Posted on 11/17/2005 1:13:40 AM PST by twinself
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. and Polish officials are discussing building a base in Poland from which U.S. interceptors could shoot down long-range missiles as part of a global defence network, a Pentagon official said Wednesday.
It would be the first American strategic missile defence site outside U.S. territory, and would be designed to defend all of Europe against intercontinental-range missiles - primarily those launched from the Middle East.
No decision has been made to proceed with a missile defence base in Poland and alternative sites in Europe are a possibility. But the Pentagon official said Poland appears to be the most likely host country for the kind of American military installation that would have been unthinkable before Poland joined NATO in 1999.
The official discussed the matter only on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
The Pentagon has made no public announcement of its discussions with Polish officials, although it has made known its extensive consultations in recent years with NATO allies on the threat posed by ballistic missiles.
On Monday, Poland's new prime minister, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, said he was opening a public debate on whether to host a U.S. missile defence base.
He did not specifically say Washington was interested in installing ground-based interceptors of the sort that the Pentagon has recently installed in Alaska.
"This is an important issue for Poland, related to our security and to our co-operation with an important ally," Marcinkiewicz said.
He leads a new conservative government in Warsaw that took office on Oct. 31. The previous government had expressed concern that missile defence co-operation with Washington could harm relations with Russia, which had opposed Poland's decision to become a member of NATO.
The U.S. military has no permanent bases in Poland or other Central and Eastern European countries formerly aligned with the Soviet Union. The U.S. does have bases in former Soviet republics in Central Asia such as Kyrgyzstan.
U.S. officials have been discussing with new NATO members Romania and Bulgaria the possibility of basing some U.S. troops there as part of a repositioning of U.S. forces around the world.
U.S. officials have been considering a number of possibilities for extending the American missile defence network to include Europe, although most of the focus has been on defences against short-range missiles.
Long-range missiles are considered an emerging threat, in the view of Bush administration officials, because of the proliferation of technologies that would allow countries such as Iran and possibly Syria or Libya to build extended-range missiles. The threat is especially worrisome when coupled with nuclear warheads.
The current U.S. defence system against long-range missiles is limited mainly to an installation at Fort Greely, Alaska, where at least six missile interceptors are in underground silos, linked to a command and control system. It is designed mainly to shoot down missiles fired at U.S. territory from North Korea, with future expansion planned.
The Pentagon official who discussed the Polish option said that if a missile defence base were built there, it probably would be the only one needed to defend Europe against long-range missiles, although radars, other sensors and interceptors designed to combat shorter range missiles also would be needed for a complete defence.
The official estimated that a site in Poland would not be ready to begin operating before 2010. He offered no estimate on how much it might cost or when U.S. officials were likely to make a decision to proceed. Also undetermined is whether the site would be controlled jointly by U.S. and Polish forces or possibly with a NATO role.
How the heck did this turn into a discussion about Russian Polish relations!
The point is to protect Europe from Iran and other Arab/Muslim nukes and bombs. The issues are - should US be doing that given Europe's appeasement of Arabs, Muslims and Iran, anti-US ungratefulness, and irresponsible lack of defense spending from a First World power.
On Poland's side it remains to be seen whether they will not have the identical reaction that Europe and West Germans had to Pershings and Cruise missiles that defended them.
Russia is spending own money on what ?
I don't understand your post.
"Maybe you haven't seen the videos of sweet Chechen barbarians cutting the heads off of Russian soldiers...I have."
I've seen that too. Quite interesting.
I don't understand your post #10.
You said:
"This system will protect US, not Poland. There probably wouldn't be enough time to shoot down missiles launched from the middle east, which would be going to hit Europe."
How does a missile defense in Poland "protect US?" How is US protected if the missiles were launched at a European target?
I don't see Europe as the US' surrogate. Not anymore. Europe must take care of Europe. Where interests meet, so be it. If Europe asks for help the US should weigh the request.
"You're not the first in your psychopatic views. Before you Hitler said it was Jews who were responsible for the whole evil around the world. I see you follow suit in this psychopatic kind of madness and adopt "good examples". "
Jews = Chechens. Right.
Help Poland march on Germany and France.
You said:
"I am generally against this system being deployed in Poland but that Russia wouldn't like It is one of few positive aspects in the whole affair."
Stop spending US money on your anti-Russian agenda. US spends it own money on its own agenda, Russia spends its own money on its own agenda, which is not on anti-Poland nonsense as far as I can see. If Poland has an agenda let Poland spend its own money on it.
The US is not a wedge between Russia and Poland. Russia can be a potent and valuable force against Islamists. It remains to be seen what they will do with Iran and Syria. Latest news on Iran has been more positive.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20051117-1323-nuclearagency-iran.html
Your comparison is an incredible insult to the Jewish people who were wholly innocent of any violence or teritorial aspirations. That was a racially/religiously based genocide against unarmed civilians who were citizens of their own countries.
Are you unaware that, at the least, the Chechens have a nationalist objective? Are you unaware that the Chechens are highly militarized, armed, and have committed atrocities in their nationalist struggle?
Your comparison is a form of Holocaust denial.
"but indeed there are better locations in Europe, so probably that base won't be built in Poland and that's good"
If the West Coast can be protected by a system in California, the East Coast does not need protection based in Europe. Protection of the East Coast could be based in NY, NJ, Delaware, Md or another midpoint.
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