The U.S. Army has named its latest integrated air defense system after Sgt. Mitchell W. Stout, the only Air Defense Artillery Soldier to receive the Medal of Honor.
Previously known as Maneuver-Short Range Air Defense, the SGT STOUT system is designed to protect maneuvering forces by countering threats from unmanned aircraft systems, rotary and fixed-wing aircraft, rockets, artillery, and mortars.
The announcement was made during the Army’s 249th birthday celebration at the National Museum of the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George highlighted the system’s importance in the Army’s commitment to maintaining technological superiority and adapting to changing warfare dynamics.
Developed rapidly since 2018, the SGT STOUT has been deployed to Germany, Fort Sill in Oklahoma, and most recently to Fort Cavazos, Texas. In April 2024, six SGT STOUT vehicles and over 40 soldiers demonstrated their effectiveness in live-fire exercises during the DEFENDER 24 Saber Strike exercise in Poland.
Sgt. Mitchell W. Stout was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. On March 12, 1970, he sacrificed his life by shielding fellow soldiers from a grenade blast, saving them from certain injury or death.
Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, Doug Bush, stated that naming the system after Sgt. Stout was a fitting tribute, given his heroic efforts to protect his comrades. The SGT STOUT system, designed to detect, track, and engage aerial threats, will continue to safeguard soldiers on the battlefield.