Air defenders initiate V Corps’ inaugural air and missile defense planning conference

Poznan, POLAND — Planners and staff officers from the 52d Air Defense Artillery Brigade (52d ADA BDE) held the inaugural Operation Corps Fusion planning conference at Camp Kosciuszko in Poznan, Poland, May 29, 2025.

Operation Corps Fusion marks the first Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) planning conference designed to establish a shared understanding and baseline for cooperation among the Ground-Based Air Defense (GBAD) systems and capabilities of various NATO countries under the wartime umbrella of V Corps. V Corps is the forward-deployed corps of the United States Army in Europe.

“The purpose of Operation Corps Fusion was to establish conditions and foster relationships for the brigade to successfully integrate into V Corps as the Corps’ Air and Missile Defense Coordinator (AMDCOORD),” said Maj. Cody Davis, the 52d ADA BDE’s operations officer. “Working as the Corps’ AMDCOORD, the brigade incorporates Division and multinational Air & Missile Defense (AMD) assets into the Corps’ scheme of maneuver,” Davis continued.

During the day-long event, staff officers from V Corps and the 52d ADA BDE delivered briefs on intelligence, tactics, sustainment, and communications regarding the operations of each warfighter function (WFF) in action. Operation Corps Fusion also engaged productively with attendees and briefers on various air defense topics, facilitating meaningful discussions. The attendees included senior leaders from V Corps, headed by Maj. Gen. (UK) Oliver Kingsbury, the V Corps deputy commanding general for maneuver, along with officers from Poland, Germany, and Lithuania.

“We are taking on the additional task of ensuring our partners and allies are synchronized into our commander’s AMD priorities and that we fill the role of the AMDCOORD for our Corps commander,” said Col. Haileyesus Bairu, the 52d ADA BDE commander.

The 52d ADA BDE established Operation Corps Fusion after gaining vital insights during ‘Avenger Triad 24,’ a United States Army Europe and Africa (USAEUR-AF) exercise aimed at assessing the capability and interoperability of USAEUR-AF forces along with allied and partner nation forces in conducting Large Scale Ground Combat Operations (LSGCO) using a U.S.-led mission command structure. As the Corps’ AMDCOORD, the brigade recognized the necessity to synchronize the Corps’ air and missile defense capabilities with the Corps’ maneuver objectives.

“Operation Corps Fusion allowed us to collaborate with the Air Defense Airspace Management (ADAM) cells, the AMD cells, our partners, and allies to support V Corps’ maneuver units in effectively using their assigned air defense assets,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Charles Robinson, the 52d ADA BDE’s senior enlisted advisor. “Ground-based and short-range air defense assets have been lacking in maneuver units for some time, and the surplus of Army leaders with practical experience in effectively utilizing those assets now resides at the flag officer level,” Robinson continued.

Operation Corps Fusion also discussed IAMD in Europe in preparation for ‘Avenger Triad 25’. In the fall of 2025, ‘Avenger Triad 25’ aims to build on the achievements of ‘Avenger Triad 24’, while striving to increase readiness, enhance interoperability, and implement new concepts among USAEUR-AF forces, allied forces, and partnered nations.

“Overall, V Corps and its AMDCOORD achieved a shared understanding of AMD planning efforts, recognizing the linkage and value added by the 52d ADA BDE to Joint and NATO AMD processes, as well as understanding the AMDCOORD’s role in Crisis Response Options (CROs) related to the execution of Avenger Triad 25,” said Capt. Joseph Cantu, the 52d ADA BDE’s assistant operations officer.