HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s senior civilian updated the local community, stating the command will seize opportunities provided by recent transformations in both the Department of War and SMDC to enhance its warfighting capabilities.
 
Richard De Fatta, deputy to the SMDC commanding general, spoke Dec. 10 at the Redstone Update, an annual meeting for officials on Redstone Arsenal to update business and industry leaders, Huntsville elected officials and local media on their operations.
 
“In this time of continuous and significant change, it is important that we take every opportunity to engage with our supporting community to communicate those changes,” De Fatta said. “The Redstone Update is one of the few dedicated forums for community and industry representatives to gather and listen to Team Redstone leadership speak about our priorities and challenges as we move into the next calendar year.  There are lots of positive aspects to our changing operational posture that will further provide the community with opportunities – and challenge them to contribute to our success.”
 
De Fatta cited changes in the DOW, including the relocation of USSPACECOM headquarters to Redstone Arsenal, as an opportunity for interaction with SMDC and continued advancement in warfighting capabilities.
 
“We welcome SPACECOM headquarters and leadership to the incredibly supportive and resource-rich environment defined by Team Redstone and the surrounding Huntsville, Madison and Madison County communities,” De Fatta said. “It will be great to have one of our three supported combatant commands co-located in Huntsville and we look forward to continuing the close relationship we have already established as the Army Service Component Command to SPACECOM.  Our synergies will continue to increase and there will be even greater opportunities for direct interaction.”
 
De Fatta said that opportunities for strengthening the command are not limited to changes in higher headquarters. Effective Oct. 1, SMDC was strengthened with the assignment of two Army air and missile defense commands. The transfer of the 32nd and 263rd Army Air and Missile Defense Commands enhanced SMDC’s air and missile defense capabilities and helped broaden the command’s focus on air and missile threats.
 
These assets advance the command’s ability to look at missile defense more holistically, and this broadened focus is strengthened by partnerships, including those made possible by recent transformations, he added.
 
De Fatta concluded by stating that as the Army’s force modernization proponent for space, global missile defense and high altitude, SMDC is building tomorrow’s multi-domain operational force for the Army.
 
“SMDC’s role in future multi-domain operations of our joint force – with operational capabilities and forces ranging from ‘mud’ to space-enabled – are greatly enhanced by direct interactions with the many partners we support and are supported by here at Team Redstone,” De Fatta said. “Our sister organizations include science and technology, acquisition, contracting, sustainment, test and evaluation, intelligence, and foreign military sales – to name a few in the DOW, in addition to NASA, an increasing FBI presence, and now one of our directly supported COCOMs, USSPACECOM.”