HALMSTAD, Sweden – Senior leaders from the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, the 164th Air Force Artillery Brigade and key leaders from the Armed Forces Air Defense Regiment witnessed a handover ceremony of the Patriot missile system on November 18 in Halmstad, Sweden.

The new system marks the beginning of a new era for the Swedish Air Force and a decisive step towards strengthening Swedish air defense capabilities.

“This is a great day not only for Sweden, but for all of us in the air defense community,” said Major General Gregory J. Brady, Commanding General of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. “The acquisition of Patriot will increase our preparedness and capacity as we face future threats,” said Brady.

One of Major General Brady’s priorities is to continue to strengthen the relationship between the Swedish Air Defense Regiment and the 10th AAMDC.

There have been several joint exercises ahead of today’s handover ceremony.

“In recent years, we have participated in exercises together and we look forward to continuing to build our relationship in 2022 with the Swedish Armed Forces,” added Brady.

That relationship has been promoted through joint training and education down to the unit level between the 5th Battalion, the 7th Air Force Artillery Regiment and the 61st Air Defense Battalion with the intention of building capacity through interoperability.

That training will be shown for the upcoming Ramstein Legacy 2022 exercise.

The Ramstein Legacy 2022 exercise, scheduled for next summer, will be the largest ground-based integrated air and missile defense exercise in the world, bringing together NATO IAMD allies and partners to build interdisciplinary procedural interoperability.

“Every time you increase the time you spend together, it builds competence, which builds preparedness, and preparedness is crucial to what we will face together in the future.”