Dragon brigade hosts second annual air defense artillery symposium

By Staff Sgt. Heather A. Denby, 35th ADA Public AffairsDecember 17, 2014

Senior leaders talk Korean theater air defense
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Chief Warrant Officer Hector Medina, 2nd Infantry Division mission command systems integrator, speaks with air and missile defense Soldiers and airmen during the Air Defense Artillery Korean Theater of Operations Symposium Dec. 12, 2014. The second a... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Soldiers, airmen talk Korean theater air defense
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Air and missile defense Soldiers and airmen gather for discussion during the second annual Air Defense Artillery Korean Theater of Operations Symposium held at Osan Air Base Dec. 12, 2014. The symposium was hosted by the 35th ADA Brigade. (Photo by: ... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
35th ADA command hosts air defense symposium
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Col. Thomas Nguyen, commander of the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, welcomes attendees to the ADA Korean Theater of Operations Symposium held at Osan Air Base Dec. 12, 2014. The second annual ADA KTO symposium was hosted by the 35th ADA Brigade.... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea -- Dozens of Air Defense Artillery Soldiers and airmen gathered for the second annual ADA Korean Theater of Operations Symposium held here Dec. 12.

Air defenders from the 35th Air Defense Artillery "Dragon" Brigade, 7th Air Force, 2nd Infantry Division, 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (Forward), 3rd Battlefield Coordination Detachment, 2502nd Support Detachment and Joint Tactical Ground Station -- Korea discussed a wide range of air and missile defense topics for the region and anticipated potential challenges to air defense operations in the future.

"The objective of this symposium is to ensure that we have one unified vision of what capabilities air and missile defense provides to our joint and combined partners," said Col. Thomas Nguyen, commander of 35th ADA and host of the symposium. "This is also a great forum to identify the current issues and challenges that we must address in order advance interoperability initiatives with our Republic of Korea Air Force missile defenders."

Attendees of the symposium provided their expertise during discussions on a myriad of topics ranging from de-conflicting fires with the Air Force to the mission and employment of Short-Range Air Defense batteries.

"It was an excellent opportunity to discuss air defense issues, concerns and objectives throughout the peninsula," said Chief Warrant Officer Hector Medina, 2nd ID mission command systems integrator. "Being able to crosstalk with your counterparts is important in learning what each unit's mission is, while working to resolve some of the issues we face."

One topic of discussion was the integration of U.S. and ROK SHORAD systems into the Korean theater architecture.

The air defenders agreed that codifying their procedures will maximize SHORAD capabilities within the ROK and enable leaders to make timely decisions for employing air defense combat power.

"These types of joint discussions are great for understanding complex problems and identifying solutions that meet the commander's vision," said Capt. Gabe Jimenez, 35th ADA fire control officer.

"The next step is to take these combined discussions to our ROK counterparts so that we truly have an effective plan everyone understands and can put into action fast," he said.

Editor's Note: The 35th ADA is the only forward-deployed Army air and missile defense brigade. Permanently stationed in South Korea in 2004, the 35th ADA is responsible for the defense of critical assets within the ROK.