[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 81 (Monday, May 15, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E439-E441]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO VICE ADMIRAL JON A. HILL
______
HON. DOUG LAMBORN
of colorado
in the house of representatives
Monday, May 15, 2023
Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following
Proclamation in tribute to Vice Admiral Jon A. Hill.
Whereas, on the occasion of his retirement from the United States
Navy, I wish to recognize Vice Admiral Jon A. Hill for nearly four
decades of military service to this great nation. In his most recent
assignment as the Director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Vice
Admiral Hill made significant contributions to the successful
development and fielding of a layered Missile Defense System in order
to protect the U.S. homeland, deployed U.S. forces, our allies, and
international partners. The significance of his contributions to the
Nation's defense is powerfully highlighted as we witness the ever more
aggressive development of offensive ballistic missile capabilities by
our adversaries and the spread of increasingly diverse missile threats,
to include maneuvering and hypersonic threats.
Whereas, prior to coming to MDA, Vice Admiral Hill distinguished
himself during his first Flag Officer tour as Program Executive Officer
(PEO) for Integrated Warfare Systems. In this role, he was accountable
for developing and certifying the deployment of all surface ship combat
control systems, radars, missiles, launchers, electronic warfare, naval
gunnery systems, and surface and subsurface anti-submarine warfare
mission capabilities within the Fleet and joint force. He held several
other high-profile leadership and acquisition engineering positions,
including Aegis Shipbuilding (PMS 400), Naval Surface Warfare Center
(NSWC) Dahlgren Division and Port Hueneme Division, and PEO Theater
Surface Combatants. He also served on the Assistant Secretary of the
Navy staff for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN RD&A).
Whereas, I would like to make special note that, Vice Admiral Hill,
having previously served as Deputy Director for nearly three years,
came into the Director position recognizing the need for significant
updates to the Agency's mission, organization, and processes in order
to position the Department on a path to counter advanced ballistic,
hypersonic and maneuvering missile threats. During his tour as MDA
Director, the Department of Defense made significant progress in
addressing current and emerging ballistic and hypersonic missile
threats by fielding, upgrading, integrating, and improving missile
defenses to provide U.S. Combatant Commands and the Services a highly
effective missile defense capability to defend the United States and
its deployed troops, allies, and international partners around the
world. He implemented a clear strategy focusing on increasing
capability and capacity of fielded missile defense systems and making
measured investments in advanced technologies, balancing rapid
development and fielding of capabilities with leap-ahead technologies
for the future system.
Whereas, to meet the rising threats to national security, Vice
Admiral Hill focused the urgency of the Agency on homeland defense, to
include the defense of Guam, and countering hypersonic missiles. For
four years, Vice Admiral Hill pursued a strategy to improve the
reliability, enhance the discrimination capability, and expand the
battlespace of U.S. homeland missile defenses. In response to the
growing North Korean ICBM threat, in 2021, he oversaw the completion of
Initial Fielding for the Long-Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) at
Clear Space Force Station in Alaska and planned delivery of the highly
advanced homeland defense radar to the Space Force for operational
acceptance in 2023. Once operational, LRDR will support the Ground-
based Midcourse Defense (GMO) capability against Pacific theater long-
range missile threats, improving homeland missile defenses against an
increasingly dangerous North Korean threat.
Whereas, under Vice Admiral Hill's guidance and leadership, he
oversaw improvements to homeland defense and delivered new interceptor
capabilities. Vice Admiral Hill ensured
[[Page E440]]
that the Ground Based Interceptor fleet underwent a much-needed Service
Life Extension Program to improve reliability and availability, a
critical activity that has been of great interest to this Congress.
With these ongoing efforts and Vice Admiral Hill's persistent attention
to this activity, the existing interceptor fleet will be extended
beyond 2030. If these efforts were not enough, in 2021, the Agency also
demonstrated an advanced booster that enables an earlier release of the
kill vehicle to greatly expand the engagement area and time to counter
the inbound threat. He also upgraded the homeland defense ground system
infrastructure, communications network, fire control system, and
missile fields at Fort Greely, Alaska to improve the reliability,
capability, and cybersecurity resiliency of the GMO weapon system and
support acceptance of the Next Generation Interceptor (NGI). With his
eye on the missile challenges of the future, Vice Admiral Hill oversaw
the award of two NGI contracts in March 2021 to rapidly advance the
development process to deliver this new capability as soon as possible.
Whereas, recognizing the growth in the hypersonic missile threat,
Vice Admiral Hill increased focus on new tracking sensor and
interceptor programs. He oversaw development of the Hypersonic and
Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) program to deliver satellites
to track hypersonic and ballistic missiles that will work together with
other Space Force missile tracking satellites also under development in
the Defense Department. He diligently ensured MDA continued to work
closely with the Space Force to implement his vision of making the
HBTSS a part of the overall satellite constellation for defeating the
global maneuvering threat.
Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill also championed the development of an
Aegis Glide Phase Interceptor (GPI) capability to leverage the existing
and future space- and terrestrial-based sensors, Command and Control,
Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC), and proven Aegis engage-
on-remote technology. In his pursuit of a layered defense capability
against the hypersonic threat, he saw the benefit of Aegis GPI working
together with Sea Based Terminal (SBT) defenses. With SBT Increment 2
already deployed, he pushed for the SBT Increment 3 upgrade for
delivery in 2024 to expand capability to defeat multiple advanced
maneuvering threats.
Whereas, given the evolving regional threat to Guam from China and
others, Vice Admiral Hill also moved quickly to address a requirement
identified by U.S. Inda-Pacific Command for a persistent 360-degree
layered missile defense capability on Guam, a strategically important
forward base for the United States. He steered the Agency, with
collaboration from the U.S. Army and Navy, in the development of a
defensive architecture to improve the defense of Guam. He put the
Agency on the road to developing the AN/TPY-6 radar to provide
persistent long-range midcourse discrimination, precision tracking,
missile engagements, and hit assessment to protect Guam and the Aegis
Guam System from engaging missile threats.
Whereas, during his four years as Director, Vice Admiral Hill also
continued improvements in the Command and Control, Battle Management
and Communications (C2BMC) infrastructure, which provides persistent
acquisition, tracking, cueing, discrimination, and fire-control quality
data to Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), GMD, Terminal High
Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), and Patriot, and for coalition partners
to support homeland and regional missile defense. In response to a
request by the Commander of U.S. Forces, Korea, he oversaw delivery of
a THAAD Remote Launcher capability in FY 2020 to increase the THAAD
defended area and improve defense against specific regional threat
concerns. He also directed the development for a Patriot Launch-on-
Remote capability with THAAD, which was fielded in October 2022. This
increased Patriot-defended area and engagement opportunities by
allowing the Army's Missile Segment Enhanced (MSE) Interceptor to
leverage the THAAD AN/TPY-2 Radar.
Whereas, the fielding of the THAAD 4.0 Region Specific system build
enabled the integration of the Army's MSE interceptor and M903 launcher
with the THAAD Weapon System, and MDA personnel and equipment needed to
execute this upgrade by moving it to the U.S. IndoPacific Command
Theater in September 2022. This capability was so successful, the Army
asked that it be deployed to other regions.
Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill guided program plans to strengthen
regional defenses by continuing deliveries of Standard Missile-3 (SM-3)
Block IBs and SM-3 Block IIAs for use on Aegis BMD ships and at Aegis
Ashore-Romania. He also continued advancement of the Aegis BMD system
in collaboration with the Navy to counter growing and more complex
threats, including improvements in system and missile reliability as
well as increases in Aegis BMD engagement capacity and lethality,
including work on the Aegis Weapon System, Aegis Ashore-Poland, the SM-
3 Block IIA program, and Sea Based Terminal defense. He also
accomplished a critical milestone for Aegis BMD by demonstrating in the
November 2020 the capability of an Aegis BMD-equipped vessel to defeat
an ICBM-class target using the advanced SM-3 Block IIA missile
interceptor developed in partnership with Japan.
Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill oversaw the construction of the Aegis
Ashore system in Poland to support European Phased Adaptive Approach
(EPAA) Phase 3 and improve European NATO defenses against medium- and
intermediate-range ballistic missiles. Vice Admiral Hill approved a
Technical Capability Declaration in February 2023 in advance of
acceptance by the Chief of Naval Operations of the site and US/NATO
operational validation. He oversaw the retirement of Aegis Ballistic
Missile Defense (BMD) 3.6.x from the U.S. Navy fleet after decades of
successful operational deployment and the upgrade of Aegis BMD ships to
the latest software and level of capability. He pushed for
collaboration with the Navy to give BMD-equipped ships the capability
to simultaneously perform both operations against ballistic missiles
and anti-air warfare operations against aircraft and anti-ship cruise
missiles. Vice Admiral Hill also spearheaded the software upgrades to
Aegis missile defense destroyers equipped with the SPY-1 radar to
support the Space Force Space Domain Awareness mission.
Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill demonstrated a commitment to expand work
with U.S. international partners, to include conducting joint analyses
to support partner missile defense acquisition decisions, cooperative
research and development projects, deploying BMD assets, Foreign
Military Sales, and co-production efforts. He pushed for investments by
U.S. allies and partners in their own missile defense capabilities to
enable them to build more effective regional security architectures
that complement U.S. regional missile defense capabilities.
Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill consistently advocated for investments in
technology today to defeat tomorrow's threat, and he encouraged pursuit
of several efforts in the Agency's Advanced Technology program by
adopting an integrated, strategic Science and Technology (ST) approach
to identify, develop. and transition key enabling technologies to the
Missile Defense System and the Warfighter. Vice Admiral Hill sought to
enhance current kinetic kill capabilities with directed energy and
other non-kinetic solutions to keep pace with the volume and complexity
of threats, and to work with OSD and the Services to develop the
technologies to support the development and integration of lasers and
high-power microwave systems.
Whereas, we are grateful that Vice Admiral Hill guided the Agency
through the COVID-19 pandemic by encouraging flexible telework policies
and continuing the push for superior information technology equipment
needed to support the maximum telework posture. He brought the Agency
out of the pandemic by shifting the workforce posture to what he called
``Workplace Next,'' which is designed to provide flexibilities with
work options and improved quality of life for MDA personnel. His
``Stellar Team, Noble Mission'' motto energized a geographically
dispersed MDA workforce.
Whereas, Vice Admiral Hill demonstrated superior leadership,
extraordinary dedication, and exceptional professionalism as the key
interface between the Agency and OSD, Joint Staff, Combatant Commands,
Services and Military Departments, the Department of State, and
international partners. He was also instrumental in developing a very
successful Congressional engagement strategy to support the Agency's
on-going programs and plans. Vice Admiral Hill's vision, persistence in
pursuit of excellence, and leadersl1jp greatly enhanced the Missile
Defense Agency's ability to develop and expand a truly global missile
defense capability.
Whereas, during Vice Admiral Hill's tenure as the Director of the
Missile Defense Agency, the Department of Defense made significant
progress in fielding missile defense capabilities to defend the nation,
its armed forces, and our international partners. Vice Admiral Hill
reorganized, reformed, and reinvigorated MDA in the execution of its
core mission developing missile defenses to counter advanced threats to
our Nation, our deployed forces, and our international partners. He
established a new leadership team to improve development, delivery, and
support to the warfighter. He also resolved systemic cultural and
process issues between programs and functional support organizations
enabling the workforce to function adeptly as one MDA team.
Proclaimed, that I, Congressman Lamborn and the 5th Congressional
District of Colorado shall commemorate Vice Admiral Hill as he prepares
to retire from a highly commendable career of military service and wish
him Fair Winds and Following Seas.
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