The AP reports
that the US has agreed to deploy Patriot missiles in Poland in 2010 and
is in talks with the Polish government to include them in plans to
develop a ground-based variant of the successful SM-3 ship-based
anti-ballistic missile.
US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Alexander Vershbow seemed particularly enthusiastic about the latter.
Commentary that we turned our backs on our allies in Eastern Europe seems to have been premature, at best. Of course, anyone who has been paying attention to what Secretary of Defense Gates has actually been saying should not be surprised by this development.
US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Alexander Vershbow seemed particularly enthusiastic about the latter.
This is a win-win situation. Poland still gets missile defense capabilities and a closer relationship with the US. We get to deploy proven, mature, and more flexible defense technologies and have removed an unnecessary irritant in our relations with Russia."We are very interested in the possibility that Poland would be the host country for one of the two land-based SM-3 missile sites that are envisaged under the four-staged plan that President Obama has laid out," Vershbow said.
"This system is specifically designed to protect all of NATO as well as US forces and US civilians based in Europe," he added.
Commentary that we turned our backs on our allies in Eastern Europe seems to have been premature, at best. Of course, anyone who has been paying attention to what Secretary of Defense Gates has actually been saying should not be surprised by this development.
GMD was specifically designed to target ICBM warheads. Neither Patriot nor SM-3 are.
How are the patriot missles not equally as irratating to the Russian interests?
The PAC-3 system is designed to shoot down short-range ballistic missiles and has limited anti-air capability. The SM-3 missile is a theater-wide defense missile capable against medium-range ballistic missiles, with a limited capability against long-range missiles and ICBMs.
To clarify: This system will shoot down Iranian short range missiles, planes, and helium baloons????
The right is unable to conceive of a presidential leader that actually knows what he's doing. They think everyone is like them and GWB.
The Iranians have been working on their medium-range ballistic missile capability, which the SM-3 missile would be well-suited to intercept.
As I understand it, the major threat from missile launches is Iran. Is that, or any other threat actually real enough to warrant a missile defense program ?
Isn't this the same country that tried to outrun the Nazi invation by using calvary?
Thank you for the insight. This is the type of compromise that isn't given enough credit. There is nothing wrong with a win-win situation!