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U.S. forces said they had destroyed a target in the first successful test of the Navy's newest anti-missile interceptor, designed to protect allies from attacks by countries like North Korea and Iran. A target ballistic missile was downed near Hawaii late on Wednesday by the latest Raytheon Co-built Standard Missile-3 interceptor, the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency (MDA) said. The advanced interceptor is key to the next phase of an anti-missile shield being built by the United States in and around Europe. The United States plans to deploy increasingly capable SM-3 versions up to around 2020 to boost defences against missiles...

US lawmaker: missile threat from Iran exaggerated By Associated Press Monday, March 23, 2009 - Added 42m ago WASHINGTON — A candidate for a top nonproliferation post in the Obama administration played down today the threat from Iran’s long-range missile program as a reason to build a European missile defense system. Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher is under consideration to be undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, a position that has involved shaping policy on U.S. missile defense plans in Poland and the Czech Republic. As chair of a congressional military appropriations panel, she has been a critic...

We took risk over anti-missile shield deal, says Sikorski Created: 23.03.2009 08:30 Poland’s foreign minister said Sunday that when Warsaw and Washington signed the anti-missile shield agreement in August last year they were assured by the American side that the issue was a “non-controversial one” and that Moscow would be persuaded that it was for defensive purposes only. Russia has strongly opposed the idea from the beginning, however, even threatening to station its own missile system in Kaliningrad, near the Polish border, in response. Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski made the remarks when in Brussels, after the EU spring summit. "We...

Poland hopes US will not back out of missile shield plans 13th January 2009 FM Sikorski expresses faith that Obama will press ahead with plans to install elements of a missile shield system in Poland A few days before President-elect Barack Obama is sworn into office, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski expressed hope that Obama does not back out of plans to install elements of a missile shield system on Polish soil. “I hope the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama, led by strategic security considerations, will continue the installation of missile defenses," Reuters reported Sikorski as saying at a...

Text of US-Polish anti-missile agreement published Created: 22.08.2008 09:07 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has published on its web site the unabridged text of the agreement on the deployment of the antimissile shield between the US and Poland signed yesterday by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. According to the agreement, the antimissile shield is to be an answer to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and means for their delivery, including ballistic missiles. Washington and Warsaw stress that the agreement was signed in compliance with international law and previous agreements between the two...

US senators urge Poland to ratify missile shield Posted : Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:50:13 GMT Author : DPA Warsaw - Two top supporters of US presidential hopeful John McCain on Thursday urged Poland to "quickly" ratify a deal to station part of a Pentagon anti-missile shield, and condemned Russian "belligerence" in the wake of its invasion of Georgia. "We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied by the Russians out of ratifying this agreement," said US Senator Joe Lieberman, whose name has been mentioned among the possible vice presidential candidates for the Republican Party. Lieberman and Senator Lindsey Graham stopped...

U.S. obliged to provide security for Poland under missile shield deal - Polish PM Donald Tusk WARSAW. AUGUST 20. INTERFAX CENTRAL EUROPE - The United States is obliged to provide security for Poland, as well as for any American facilities in Poland, according to a now signed agreement to place elements of a U.S. missile shield on Polish soil, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said, following the signing of the agreement Wednesday morning in Warsaw. "The U.S. is obliged to provide security to Poland and any American facilities on its territory," Tusk said. "Poland and the U.S. will act together...

Poland won't be intimidated over US missiles: president WARSAW (AFP) — In a clear swipe at Russia, Poland's President Lech Kaczynski on Tuesday said his country would not give in to threats over its deal with Washington to deploy US missile silos on Polish soil. "No-one can dictate to Poland what it should do. That's in the past," Kaczynski said in a live prime-time television address ahead of Wednesday's signing of the accord with the United States. "Our neighbours should now understand that our nation will never give in, nor allow itself to be intimidated," Kaczynski said, in the wake...

Why U.S.-Poland missile deal struck abruptly after 18 months of talks? 2008-08-16 21:38:02 BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. and Poland have abruptly struck a deal to deploy parts of the U.S. global missile shield in Poland, which prompted a warning from Russia that the agreement may involve Warsaw in escalating Russian-U.S. tensions. The U.S.-Polish deal, which started from January 2007, was inked Thursday after more than 18 months of talks. On Friday, Russia warned that the deal is threatening Russia's national security. Why was the deal struck so abruptly after dragging on for more than 18 months? And...

US and Poland agree shield deal Breaking News The US and Poland have agreed a preliminary deal on plans for the controversial US defence shield, Warsaw has announced. The plan would see the US base 10 missile interceptors in Poland in exchange for help strengthening Polish defences, said PM Donald Tusk. The scheme is highly controversial and has been opposed by Russia. Poland is reported to have demanded security help after Moscow threatened to target its missiles at the bases. The Polish Foreign Ministry told the PAP news agency that the deal would be signed at 1800 GMT. The US...

Deadlock in Missile Shield Talks By W.Ż. 30 July 2008 As talks on stationing a U.S. missile shield base in Poland hit further obstacles, it looks increasingly unlikely that Warsaw will reach a deal with the outgoing administration of President George W. Bush. A meeting of the Polish-U.S. Strategic Cooperation Consultation Group (SCCG) was held July 23, chaired by Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Stephen Mull. A short statement from the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the meeting was devoted to discussing the results achieved so far by working groups on the modernization...

US missile shield gains favour in Poland: poll 07-05-2008, 10h08 WARSAW (AFP) Polish opposition to hosting part of a US missile defence shield in the former communist country is weakening, according to the latest poll published on Saturday. Back at the end of February a survey suggested that 52 percent of Poles opposed the plans, however this new study -- a little over three months later -- found that only 46 percent disapproved. The project, which would see 10 interceptor missiles based in Poland and a radar facility in the neighboring Czech Republic, was supported by 42 percent of people...

Anti-missile shield for spying on Russia, says Moscow 04.02.2008 12:59 Moscow cannot see any reason for the Polish and Czech antimissile shield installations other than to spy on Russian military defence structures, according to the Russian deputy foreign minister Sergey Kislak. When asked if Poland would agree on Russian officers’ presence on the antimissile shield sites to give Russia assurance that the installations would not be used against Russia, Kislak said that his Polish colleagues had proposed no such option. According to the Interfax agency’s sources, during a meeting in Moscow in November 2007, representatives of US foreign and defence...

Official: Russia might target U.S. missile shield in Poland 2008-02-05 00:16:57 MOSCOW, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. missile defense system, if deployed in Poland, could become a target for Russia's defense system, a senior Russian official said here on Monday. "There are no doubts that the aim of the United States is not Iran, but control over Russia's nuclear potential," said Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the State Duma foreign policy committee. Kosachev made the remarks in response to an earlier announcement of Warsaw that it had reached an agreement with Washington on the installation of a U.S. missile...

Lawmakers plan to cut some European shield funds Thu Nov 1, 2007 3:20pm EDT By Richard Cowan and Kristin Roberts WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers will cut $85 million from a military spending bill meant to start construction on a European missile shield that Moscow opposes, a congressional aide said on Thursday. Democratic and Republican negotiators in the House and Senate agreed to provide money for the missiles, parts and radar but not the construction of the sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, the House of Representatives Democratic aide said. The fiscal 2008 spending bill still must go through...

Central Europe Socialists reject U.S. missile shield By Jan Korselt PRAGUE (Reuters) - Central European Social Democrat parties rejected on Thursday a U.S. plan to build part of its missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, saying it threatened to bring about a new arms race. Top Socialists from Germany, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia said after talks in Prague that any such system must not be built unilaterally or bilaterally. "We are concerned about the decision to deploy the system and are at one with the large majority of our populations in rejecting it,"...

U.S. criticizes Austrian official's comments on U.S. missile defense plans By DESMOND BUTLER, AP Posted: 2007-08-23 14:40:36 WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States said Thursday that comments by Austria's defense minister accusing Washington of provoking Russia with U.S. missile defense plans were unhelpful and reflected Cold War thinking. In an interview in the Austrian newspaper Die Presse, the defense minister, Norbert Darabos said he did not believe there was a credible threat that would justify building the anti-missile system. He urged U.S. officials to seek a compromise with Russia, which fiercely opposes the plan. The United States says the system,...

US, Poland Ignore Russian Threats WARSAW, Poland, July 24--Poland and US remain undeterred by Russian opposition to Washington's plans to build a missile defense system in eastern Europe, the chief Polish negotiator said Tuesday. Deputy Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said Russia had shown a determination to block the project, most recently by suspending its participation in a key European arms control treaty. In a phone interview with The Associated Press, Waszczykowski said the Polish President Lech Kaczynski and US President George W. Bush discussed their concerns over Russia's move during their meeting in Washington last week and resolved not to...

Poland plans formal alliance with U.S. www.chinaview.cn 2007-07-19 22:31:56 WARSAW, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Poland plans to make formal its alliance with the United States in an agreement regarding the possible deployment of a U.S. missile defense shield, the country's security chief said Thursday. "We would like to have a sort of written and binding agreement," Wladyslaw Stasiak, the head of the National Security Bureau, was quoted by the PAP news agency as saying. During negotiations between Warsaw and Washington, the two sides mainly discussed the status of the missile defense base and "a broader security context," he said. As...

Poland wants missile base to strengthen ties with United States, boost position within NATO 12:50 18.07.2007 Poland expects the projected U.S. ballistic missile defense base in the northern part of the country to tighten its relationship with the United States and strengthen its position within NATO and Central Europe, Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Pawel Kowal said Wednesday. "What we gain is obvious [...] – our relations with the United States will be exceptional, we will have also additional security guarantees," said Kowal in a morning interview with Radio TOK FM. "It should be emphasized that the shield on Polish territory...