OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea -- The 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade hosted the Republic of Korea Air Force's Air and Missile Defense Command Nov. 30 during the annual US/ROK Patriot Technical Exchange to share the latest tactics, techniques and procedures involving Patriot missile system maintenance.
The Brigade Commander of 35th ADA, Col. Mark Holler chaired this year's meeting alongside the ROKAF ADMC's Chief of Logistics, Col. Yeong Gu Yu. The meeting allowed for an open forum for discussion on Patriot missile system maintenance.
"The annual technical exchange between 35th ADA and the ROK AMDC has been an important event on the brigade's training calendar every year since its inception in 2013," Holler said. "But given the constantly evolving enemy threat, bringing ROKAF and U.S. Patriot maintainers together once a year is no longer enough. We have agreed to conduct multiple partnership events throughout the year to discuss technological advancements and share knowledge to ensure continued ROK/U.S. Patriot system interoperability."
After the morning portion of the exchange, the ROK AMDC treated their U.S. partners to a catered lunch at the ROK Officer's Club. After getting to know one another over traditional Korean dishes, the contingent moved to Suwon Air Base for a more hands-on discussion at a U.S. Patriot battery site.
Chief Warrant Officer 4 Issac Smith Jr., the 35th ADA support operations systems/assistance officer and a subject matter expert in Patriot system maintenance, led the maintenance discussion at Suwon.
"On this third annual technical exchange, I have noticed growth in our relationship; three years ago, we started with a teacher/student relationship where we were coaching, teaching, and mentoring our ROK partners," Smith said. "We now have a peer to peer relationship and share a common bond with maintaining our equipment to the highest possible standard."
Smith is coordinating for a future exchange this Spring and discussed the opportunity to further the relationships built within the ROK air defense community.
"I have spent many years of my career alongside the senior leaders in the ROK AMDC," Smith said. "It's not just a partnership for me, it's a family. This bond we have forged with our combined partners is something special in the maintenance community and the more we contribute to it, the stronger it becomes."