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.
Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia or Cyprus would be the best locations.
If and thats a big if, the base was installed, it is not a strategic missle base anyway. It would be an interceptor base. Interceptor missles have no strategic value and pose no threat to anyone, other than hopefully a rogue missle.
Some people are still trying to live in the cold war, when in reality the U.S. and Russia have more to worry about with the war on terror, and the rise of Islamic terrorist than each other. We once again have a common enemy.
You take what you can get. In any event military talks are going on all the time, they are not really news until the ink is dry.
Amazing. And in my lifetime, this is happening. I never would have imagined.
Poland is turning out to be a pretty decent ally.
Wow, but a second ago you screamed you want to be left alone!!!! Oh that's right, its back to being a fiery princes and doing what you want and spitting in whose ever eye you want and not having consequences. Live on in your fantasy world.
Actually, the priority of the Polish right wing govt is to make Poland totally independent from Russian gas and resign from the eastern source forever.
No problem. With the new pipeline your share will be taken up by your pay masters in Western Europe or America. Your market isn't that big and important, and saving on tariffs that you charge, might lower my bill here in the US. Seems like a win-win. You really aren't that big or important and your brightest people work in other nations anyways. Going around you and ignoring you is the only smart thing to do.
Considering the cost of gas here in the US, we'd eat up your share without a blink and ask for seconds. Add to this the Chinese, Japanese and S.Koreans asking for more, Russia will have ZERO problem selling it and much more. I'm sure the Germans will enjoy having a discount, might be good for you too, they won't cut the Euro strings so quickly that keep you afloat.
Yeah, buddy, that's why 200,000 Chechens live in Moscow this very day. You on other hand, with your alligator tears, wouldn't let the Chechens cross your border from Belaruss, last year. What a host of hypocrits.
Interceptor missles have no strategic value and pose no threat to anyone, other than hopefully a rogue missle. ==
As they say the one with sword and shield is better armed then one with only sword. So probably yes or maybe no strategic value of interceptor base.
But what if they can do flanking strike? Russia has many interests in her Europian part. So all those interests will be under aim from those interceptors. Any starting missile or sattelite from Europian part of Russia will be.
How do you like it if your neibor turns big gun on your house but tell you "You know it won't threat to you I swear!". Would you like to live under gun? Probably not.
BTW if you need to shield off iranian missile then you need to build interceptor base in Armenia or Georgia not Poland. On the border of problem.
"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 will it protect US if the missiles "would be going to hit Europe?"
"I'm not real happy about protecting Europe from anything anymore"
Me neither. Much of Europe, especially the richer parts - UK, France, Germany, Spain - appear willing to let the Iranians go nuclear. So be it. Let them deal with it.
Also Europe spends a pittance on defense and R&D. They let the US carry their weight in blood and treasure and instead spend their money on cradle-to-grave nanny socialism at the same time they bad-mouth the 'cowboy' US for protecting Western liberal democracy.
Let Europe suck it up and defend themselves. Let them make the choice between a 35 hour work week and their own defense. The US is or should be tired of reigning in the rebellious child.
At least Russia is spending their own money.
I think that Russian communist party or Zhirinovski already proposed something like that. But I always repeat that communist ideas wont work and policy must be separated from business. (sounds good in my opinion for two countries which pretend to be democratic ) I’m not surprised that this way of thinking is not shared by you and your above mentioned friends and allies.
Ahh you oppose this project, another astonishing surprise :-)
This outta send the libs into a tizzy.
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