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Canada is about to grit its teeth and begin discussions on a U.S. plan to create a missile defence grid covering North America. The plan to build one or two sites comprising long-range surface-to-air anti-ballistic missiles and radars was conceived in the 1990s by the Clinton administration, albeit at the behest of a Republican-controlled Congress. The justification was, and is, ostensibly, to defend the continental United States (and Canada) from missiles fired by "rogue" states which cannot be deterred from gross misbehaviour by America's nuclear arsenal. The countries most often cited as potential threats to the United States include North...

TOKYO: North Korea, which shocked Japan in 1998 when it sent a ballistic missile over the country, criticised Tokyo on Wednesday over a plan to buy a US missile defence system, saying it would increase tension. North Korea, embroiled in an international dispute over its nuclear arms programme, said Japan was pushing ahead with its plan under the "absurd pretext" of a North Korean missile threat. "This decision of Japan brought to light before the international community its sinister intention to realise its ambition to turn the country into a military giant and launch overseas aggression," the North’s news agency...

North Korea says "arms, not words" were necessary for dealing with Japan's attempt to set up a missile defence system. The latest outburst comes just days after North Korea demanded Japan be excluded from the next round of six-nation talks into its nuclear weapons program. "Japan's moves for military build-up and overseas expansion have gone to extremes and the threat of missile and re-invasion comes from Japan to the DPRK (North Korea)," the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. "Closely following Japan's reckless moves, the army and people of Korea recognize that they should approach Japan with arms...

AUSTRALIA should join the US global missile shield to provide a protective umbrella for forces increasingly deployed to trouble spots in the Pacific and Asia, a navy report claims. The report, by the Royal Australian Navy Seapower Centre, said "the Government would be abrogating its responsibility to ADF soldiers, sailors and airmen if it espoused a new strategic role for them without providing tools to carry it out". Author, RAN Commander Tom Mueller, said Australia should fit three air warfare destroyers, due to be delivered in 2006, with an anti-ballistic missile capacity to provide cover for deployed forces. The ships...

JAPAN plans to deploy advanced interceptor missiles to beef up its defence system amid fears North Korea has up to 170 medium-range missile units targeting the country, a daily newspaper said today. The Security Council of Japan and the cabinet will adopt a plan to allocate funds for two types of missile systems - Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) - in late July, the Yomiuri Shimbun said, quoting government sources. The government intends to begin the 200-billion-yen ($US1.7 billion ($2.54 billion) defence program as early as April 2007, the mass-circulation newspaper said. The plan came after the...

Oceania is at war with Eurasia. Oceania has always been at war with Eurasia. And Canada has always been against nuclear missile defence. Or is it, Canada has always been in favour? Damn. I have given up trying to keep pace with the twists and turns of Liberal foreign policy. The Chrétien government has a quite unnerving mastery of doublethink: to hold two entirely opposed thoughts in their heads at the same time is child's play to them. So it isn't quite true to say they have done an about-face on national missile defence, merely because at one time they...

The U.S. plan to field a missile defence system is putting strain on the ideological rivets keeping the Liberal party bolted together. America's launchers would be based in Alaska. But since missiles from Asia and the Middle East would likely pass through our airspace, the United States wants Canada on board the project. U.S.-friendly Grits, including Art Eggleton, the former defence minister, Finance Minister John Manley, and David Pratt, chairman of the Commons defence committee, argue for Canada's participation. Prominent left-wing Liberal MPs, on the other hand -- such as John Godfrey and John Harvard -- want Ottawa to have...

A few months ago, Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham was denouncing the very idea of National Missile Defence. Now he, Defence Minister John McCallum, and even Prime Minister Jean Chrétien have been making noises that suggest Canada will buy into the Americans' plan for a continental missile protection plan. What's changed? The first point that is clear is that U.S. President George Bush, his determination no longer in doubt after the Iraq war, is going to press ahead with development of a small National Missile Defence (NMD) system and has made plans for initial deployment by 2005. No effective NMD...

In his recent appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee, CIA Director George Tenet was asked, "What is the likelihood that [the North Koreans] currently have a missile capable of hitting the West Coast of the United States?" He turned to the officials sitting with him, conferred with them briefly and replied, "I think the declassified answer is, yes, they can do that." In fact, he allowed that the North Koreans probably have one or two "plutonium-based devices" at their disposal. Of course, it comes as a surprise to no one that North Korea is pursuing a nuclear program. The...

Last week was a milestone for our homeland security. No, not because of passing a bill -- but because of passing a test. That is, the test for effective protection against the vilest leaders in the world launching the vilest weapons: Ballistic missiles topped with nuclear, biological or chemical weapons. Indeed a ballistic missile defense system for homeland security will protect us more than any Department of Homeland Security. And that's what advanced last Thursday, when a bullet hit a bullet in space, over the oceans. That mind-bending event proves that BMD is more than Ronald Reagan's pipe dream. It's...

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has approved the acquisition of an anti-ballistic missile system from the US, at an estimated over 1.5 billion dollars, to be deployed at key sensitive installations and nuclear facilities, Kyodo news agency quoting authoritative defence sources reported on Tuesday. The sources told the Japanese agency, on condition of anonymity, that the defence ministry has narrowed down its choices to the Patriot Air Defence System, the Nike Hercules missiles and the Hawk missile system. The deal is estimated to cost more than 1.5 billion dollars and would be in addition to the military purchase that Pakistan has...