Global Defender: United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command Guide

Key Chapter Title List

1. Commander's Message
2. 2025 Leadership
3. USASMDC: A Globally Responsive Command
4. Army Space Support to Multi-Domain Operations
5. 100th Missile Defense Brigade
6. 49th Missile Defense Battalion
7. 1st Space Brigade
8. Technical Center
9. Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence
10. Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense
11. SMDC Mission Impact Cases
12. Contact Information and Social Media

Document Introduction

This report, based on the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command's 2025 annual "Global Defender" guide, systematically presents the command's latest posture, core missions, and strategic direction as the Army's advocate and operational integrator for modernizing space, missile defense, and high-altitude capabilities.

The report begins with a message from Lieutenant General Sean A. Gainey, the commanding general, outlining the "One Team" vision. It emphasizes providing critical capabilities in the space, high-altitude, and missile defense domains for the Army, Joint Force, and warfighters, including vital homeland defense. As the Army Service Component Command to U.S. Northern Command, U.S. Space Command, and U.S. Strategic Command, USASMDC's globally deployed team is essential to fulfilling commitments and successfully executing diverse missions.

The report details the organizational structure of USASMDC, including its primary subordinate military units: the 100th Missile Defense Brigade (responsible for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system) and the 1st Space Brigade. The 100th Missile Defense Brigade, together with the 49th Missile Defense Battalion, carries out the President-directed national security mission of defending the United States from intercontinental ballistic missile attack. Its soldiers operate the GMD system in collaboration with Army National Guard and active-duty soldiers in Colorado, Alaska, New York, and California. The 1st Space Brigade, as the Army's only space brigade, conducts persistent space force enhancement and space control planning and operations from six locations worldwide, supporting theater commanders. It also operates the AN/TPY-2 radar to provide ballistic missile search, track, and identification capabilities for regional and homeland defense.

The Technical Center section highlights its research, development, test, and evaluation work in key technology areas such as directed energy, space and high-altitude, hypersonics, and strategic weapons. This includes managing the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The Space and Missile Defense Center of Excellence serves as the Army's force modernization proponent, managing Army-wide changes in doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership and education, personnel, facilities, and policy to develop space and missile defense forces.

The report also covers the mission of the Joint Functional Component Command for Integrated Missile Defense in providing cross-regional missile defense planning and operational support, as well as the command's functions in supporting NASA astronaut programs and small business project partnerships. Through several "Mission Impact" cases—such as the successful test launch of the GMD system, demonstrations of space soldiers' rapid deployment capabilities, support to the Army and Department of Defense via the Distributed Aperture Research System, and providing missile defense training for the Japan Self-Defense Forces—the report concretely showcases USASMDC's practical achievements and global cooperation.

This guide is a first-hand authoritative resource for understanding the U.S. Army's current capabilities, deployment priorities, and future development direction in the space and missile defense domains. It provides a detailed organizational, technical, and operational foundation for professional analysis in related fields.