32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command
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32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command | |
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Commanders | |
Current commander | Maj. Gen. Richard A. Harrison[1] |
Command Sergeant Major | CSM Raymond J. Belk [2] |
Insignia | |
Distinctive unit insignia | ![]() |
The 32nd AAMDC or 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command (32nd AAMDC) is a theater level Army air and missile defense multi-component organization with a worldwide, 72-hour deployment mission. The 32nd AAMDC commands
Mission
On order, the 32nd AAMDC rapidly deploys forces to conduct joint and combined/coalition air and missile defense operations for the regional combatant commander.
Function
The 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command (32nd AAMDC) is the Army Forces and Joint Forces Land Component Commanders' (ARFOR / JFLCC) organization that performs critical theater air and missile defense planning, integration, coordination, and execution functions. The 32nd AAMDC coordinates and integrates the four operational elements (or pillars) of theater missile defense (TMD): passive defense, active defense, attack operations, and battle management/command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (BM/C4I) to protect contingency, forward deployed, and reinforcing forces, as well as designated theater strategic assets.
The 32nd AAMDC is based at
Used for attack operations, standard Army processes are unwieldy and inefficient. A more streamlined method is needed that places Theater
The theater missile defense operations center functions as a staff under the combined forces air component command and is responsible for planning, coordinating, and integrating theater-level missile operations. The center is split-based with Ninth Air Force in theater and 32nd AAMDC in Ft. Bliss, TX. During either an exercise or in wartime, 32d AAMDC collocates in the
In 2020 two new batteries were created to operate the Iron Dome anti-rocket materiel. They will be stationed at Fort Bliss.[4] The batteries will be ready for deployment in late 2021.[5]
History
To date, the 32nd AAMDC has proven itself as the premier example of the Total Force concept.[6] Composed of in excess of 220 active duty (FT Bliss) soldiers, more than 10 civil service personnel, and numerous contractors, the 32d AAMDC has performed and validated its TMD mission and conducted extensive training during numerous joint and combined exercises – including Prairie Warrior 96, Ulchi Focus Lens 96, 97 & 98, Roving Sands 96 and 97, Coherent Defense 97, U.S./Russian TMD Exercise (Jan 98), and JTFEX/TMDI (Feb 99).
In early February 98, and prior to its official activation (16 Oct 98), the 32nd AAMDC deployed to support Combined Task Force-Kuwait during Operation Desert Thunder. The 32nd AAMDC performs critical theater-level air and missile defense planning, integration, coordination and execution functions. The unit coordinates and integrates the operational elements of theater missile defense in support of the ground maneuver forces. The unit commanded the Echelon Above Corps ADA brigades, which in this case are TF
While deployed to the
With the addition of the 32nd AAMDC to the joint coalition task force, soldiers on the ground have access to a new early warning system. This system, which is basically a redundant system relying on digital pagers, can alert soldiers to possible biological and chemical agents before they are released by incoming
In Nov 98, the 32nd AAMDC deployed to Kuwait to conduct contingency planning and coordination in support of CTF-Kuwait during Operation Desert Thunder II/Southern Overwatch. During the period Dec 98 – Jan 99, the unit was again deployed to SWA in support of
Lineage
The unit was first constituted in January 1918 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 32nd Artillery Brigade (Coast Artillery Corps) and organized at Key West Barracks, Florida Demobilized 18 January 1919 at Camp Hill, Virginia Reconstituted 18 October 1927 in the Regular Army as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 32nd Coast Artillery Brigade Activated 20 November 1942 at Fort Bliss, Texas Redesignated 28 May 1943 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 32d Antiaircraft Artillery Brigade. Inactivated 30 May 1947 in the Philippine Islands. Activated 6 February 1951 at RAF Mildenhall in England. In June 1957, the Brigade deployed from the UK to Kaiserslautern in Germany. Redesignated 11 March 1958 as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 32nd Artillery Brigade.
On 11 May 1966, the unit was redesignated as Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 32nd Army Air Defense Command (AADCOM). Subordinate to the 32nd AADCOM were the 10th, 69th, 94th, and 108th Artillery Groups, making it the largest air defense unit in the US Army. 32nd AADCOM also had a presence in Germany in the 1960s and 70s, basing its headquarters in
After overcoming some reliability problems, the Patriot was issued in 1985 to units of the 32nd AAMDC, a major subordinate command of U.S. Army, Europe. At this point, the Patriot was capable only of shooting down aircraft, including helicopters. A major effort to improve the capabilities of the Patriot system was already under way. Two Patriot batteries from the 32nd Army Air Defense Command's 10th Air Defense Artillery Brigade were designated for airlift to Israel during the Gulf War. All of the American Patriot units that fought in DESERT STORM were drawn from the 11th Brigade and from several similar brigades of U.S. Army, Europe's 32nd Army Air Defense Command. Inactivated 15 July 1995 in Germany.
Formerly a provisional organization assigned to
The 32nd AD also tested the Patriot Missile in Crete during "
Heraldry
Nickname: The 32nd AAMDC adopted the nickname "Blackjack" shortly after its activation in 1998. This nickname was originally given to Gen. John J. Pershing. Gen. Pershing was born in Laclede, Missouri on 13 Sept. 1860. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1886 and served in several Indian wars. In 1895, after leading an all-black unit in a clash with the Cree Indians in Montana, he received the nickname "Black Jack". Gen. Pershing was assigned to Fort Bliss in April 1914, where he served until 1917, when he was appointed to command the American Expeditionary Force in Europe.
Patch: The red and yellow colors of the 32nd AAMDC patch represent the Artillery. The five arrowheads (representing missiles) allude to the air defense mission of the command. Their placement three and two, respectively, refer to the unit's numerical designation.
Insignia: The star is a symbol of achievement, and represents the command. The five points of the star allude to the organization's participation in World War I (
Organization
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/35/32nd_Army_Air_%26_Missile_Defense_Command_Structure.png/460px-32nd_Army_Air_%26_Missile_Defense_Command_Structure.png)
- 32nd Army Air And Missile Defense Command (32nd AAMDC)
- Headquarters and Headquarters Battery (HHB)
- 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade(11th ADAB)
- 31st Air Defense Artillery Brigade(31st ADAB)
- 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade(69th ADAB)
- 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade(108th ADAB)
Decorations
- Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, streamer embroidered 17 Oct. 1944 – July 1945
- Army Superior Unit Award, streamer embroidered 1990–1991
- Army Superior Unit Award, streamer embroidered 1993–1994
- Meritorious Unit Citation, streamer embroidered 2002–2003
List of commanders
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- BG John G. Rossi, March 2011
- BG James H. Dickinson, July 2012[7]
- BG Donald G. Fryc, 21 March 2014[8]
- BG Christopher L. Spillman, 10 June 2016[9]
- BG Clement Coward, November 2018
- BG David F. Stewart, 13 August 2020[10]
- BG Richard A. Harrison, 15 June 2023[11]
Sources
References
- ^ "32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command".
- ^ "32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command".
- ^ "The United States Army - Team Bliss". Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 24 November 2013.
- ^ Sydney J. Freedberg (13 Nov 2020) Army Creates New Units To Use Iron Dome
- ^ Kyle Mizokami (16 Nov 2020) The Army Is Activating the Iron Dome, Its New Rocket-Killing Weapon
- ^ "News Listing".
- ^ "- General Officer Management Office".
- ^ "32d AAMDC change of command ceremony".
- ^ "Change of Command for 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command".
- ^ "32d AAMDC Change of Command". 13 August 2020.
- ^ "32d AAMDC Welcomes New Commanding General". 22 June 2023.
External links
- The short film Big Picture: Missile Man is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive.