REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – Establishing an Army Space Branch, evolving the missile defeat concept, and supporting Kwajalein Atoll and the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site led the topics discussed during the 2025 U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Leadership Forum at Redstone Arsenal, Feb. 25-26.

Hosted by Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, commanding general, USASMDC, the event provided a platform for strategic-level exchange of ideas between USASMDC’s senior leaders.

“This is a great opportunity to collectively put our mental energy together and examine how we demonstrate value to the Army, the joint force and the warfighter by providing space, high altitude and missile defense forces and capabilities,” Gainey said.

As the command continues to evolve, Gainey said it is key that leaders look for innovative ways to support the Army chief of staff’s focus areas of warfighting, transforming while in contact, and innovation.

“I want to encourage honest dialogue,” Gainey said. “We have to be able to talk and have good conversations about where we want to go and how we want to get after some tough problems.”

During the forum, leaders provided updates on the commanding general’s top priorities for USASMDC and discussed the way forward.

With a focus on missile testing and space operations conducted by the Reagan Test Site, the team continues to bring awareness and take measures to ensure RTS and the Kwajalein garrison will be able to meet an ever-increasing demand for those capabilities.

Col. Andrew R. Morgan, U.S. Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll commander, said the new command-and-control headquarters and structure reorganization of Kwajalein needs to be widely distributed across the command.

“No matter how you slice what the issues are on Kwajalein, it all starts with leadership,” Morgan said. “So, the first step is making sure we have the proper command relationships in place to solve any problems that may arise.”

Col. Donald K. Brooks, Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence commandant, said it is USASMDC’s job to plan for the establishment of the space branch and to advocate for its implementation.

Brooks said the SMD School serves as the proponent for a cadre of skilled military and civilian space professionals and educates and trains space and global ballistic missile defense operations and Army, joint and allied forces at echelon to support the warfighter in Army and joint operations.

“It’s a very exciting time for Army space,” Brooks said. “We’re setting conditions for a space branch for the United States Army to provide close space support to the Soldier. It will integrate space across all warfighting functions and systems and make our warfighting organizations more effective and efficient in their ability to close with and destroy our adversaries.”

Col. Timothy R. Shaffer, Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense deputy commander, said the team wants to get traction on the missile defeat concept.

He presented a missile defeat update and showed how JFCC IMD conducts transregional missile defense planning and operations support and performs transregional missile defense responsibilities in support of U.S. and coalition operations across multiple regions.

“JFCC IMD is focused on the recent Golden Dome presidential directive to look at the defense of the homeland against all threats from missiles and air threats,” Shaffer said. “The missile defeat concept is critical to support the active defense that we all know. We all agree that it is going to be a difficult task to properly organize to accomplish that mission but we’re up for the challenge.”

Leaders attending the conference included the USASMDC Technical Center and SMD CoE directors; the command’s chief technology officer; the SMD School commandant; 1st Space Brigade and 100th Missile Defense Brigade (GMD) commanders; JFCC IMD team members; and the Fort Greeley, Alaska, garrison commander.