US Army hosts air, missile defense high-level talks with ally, partner nations

SEMBACH, Germany — The U.S. Army’s 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command hosted NATO Allies and partners for discussion on integrated air and missile defense and lessons learned from the Ukraine Conflict on April 9, 2024.

Overall, 10 countries participated in the high-level talks. The United States, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Romania, Greece, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Austria and Germany all provided subject matter experts on air defense to foster discussion and build relationships. Of the 10 nations attending, five provided general officers for the talks, including the United States, Austria, Italy, France and Romania.

“The first objective of the high-level talks was to get everyone in the same room to maintain existing relationships and to also forge new relationships with like-minded individuals who share many of the same issues and concerns,” said Brig. Gen. Maurice Barnett, commanding general of 10th AAMDC. He also shared remarks on the importance of integrated air and missile defense, particularly considering the war in Ukraine. “IAMD is a hot topic, and many minds are now focused on how we fight large scale combat operations, in an alliance structure against a peer adversary. Suddenly everyone understands the requirement for air defense to protect and to deny the enemy air superiority.”

Integration, at its most basic level, is combining two or more things together to become more effective. Considering that air and missile defense involves a wide range of sensors, assets and capabilities, it is not difficult to understand why integration is necessary for success.

The 10th AAMDC is no stranger to integrating air and missile defense. It’s joint, multinational, comprehensive and multi-domain by design. As the senior U.S. Army air defender for Europe and Africa, the commanding general of 10th AAMDC coordinates air defense with U.S. Air Force Europe as the deputy area air defense commander and with U.S. Army Europe and Africa as the theater Army air and missile defense coordinator. These multiple roles serve to reinforce the known fact that for air and missile defense to effectively operate, it must be integrated.

“We hope this meeting will become the starting point for a regular conversation amongst our allies and partners in the Air Defense community,” said U.K. Maj. Ben Johnston, who serves as 10th AAMDC’s strategy and plans officer, and served as the lead planner for the event. “We look forward to attending this event for years to come.”

Integration inherently involves people. Talks like this establish new relationships and continue to build established relationships. They provide a unique way to share expertise, share lessons learned, and share new ideas together as allies and partners.

For more information, contact the 10th AAMDC Public Affairs office at USARMY.Rheinland-Pfalz.10AAMDC.PAO@army.mil.

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