US Army Space and Missile Defense Command

The United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) of the United States Army. The command was established in 1997.
The current USASMDC commander is Lieutenant General Daniel L. Karbler with Senior Enlisted Advisor Command Sergeant Major Finis A. Dodson.

The Army Space Command (ARSPACE) stood up in April 1988 as a field operating agency of the Deputy Chief of Staff (of the Army) for Operations and Plans. As the Army component of U.S. Space Command, ARSPACE was to provide the Army perspective in planning for Department of Defense space support and ensure the integration of Army requirements into joint planning for space support and "conduct planning for DoD space operations in support of Army strategic, operational and tactical missions."

A relatively small organization, it was soon put to the test. The new command was instrumental in bringing space assets to U.S. Army forces during Operation Desert Storm. Following the war, new operational missions, such as the Army Space Support Teams and the Joint Tactical Ground Stations, became key elements of the Army space program.

Organizationally however, ARSPACE remained a command, a Tables of Distribution and Allowances, or TDA, organization with offices and directorates according to mission, rather than an Army operational Table of Organization and Equipment unit. This changed on 1 May 1995. On that date, ARSPACE's Military Satellite Communications Directorate or MILSATCOM Directorate became the 1st Satellite Control, or SATCON, Battalion—the first Army battalion with an operational mission tied to space systems and capabilities.

Structure

The SMDC is made up of several components, Active Army and full-time Army National Guard, due to the 24-hour a day, 7-day a week, 365-day a year nature of SMDC's mission:

*U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) Headquarters and the Force Development Integration Center co-located with the Missile Defense Agency on Redstone Arsenal, Alabama
*U.S. Army SMDC/ARSTRAT Dottie White (17 August 2018) SMDC senior leader discusses his career path, unique role of National Guard in Command's mission
/ref> satellite site located on Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado
**1st Space Brigade,Jen Judso
(Oct 2021) The future of the Army in space
interview of LTG Daniel Karbler at AUSA: Next conflict will start in Space. Space command is 24/7. Theater-level strike effects group (TSEG) will be an Army org.Dottie White (17 July 2018) 1st Space Brigade welcomes new commander
/ref> Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado
***1st Space Battalion SMDC/ARSTRAT Public Affairs Office (22 October 2018) Early missile warning unit passes evaluation with 99 percent
Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTaGS), Osan AB
***2nd Space Battalion
**100th Missile Defense Brigade (GMD), Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado
***49th Missile Defense Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, Fort Greely, Alaska
**Satellite Operations Brigade is transferring to the Space Force
***53rd Signal Battalion (SATCON) becoming 53rd Space Operations Squadron, USSF; mission transfer under way August 15, 2022
***Satellite Communications Directorate
*Space and Missile Defense Technical Center (SMDTC)
*Space and Missile Defense Battle Lab (SMDBL) Sharon Watkins Lang, USASMDC/ARSTRAT Command Historian (16 February 2016) SMDC History: SMDC creates first non-TRADOC Battle Lab
1997–2015

The 117th Space Battalion has a training, readiness, and oversight (TRO) relationship with the 1st Space Brigade but is not actually part of it, as of 2018–19.

*Technical Center, based in Huntsville, Alabama;
**U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll/ Reagan Test Site (USAKA/RTS), in the Republic of the Marshall Islands and at Wake Island
**High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF), at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
Space and Missile Defense Acquisition Center (SMDAC)
**other directorates

History

Design work for the Safeguard System anti-ballistic missile complex began in 1968. The initial ground breaking occurred in 1970. The test period began in September 1973 and concluded with the equipment readiness date. Four and half years after the initial contracts were signed, the completed facility was turned over to the government. On 27 September 1974, at the Missile Site Radar Complex near Nekoma, North Dakota, and at the Ballistic Missile Defense Center at NORAD, Cheyenne Mountain, the Safeguard facilities were officially transferred to the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Defense Systems Command after a four and a half year construction project by ten companies.

Previously the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensors Project Office (JLENS) based in Huntsville, Alabama was part of SMDC's Space and Missile Defence Acquisition Center. However, after continuing problems with the programme, the fiscal 2017 budget for the JLENS program was cut from the requested $45 million to $2.5 million. According to ''Defense News'', the "nearly unanimous lack of funding for the program spells death for JLENS". The blimps are being kept in storage and the small budget being used to close out the program, according to ''Defense News''.

Other parts of the previous Space and Missile Defense Acquisition Center included:
*High Energy Laser Systems Test Facility (HELSTF), at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
*Army Space Program Office (ASPO) in Alexandria, Virginia
*Ballistic Missile Targets Joint Project Office (BMTJPO) based in Huntsville, Alabama

The United States Army Futures Command, formed 24 August 2018, gives priority to modernization of air and missile defense.DVIDs video, 24 August 2018 press conference
/ref>David Vergun, Army News Service (8 December 2017) US Army Futures Command to reform modernization, says secretary of the Army
/ref>AFC announcement, Friday (13 July 2018) Army Officials Announce New Army Command
video 34 minutes, 27 secondsSydney J. Freeberg, Jr. (28 May 2019) Beyond INF: An Affordable Arsenal Of Long-Range Missiles?
INF Treaty likely to expire in August 2019 Cross-functional teams were instituted to oversee the modernization effortDavid Vergun, Defense.gov (22 February 2019) DOD official describes missile defense strategy
/ref>Loren Thompson (3 October 2019) Pentagon's Next-Gen Missile Defense Plan Could Leave U.S. Poorly Protected For Years
/ref> in the areas of hypersonic systems,Sydney J. Freeberg, Jr. (22 August 2018) Why Hypersonics Are No. 1
/ref> Joe Lacdan (16 October 2018) The Army joins the Air Force, Navy in attempt to develop hypersonic weaponry
/ref> maneuver SHORAD (M-SHORAD) Samantha Hill (SMDC/ARSTRAT) (25 February 2019) Dickinson highlights key developments in missile development and space
SHORAD and Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS). (19 March 2018) Air and missile defense CFT pursuing 'layered and tiered approach'
/ref>

List of commanding generals

Notes

See also

*Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense

Comparable organizations
*Naval Network Warfare Command (U.S. Navy)
*Air Force Space Command (U.S. Air Force)

References

External links

Official website
*

Future Warfare Preparation: US Army Space & Missile Defense Command
– animated dramatization of various missile defense scenarios (YouTube video made b
Delta Research Inc
for SMDC)

{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Army Space And Missile Defense Command
United States Army Service Component Commands
Space units and formations of the United States Army
Organizations based in Colorado Springs, Colorado
Military units and formations established in 1997