The more northern arc is the great circle from Tehran to Washington DC. The arc just south of it is two great circles. The first is Tehran to Warsaw, and the second is Warsaw to Washington DC.
Posted on 03/04/2006 10:50:47 AM PST by lizol
Report: Poland tops Pentagon list for US missile defence site
Mar 4, 2006, 13:58 GMT
Warsaw - Pentagon experts favour NATO member Poland as a potential location for the overseas portion of the United States National Missile Defence (NMD) project, Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza daily reported Saturday quoting sources in Washington.
The US-based NMD plan is designed to protect it and fellow NATO defence alliance members plus Japan from a potential nuclear missile attack by rogue states.
Washington is now expected to make a political decision on the location of a large anti-missile base in Europe to serve as the overseas component of the NMD, sources told Gazeta.
Poland's Minister of Foreign Affairs Stefan Meller confirmed last month Poland is 'continuing talks' with the United States on possible participation in its National Missile Defence (NMD), dubbed the 'Son of Star Wars' by critics.
Late last year, Poland's conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz urged public debate on whether Poland should host US missile bases.
Unconfirmed reports alleged Pentagon officials had already been scouting the Tatra mountains in southern Poland for possible missile base sites.
The idea of a national missile defence system first emerged in the US during the Cold War confrontation with the Soviet Union. During the 1980's US President Ronald Reagan proposed the Strategic Defence Initiative, popularly dubbed Star Wars.
Since shedding communism in 1989, Poland has been among the closest European supporters of US defence policy. A NATO member since 1999, it was an enthusiastic backer of the US-led 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq.
I had no idea that we were considering putting europe under our NMD system. I thought they were all opposed to the plan.
Russia won't be too happy about that.
((((ping))))
Hi! :)
The western europeans are opposed to it, that is why we are putting the defense systems in Poland and Britian.
OMG!!!!!!!!!
In this case we must abandon the idea :-)))
The more northern arc is the great circle from Tehran to Washington DC. The arc just south of it is two great circles. The first is Tehran to Warsaw, and the second is Warsaw to Washington DC.
Poland is our good buddy, but I have a problem with providing missile defense to those european countries who oppose it and certainly aren't helping to pay for it.
I say other than England, and the eastern Europe countries, let them pay for it, and defend themselves.
Actually, there are much better options than Poland for siting either missiles or radar. However, those sites may not be politically tenable and we probably want to say "thank you" to Poland for their support.
This was always touted as National Missile Defense. Other than Canada, who initially rebuffed us under the Liberal government, I thought it was to protect America.
This article makes it sound as if it's International Missile Defense. That's a huge change in scope. I admit I haven't followed this all that closely, so it may be my fault for not keeping up.
Why would Poland pay for this system if it is projected to defend US not Poland? US should be happy if Poland agree to host such facilities.
Being closer to the launch point of the missile dramatically increases the chances of hitting one. Poland being protected is a side benefit to them for allowing us to locate the base there.
Lukasz:
Why would Poland pay for this system if it is projected to defend US not Poland? US should be happy if Poland agree to host such facilities.
It protects both our countries. Would you rather we waited till missles from Iran are overflying US airspace before attempting to shoot them down?
Sure, and this is a good business for both sides.
I read some articles about it and most of them claimed that such system would not protect Poland but only US.
I'm guessing a quiet shift has gone on in Euro minds since the emergence of the Iranian threat. This way, they can have their cake and eat it too - score points at the UN (and in commerce) by cutting a deal with Iran, but get the US to protect them against the ensuing Iranian deployment of nuke-tipped missiles capable of hitting Europe. And in a classic case of NIMBY, get us to put it in Poland.
If I didn't feel a sense of responsibility towards Britain and New Europe, I'd be advocating pulling out of that screwed-up continent entirely and leaving them to their own devices.
Shooting them down over the Atlantic would work fine for me.
I don't see the point, frankly. We don't need to worry about Russian missles. We need to worry about NK and Iran. China, too, but even China's at a point where a missile defense seems a bit far-fetched. The only thing that will protect us from China is MAD. Same with Russia.
In case of a nuclear war that will be the first target.
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