The U.S. Army reports that it is now conducting its own training of soldiers in the use of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.

The training by Army personnel is occurring at the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Instructional Facility at Fort Sill, Okla.

"This represents the culmination of a lot of activity to get the facility built, the instructors trained, and the training devices built and delivered," said Brig. Gen. Christopher Spillman, commandant of the Air Defense Artillery School, located at the Fires Center of Excellence. "All of that required a monumental amount of work and coordination from various stakeholders across the air defense artillery community."

Previously, contractors provided training on the system as the system matured and the cadre of trained soldiers grew. The service can now train its own personnel on it.

THAAD is a rapidly deployable system for intercepting and destroying ballistic missiles -- inside or outside the atmosphere -- during their final phase of flight. Each THAAD battery is comprised of as many as six truck-mounted launchers, each storing eight interceptor missiles, a radar system, and a fire control system.

Three THAAD batteries are now in operation with the Army, and a fourth is undergoing equipment training. Three more batteries will be formed.