ALEXANDRIA, Va., Jan. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Riki Ellison, Chairman and Founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA), www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org, will host the third annual Missile Defender of the Year Award Ceremony in Alexandria, Virginia today that will honor the best U.S. Armed Service members in the field of missile defense for 2012. The award recognizes and honors members of the United States military who command fully operational and deployed missile defense systems around the world.  The 2012 MDAA Missile Defender of the Year Award winners are; Captain Kyle Kirkpatrick from Dugway Proving Ground, Utah for the United States Army, Fire Controlman Second Class Petty Officer Ronald Barbee from the USS Stethem (DDG-63) at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan for the United States Navy, Captain Gregory Tengco from Thule Air Base in Greenland for the United States Air Force, and Sergeant Aric Wilkins from Fort Greely, Alaska for the United States Army National Guard.

The award is given to a United States Armed Forces service member that currently deploys a U.S. missile defense system. The Defenders of the Year are selected by their peers and commanding officers from the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Air Force, and the National Guard. These select individuals represent the best in leadership and personal effort, demonstrating their commitment to excellence and their critical role in missile defense. They are an inspiration to their peers, subordinates, and superiors.

The MDAA Defender of the Year event is held annually on the anniversary of the first successful war time use of active U.S. missile defenses to protect and defend our armed forces and allies. On January 15^th, 1991 soldiers from the 11^th Air Defense Artillery brigade changed modern day warfare forever when they successfully intercepted an Al Hussein Missile launched from Iraq headed towards Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

SOURCE Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance