HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- In his first public address to the Tennessee Valley community Lt. Gen. James H. Dickinson, commanding general, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command; and commander of Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense; spoke at the annual membership luncheon of the Air, Space and Missile Defense Association Feb. 23.
"Each year this association does so much for our community, and 2016 was no exception," Dickinson said. "Thank you all for your commitment and service to this wonderful community."
Dickinson talked to the audience of more than 250 about how the command is integrating air and missile defense capabilities across the Army and how USASMDC/ARSTRAT and JFCC IMD are focused on protecting the homeland, America's Warfighters and the nation's allies across the world.
"The threats posed by our adversaries are growing more complex and unpredictable, more mobile and survivable, and their numbers are increasing along with their range and accuracy," Dickinson said. "In the future, our air and missile defense and space systems will encounter more complex advanced electronic and cyber-attacks and will also need to combat directed energy capabilities that could significantly degrade U.S. missile defense operations.
"To counter these and future threats, we must sustain our efforts in a number of areas, from maintaining our systems, to training our air and missile defense and space forces, to leveraging new technologies and modernization efforts, all of which require resources," he added.
Dickinson also provided an update on what SMDC is doing with defense partners who support the command at home and around the world.
"One of SMDC's core tasks is the defense of the homeland through our operations with the 100th Missile Defense Brigade and our partnership with the Missile Defense Agency," Dickinson said. "We continue to move forward with new developments as we work to defend the Homeland.
"We have made significant improvements in the operations and mission readiness of the entire ground-based midcourse defense mission," he added. "Our operations at Fort Greely, Alaska; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, have seen vast improvements over the past year. As many of you know, the 100th Missile Defense Brigade comprised of Army National Guardsmen from Alaska, Colorado and California continue to provide 24/7/365 ballistic missile defense of the continental United States."
Dickinson then discussed how space-enabled capabilities play a critical role across all warfighting functions, especially air and missile defense. He told how currently, 70 percent of Army systems rely on space, with the Army as the largest user of space in the Department of Defense.
"It is imperative that the Warfighter is postured to identify and fight through challenges such as jamming and electronic attack in order to execute critical functions," Dickinson said. "Weaving space, cyber, and electronic warfare effects into the modern battlefield will greatly enhance multi-domain operations."
He also said that like space, cyberspace is one of the domains that we as a community must focus on to protect and use to the fullest extent possible.
"The reason protection of this critical domain is so vital is that the cyber threat is continuing to become more complex," Dickinson said. "Cybersecurity is critical to air and missile defense and space, and we continue to address potential gaps in systems and networks to prevent degradation in operations.
"Our air and missile defense systems, space systems and Soldiers operate today in a cyber-contested environment," he added. "The advent of a rapidly evolving, dynamic threat including the integration of space, cyber and electronic warfare poses challenges to our nation's most critical missions unlike any we have faced before. We must aggressively address this threat to achieve mission assurance."
He explained how the relationship between the space domain and the cyber domain is unique in that many space operations depend on cyberspace, and a critical portion of cyberspace can only be provided via space operations.
"The Army must invest in space capabilities and space applications that maximize readiness, assure access to the advantages of integrated space Cyber, electronic warfare and signal effects, and deny the same to the adversary," Dickinson said. "It is incumbent upon all of us to examine ways to counter the ever growing space and missile threat. Keys to winning this struggle consist of strong partnerships with industry, academia and our Warfighters, leveraging the right resources, and investing in the right people and technologies. This will allow us to achieve and maintain the strategic advantage over our adversaries.
"As always, we must protect our homeland, our Warfighters, and our way of life," he added. "Our trained and ready Soldiers are the very best. They continue to operate from remote, globally deployed locations and remain on point to defend the homeland and protect the force and critical assets around the globe. Our Soldiers remain some of the most talented, resilient and professional Soldiers I have ever served with. We owe a large debt of gratitude for the sacrifices of these amazing Soldiers and their remarkable Families."
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