Posted on 07/06/2010 2:37:43 AM PDT by tlb
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has overseen the signing of an amendment to a US-Polish agreement on the basing of missile interceptors in Poland.
Repeating a theme the Russians have consistently rejected, Mrs Clinton said Moscow has nothing to fear from a Nato-endorsed missile defence system based in Europe because it will be aimed at Iran's missile arsenal.
"This is a purely defensive system," she said, with her Polish counterpart, Radek Sikorski, at her side. "It does not threaten Russia."
Moscow views the project as a potential threat to its own missile arsenal.
Mr Sikorski said his country fully supports the project, which the Obama administration radically altered last year in a move that some critics interpreted as a conciliatory gesture to Russia and a slap at Poland.
The Bush administration had planned to install 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a tracking radar in the Czech Republic. President Barack Obama decided to reconfigure the system to account for what he said were changes in the nature of the Iranian missile threat. Obama's system eventually would include land-based SM-3 anti-missile interceptors in Poland; the early elements are largely sea-based.
The amendment was a technical adjustment to reflect Mr Obama's changes.
(Excerpt) Read more at herald.ie ...
As best as I recall, the campaign promise to his supporters was NO ABMs in Poland. Not shifting one model for another. And we know the SM-3s work. That was what shot down the falling satellite at 100+ miles altitude. Also I don't know the configuration of SM-3 land batteries, but I expect when this is done there will be more then just the originally scheduled ten launchers.
Some early indications:
http://www.spacenews.com/policy/pentagon-shifts-sm-3-for-european-missile-defense.html - September 17, 2009
Hell ,with Obama at the helm,they're licky Vlad hasn't rolled the tanks on them yet!!!
Bear is afraid to do so, Poland is no Georgia (with due respect). Poland is a NATO member, Polish soldiers are well equipped, toughened by wars in Congo, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan. Unless Bear goes hand in hand with Germans as they did in the past they have no chance. Simple as that.
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