned home and was recognized for its service with the World War I streamer with inscription.

The brigade reconstituted from an "Artillery Brigade, Coastal Artillery Corps," to the moniker "Coast Artillery Brigade." The 1930s were referred to as, "a period of retrenchment,” as many of the coast artillery units were wholly or partially, deactivated. The unit did not officially reactivate until Feb. 10, 1941 as the 38th Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade. The brigade deployed in support of Third Army at Avranches. It was responsible for defensive actions while awaiting the full operational capacity of Third Army and received participation credit in five of the seven campaigns in the European Theater of Operations. The unit received recognition with the Normandy 1944, Northern France 1944, Rhineland 1944 to 1945, Ardennes-Alsace 1944 to 1945, and Central Europe 1945 campaign streamers with inscriptions. The 38th remained in Germany following the end of the war until June 30, 1946 when it inactivated.

The unit activated again March 14, 1951 during the Korean War. Though the unit had no participation in the direct activities of the war, the occupants of the unit would transfer to the first guided missile groups of the Army. The personnel and equipment transferred to the 1st Guidance Missile Group (Surface-to-Air) and 2nd Guidance Missile Group (Surface-to-Surface) when the unit inactivated again May 11, 1953.

The brigade re-designated March 20, 1961 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 38th Artillery Brigade. The unit's reactivation occurring five days later in the Republic of Korea. While stationed in Korea, the unit was under the operational control of the U.S. Air Force stationed at Osan Air Base. The brigade re-designated one more time to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade March 15, 1972. The unit continued to serve under the Air Force command until its inactivation July 31, 1981. The 38th ADA Brigade was the recipient of the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award ex post facto March 18, 1982.

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 38th ADA Brigade, reactivated Oct. 16, 2018 at Sagami General Depot, Japan in support of the joint air and missile defense of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, and U.S. Army Japan.