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.
To be killed by somebody by a deasease means that a person injected sth or one was infected in purpose. What happened was the POW's died of deaseases because nobody in that circumstances could have helped them...
And you see tbrough your lens with perfect clarity?
For instance, RusIvan once said that 10 million Poles in the USA is impossible because Poland's population in the 18th and 19th Century was 20 million. ==
You lying vox_PL and you know it. Shame on you.
I told you that 10 mlns of poles emigrees to USA in 19 century (which you calimed) was impossible because US Census Beurau in 1990 reported that WHOLE number of people who clainmed polish ansestry is about 10 mlns. It was in 1990!!
SO it means that for 2 centuries (19&20th) to end of 20th century (1990) poles in USA did never reproduced. Means 10 mlns poles (according to you) came in USA and same number were in 1990. Is it possible?
Did poles in USA make children more then 2 per family? Can it be that during almost 2 centuries poles birth rate in USA equals mortility? Sametime everyone else increased thier numbers: black, whites, chineses, latinos and so on.
Or may be probably your claim about 10 mlns of polish emmigres are not true.
????????
What happened was the POW's died of deaseases because nobody in that circumstances could have helped them...==
SO as in german camps. Accually your justification works good for german war criminals. But to late they already were sentenced for killings in thier POW camps.
I never heard that any poles was sentenced for killings in polish POW camps.
Just one comment, I'll quote myself from # 175:
It's pointless to discuss with a person, who is completely braindwashed with historical (or maybe better would be to say his-storical) "knowledge" deriving from the old, good Soviet tradition.===
I equally may call you as brainwashed by polish nationalistic justification propaganda.
"Poles never did nothing wrong. All wrongs in the world was done to poles".
Lizol didn't you agree that such "victimizing" phylosophy is dangerous. We both may find many examples that such propaganda is destructive toward own people. Look on vox_PL.
Latest example. Those "arabs and blacks" in Paris neiborhood call themselves the "victims" of collonialism. Where this phylosophy drew them?
"Correction - it would be against Russia's interest but only if Russia wanted to attack with nukes Poland or other European country."
The whole thing will be able (maybe) to shoot down a few missiles, so could not stop any Russian attack.
Have you seen the maps I posted?==
I saw your map. I already answered to other Freppers that to launch against Earth spin is energy deficient.
They always launch toward spin (to east) using spin as additional boost or at least to north or south means spin neutrally.
But you trajectory is toward west. It is against spin. SO the speed of your warhead will be surtracted with earth spin.
"What is your problem with NATO?"
NATO just doesn't work anymore. It can't work when some members are to each other rather enemies than allies.
putting anything military in those 4 states you mention seems about as likely as another nuke plant in calif.
Too many nutcases protesting and making it impossible.
Go to South Carolina and it would be welcomed. Though not in the center, so sacrafice boston.
I think you are wrong, you do not understand engagment geometries or timelines. Poland has no particular geographic advantage for defending the United States from missile attacks from Siberia or the Middle East.
The United States would view a situation in which a nuclear armed "rogue state" in the Middle East could exert political pressure on western Europe unfavorably.
The United States should consider Russian sensitivities in these matters. It is not in the U.S. interest to needlessly antagonize Russian public opinion.
How would Russians (or Poles) feel about a U.S. withdrawal from Europe? Would Russians welcome a reunited Germany nursing grudges about the explusion of ethnic Germans from eastern Europe, unrestrained by an American military presence?
OK, wrong, wrong - my misunderstaning.
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