The commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea, visited Soldiers of 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade on Osan AB May 20 to gain a better understanding of the unit's mission readiness and combined interoperability within the Korean Theater of Operations.
The 35th ADA is charged with the defense of critical assets in order to preserve air combat power generation capabilities and to provide freedom of action for USFK forces.
Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti's visit began with an operations and plans brief that highlighted the brigade's Air and Missile Defense capabilities.
The brief triggered a discussion between senior leaders on the importance of readiness.
"It was helpful for our Soldiers to hear [him] elaborate on the topics of trust, teamwork, interoperability and living by our Army Values in order to achieve the highest levels or readiness [here]," said Col. Thomas Nguyen, commander of the 35th ADA.
Soldiers of 35th ADA train to respond to an alert within a condensed timeframe in order to accomplish these tasks.
Scaparrotti observed one response drill at the Delta Battery, 6th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery tactical site where Soldiers unloaded and loaded a Patriot missile.
"My team trains on this almost daily," said Sgt. Timothy Webber, a Patriot launching stationed enhanced operator/maintainer assigned to the battery. "We consistently train so that we can be ready to do our part by getting these systems up as quick as we can."
In addition to readiness, the brigade strives to strengthen the USFK alliance through combined interoperability.
"When it comes to strengthening the alliance, interoperability is key," said Maj. Shawn Steele, brigade operations officer.
"We have three approaches to getting after this: conducting missile defense technical exchange through digital connections, sharing approved doctrine with our Korean counterparts and identifying a combined command and control mechanism which will better integrate US and ROK missile operations," Steele said.
Scaparrotti concluded his visit by awarding coins to four Soldiers selected by their supervisors as top performers.
"It meant a lot to me to be recognized for all the hard work we've been doing to support the brigade," said Sgt. Shawn Dixon, a supply specialist assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 35th ADA.
"It feels good to represent my shop and to motivate Soldiers to do their best," Dixon said.
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