| Air Defense Artillery branch | |
|---|---|
Branch plaque |
|
| Active | 1968-12-01 – Present |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | U.S. Army |
| Type | Branch |
| Role | Air Defense |
| Motto | "First to Fire!" |
| Colors | Red and Gold |
| March | ADA March |
| Mascot | Oozlefinch |
| Anniversaries | 17 November 1775- The Continental Congress elected Henry Knox "Colonel of the Regiment of Artillery"[1] |
| Insignia | |
| Branch insignia | |
Air Defense Artillery refers to a combat arm that specializes in anti-aircraft weapons (such as surface to air missiles). In the US Army, these groups are composed of mainly air defense systems such as the Patriot Missile System, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and the Avenger Air Defense system which fires the FIM-92 Stinger missile. The Air Defense Artillery branch descended from the Anti-Aircraft Artillery (part of the U.S. Army Coast Artillery Corps) into a separate branch on 20 June 1968. On 1 December 1968, the ADA branch was authorized to wear modified Artillery insignia, crossed field guns with missile.
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According to the Army's Field Manual 44-100, the mission of Air Defense Artillery is "to protect the force and selected geopolitical assets from aerial attack, missile attack, and surveillance."[2]
On 10 October 1917 an Antiaircraft Service in the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) was created at Arnouville-Les-Gonesse where an antiaircraft school was established. The antiaircraft units were organized as serially numbered battalions during the war, as follows:
In 1938 there were only 5 Regular Army and thirteen National Guard regiments, but by 1941 this had been expanded to 37 total regiments. In November 1942, 781 battalions were authorized. However, this number was pared down to 331 battalions by the end of the war. On 9 March 1942 Antiaircraft Command was established in Washington D.C. and in 1944 the AAA school was moved to Fort Bliss. Army Anti-Aircraft Command (ARAACOM) was created July 1950, and in 1957, ARAACOM was renamed to US Army Air Defense Command (USARADCOM).
The serially numbered battalions bore the following titles
and later
In 1957 the Combat Arms Regimental System organized the battalions under regiments again. In 1968 the Air Defense Artillery Branch was created. In 2010 the United States Army Air Defense Artillery School was moved from Fort Bliss to Fort Sill.
| Command | SSI | Garrison | Subordinate to/ corps or army |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command | Europe Rhein Ordnance Barracks | USEUCOM | |
| 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command | Fort Bliss, TX | FORSCOM | |
| 94th Army Air & Missile Defense Command | Fort Shafter, HI | United States Army Pacific | |
| 263d Army Air & Missile Defense Command | South Carolina Army National Guard |
| Brigade | SSI | Subordinate to/ garrison | Component |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6th ADA Brigade (ADA School) | Fort Sill | Training and Doctrine Command | |
| 11th ADA Brigade | Fort Bliss | 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command | |
| 31st ADA Brigade | Fort Sill | 32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command | |
| 35th ADA Brigade | South Korea | Eighth United States Army | |
| 108th ADA Brigade | Fort Bragg Fort Campbell |
32nd Army Air & Missile Defense Command | |
| 164th ADA Brigade | Florida ARNG | ||
| 357th Air & Missile Defense Detachment | Kaiserslautern, Germany | Inactive |
| Unit | DUI | Subordinate to/ garrison | Component |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-1 ADA 2-1 ADA |
94th AAMDC/Kadena Air Base (1–1) 69th ADA Brigade (2–1) |
Regular Army | |
| A Battery, 2nd ADA 3-2 ADA |
11th ADA Brigade (A Battery, 2nd ADA) 31st ADA Brigade, Fort Sill (3-2 ADA) |
Regular Army | |
| 4-3 ADA | 31st ADA Brigade, Fort Sill | Regular Army | |
| A Battery, 4th ADA 3–4 ADA |
11th ADA Brigade (A Battery, 4th ADA) 108th ADA Brigade (3–4 ADA) |
Regular Army | |
| 4-5 ADA 5-5 ADA |
69th ADA Brigade (4–5 ADA) 31st ADA Brigade (5–5 ADA) |
Regular Army | |
| 2–6 ADA 3–6 ADA |
6th ADA Brigade (ADA School), Fort Sill | Regular Army | |
| 1-7 ADA (P) 5-7 ADA (P) |
108th ADA Brigade (1–7 ADA) Kaiserslautern, Germany (5–7 ADA) |
Regular Army | |
| 1–43 ADA 2–43 ADA 3–43 ADA |
11th ADA Brigade | Regular Army | |
| 1–44 ADA 2–44 ADA |
69th ADA Brigade (1–44th ADA) Fort Hood 108th ADA Brigade (2–44 ADA) |
Regular Army | |
| 5–52 ADA 6–52 ADA |
11th ADA Brigade (5–52) 35th ADA Brigade (6–52) |
Regular Army | |
| 1–56 ADA | 6th ADA Brigade (ADA School), Fort Sill | Regular Army | |
| 1–204 ADA | 1–204 ADA | Mississippi ARNG |
The Shipton Award is named for Brigadier General James A. Shipton, who is acknowledged as the Air Defense Artillery Branch's founding father. Shipton felt that the mission of antiaircraft defense was not to down enemy aircraft, but instead to protect maneuver forces on the ground: "The purpose of anti-aviation defense is to protect our own forces and establishments from hostile attack and observation from the air by keeping enemy aeroplanes [sic] at a distance." The Shipton Award recognizes an Air Defense Artillery professional for outstanding performance individual thought, innovation and contributions that results in significant contributions or enhances Air Defense Artillery's warfighting capabilities, morale, readiness and maintenance.