FORT SILL, Okla., June 21, 2018 -- A "Who's Who" of Air Defense Artillery poured into Fort Sill for the branch's Golden Jubilee Anniversary that wrapped up June 15.
Brig. Gen. Randall McIntire, chief of the 50-year-old ADA branch and commandant of the ADA School, said it was a fantastic two days.
McIntire was pleased to have pulled in such legends of the branch as retired Maj. Gen. Donald Infante. Infante is considered "the Father of Modern Air Defense Artillery" for reworking the Patriot missile system so that it could intercept tactical ballistic missiles in the Gulf War. He received honors in two ways: The 77th Army Band played a tattoo for him at the June 14 Jubilee Ball, and a special edition of the Fires Bulletin devoted to the ADA's 50-year heritage was dedicated to him.
Infante was one of many key leaders who joined the festivities. Lt. Gen. James Dickinson, commanding general of Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Huntsville, Ala., spoke at the ball.
"We had 400 people show up, of all different ranks," McIntire said. He called it an opportunity for them to celebrate both the Army's 243rd birthday and the 50th candle for the ADA branch, which made its debut at Fort Sill during the tumultuous year of 1968.
"The fact of the matter is, we're back. And we're back stronger than ever," he averred.
There was a solid lineup of speakers for the June 15 leadership platform at the Fort Sill Conference Center, starting with Silver Star recipient and retired Col. Vincent Tedesko II.
Up-and-coming young lieutenants and captains from the ADA versions of Basic Officer Leader Course and Captains' Career Course spent the day listening to Tedesco and others offer practical advice on how a good leader sets standards and sticks by them. As Tedesco warned, 'once you've made an exception, you've set a new standard."
That said, he advised, listen up when your NCO pulls you aside and tells you that what just came out of your mouth isn't the brightest thing you've ever said.
Junior officers had the opportunity to pose questions at the Q&A sessions that followed each speech. McIntire called it "a tremendous opportunity for them to mingle and talk to others who have gone before us."
Today's generation heard from three combat veterans who, as young lieutenants and captains like themselves, commanded first platoons and then batteries: Tedesco in Vietnam, retired Col. Joe DeAntonio in the Gulf War, and Silver Star recipient Col. Charles Branson, commander of 108th ADA Brigade, in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Afternoon sessions covered what the four Army Air and Missile Defense commands (AAMDCs) are doing around the globe, from Europe to the continental United States (CONUS) to the Pacific. First up was a familiar face: Brig. Gen. Christopher Spillman, commander of 32nd AAMDC, Fort Bliss, Texas, returned to his old haunts to provide an inside look at his two areas of responsibility: CONUS and CENTCOM.
Next, Brig. Gen. Frank Rice, one of two National Guard advisers assigned here, provided the Guard perspective on ADA by discussing his other role as deputy commanding general for 263rd AAMDC. Rice mentioned a recent exercise in which a short-range air defense (SHORAD) battery from Fort Sill participated.
McIntire said the Army has only two SHORAD battalions, and one of them -- 5th Battalion, 5th ADA -- is at Fort Sill. It has the Counter Rockets, Artillery and Mortar (C-RAM) weapon system and Avenger. The SHORAD battalions perform many missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
McIntire predicts the Army's industry partners will replace those legacy systems over time. The Avenger has been in service since 1989. He said it was a great system in its day, but now it has obsolescence issues the Army must address because the threats have changed.
"It could shoot on the move, it could do day/night capability, you could air assault it. The fact of the matter is, we need something more survivable," McIntire said.
It's not a survivable platform on a Humvee, he said. Also, the Stinger-based system it uses to fire has been outranged.
McIntire closed the day by presenting his "State of the ADA Branch" address. He gave an update on the work of the Air and Missile Defense Cross Functional Team. Then he talked about where leaders see the branch going over the next 5-10 years with the growth of ADA and making new SHORAD units and bringing a new SHORAD vehicle into the Army inventory.
"The future is pretty bright right now," he said. "We're one of the Army's six modernization priorities. We're in a pretty good spot in terms of recognizing what we need to bring to the fight."
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