MDAA Alert: 2026 Republic of Korea Missile & Drone Defender of the Year

“Been on the Pen for a few days and we have brought back our ROK Missile Defender of the Year ceremony with your 35th AAMDC and your commander which we first did in 2012 on the onset of the THAAD Deployment to our last in 2019 at Humphries before COVID hit. A tremendous event and success awarding 15 of your best of the best over the past year from the 35th AAMDC and using the date of June 23 in recognizing their sacrifice and mission of their 2-1 battalion 3 batteries deployed in Bahrain and Qatar for the 12-day Ballistic Missile war last year. The event was in Busan with intent and alignment with the Defense of Korea – the foothold of Korea – of the Busan Perimeter that enabled the Incheon Landing in the summer of 1950. Defense Wins World Championships as it did then and as it does today! It is a tradition that we would like to embed here annually and one where we would like to bring the ROK into like we had done previously. We would also like to bring in the joint forces to be apart of this there in Busan, certainly the Navy and Air Force.”

-Riki Ellison’s Remarks at 2026 Republic of Korea Missile & Drone Defender of the Year Event

In Busan, South Korea, last Tuesday night on June 23rd, 2026, we honored and recognized 15 awardees of the U.S Army in their noble and sacred mission of defending the Republic of Korea (ROK) from Missile and Drone for this past year. MDAA hosted our 90th Missile Defender of the Year (MDOY) award ceremony.

More than seventy years ago, the United States and the Republic of Korea forged an alliance in blood across the hills and valleys of this peninsula. From the invasion of June 1950 to the armistice of July 1953, a United Nations coalition of sixteen nations stood beside a young Republic, and that shared sacrifice became the foundation of a bond we honor to this day. It lives in three words spoken by Americans and Koreans alike: “We Go Together” — Katchi Kapshida. The 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade carries that legacy forward, standing watch over the skies of Korea so that more than fifty million people may live in freedom and peace.

The fundamental core of this enduring mission is not our systems, but our people; they are the most important and most critical asset. This night, we honored and recognized our best of the best — the Soldiers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and Officers who are the very root and backbone of this vital mission. They stand in the long line of warriors who have defended this peninsula since 1950, safeguarding the Republic of Korea, our alliance, and the freedom we pledged to protect together.

Our tradition of recognizing our best in this critical mission runs deep, embedded in a history of integrity and honor in the Missile Defense mission. The MDOY Award ceremony began in January 2011, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first operational Patriot missile defense intercept on January 18, 1991. MDAA has honored and awarded 1,121 Awardees at 90 total Defender of the Year Award ceremonies. This MDOY ceremony was ominous, as the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade holds the theater missile and drone defense mission for the Korean Peninsula. The Dragon Brigade is the force to man and operate the layered defense of Combined Forces Command’s critical assets, transforming the manpower of our current Patriot and THAAD systems across the Layers to a much lesser manpower state for the upcoming automation of the Integrated Battle Command System.

We celebrate our 15 newest Missile Defense Warriors advancing the culture and legacy of the missile defense mission to make our nation and the world safer.

We are honored to present to you the 2025-26 Republic of Korea Air & Missile Defenders of the Year: