The SGT STOUT anti-aircraft weapon system named after a Medal of Honor recipient

Previously known as the Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense systems, the SGT STOUT family of weapons systems detects, targets, and destroys enemy airborne vehicles such as aircraft, missiles, and drones.

The SGT STOUT was renamed this month in recognition of the only air defense soldier to receive the Medal of Honor. Sgt. Mitchell Stout was serving in a spotlight position for his unit during the Vietnam War when his unit came under a mortar attack. While taking cover in a bunker, an enemy hand grenade rolled in. Knowing the grenade could cook off at any moment, Stout picked it up and ran towards the exit.

The grenade detonated, fatally wounding Sgt. Stout but his heroic actions saved the lives of his teammates in the bunker.

At the renaming ceremony, his sister Susan Tyler said, "Love for his guys is what led him to volunteer for a second tour. He felt like he could offer them more than somebody that hadn’t been there before. That maybe he could help somebody."

The SGT STOUT family of systems is being deployed around the world to protect American service members during a time where air defense has taken on a new priority. In the past, American troops enjoyed air superiority in their battlefields but recent events in Eastern Europe and the Middle East demonstrate that this may no longer be the case.

In January, three soldiers were killed in a drone attack on Tower 22 in Jordan. The drone was piloted by Iranian backed militias.

"The world and warfare are changing rapidly, and we will stay ahead of our adversaries," explained Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George . "This is critically important because the character of war is changing rapidly, and disruptive technology is fundamentally altering how humans interact."