US Features

US missile defence plans impervious to Russian threats

By Mike McCarthy May 29, 2007, 11:05 GMT

Washington - Some of the harshest rhetoric since the end of the Cold War is being fuelled by Russian fears that US missile defence plans in Eastern Europe could shift the balance of power on the continent. The United States is determined to station 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar site in the Czech Republic by 2013 to defend against the threat posed by Iran's growing ballistic missile capability, and has made it clear that Russia will not be allowed to alter US national security goals. 'I don't think that anyone expects the United States to permit, somehow, a veto on American security interests,' US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said after a recent meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Rice and US Defence Secretary Robert Gates have sought to calm Russian concerns by flying to Moscow, and have agreed to autumn meetings with their Russian counterparts to increase communication between the two governments. US President George W Bush is scheduled to hold meetings in Prague and Warsaw starting June 5, and missile defence is likely to be discussed in a wider circle at the G8 summit June 6-8 in Germany. Russia is alarmed that missile defence in Eastern Europe would be another sign of shrinking clout in its traditional sphere of influence, as more countries move into the 'orbit of the European Union and United States,' said Helle Dale, an expert on missile defence and NATO at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington. Moscow is unhappy about NATO's continued eastward expansion, the West forging closer connections with former Soviet and Warsaw Pact countries, and the UN Security Council's moves toward Kosovo's independence from Serbia, a traditional Russian ally. But the sharpest diplomatic exchanges between the United States and Russia have centred around missile defence. Russia has threatened a Cold War-style arms race that would upset the balance of the two countries' nuclear missile arsenals, while US officials called Russian concerns 'ludicrous.' During Rice's May 14-15 mission to Moscow, both sides agreed to tone down the barbed rhetoric. But the Kremlin and the White House remain far apart in their views on whether missile defence will change the strategic balance in Europe. US diplomats and military officials have met frequently with their Russian counterparts, explaining details of the system, promising cooperation on missile defence and even offering to share the technology. Russia has refused such concessions. 'We won't cooperate against ourselves,' Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said May 23. Washington argues that the Eastern European installations would not compromise Russian defences. But US officials have not pledged, at least in public, that the interceptor site in Poland won't be expanded in the future - a key Russian concern. At the beginning of 2007, Russia's fleet of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) numbered about 490, while the United States had about 500 active ICBMs, said Hans Kristensen of the Federation of American Scientists, a think tank in Washington that focuses on arms control. Most analysts agree that US missile defence plans for Eastern Europe would not deter a Russian ballistic missile attack. Like any nuclear power, though, Russia would likely rethink its nuclear war doctrine to take potential missile defences into account. Even a small system capable of shooting down a mere handful missiles from an overwhelming arsenal could be enough to erode Russian 'confidence in their strike plan,' Kristensen said. 'It's not about whether the (missile defence) system can defeat the Russian missiles,' he said. 'The debate and concern that such a system is raising among Russian planners is that it can disturb an attack.' Already, the chief of Russia's strategic forces, Nikolai Solovtsov, has suggested that Moscow could revise its strategies to target the US anti-missile bases in Poland and the Czech Republic in the event of a nuclear attack. Washington called the incendiary remarks 'puzzling,' while the governments in Warsaw and Prague vowed not to back down in the face of Russian threats. Russia has had a missile defence system in place since the late 1960s to shield Moscow and other key sites, despite US objections at the time. US military planners responded by enlarging the US arsenal and expanding strike plans to counter Russian missile defences, Kristensen said. US officials say that missile defence in Eastern Europe should not be a problem for Russia. Rice has dismissed claims that a small system in Eastern Europe would pose any threat, because a shield would not be capable of shooting down the hundreds of missiles in the Russian arsenal. Unlike the Russian missile defence system, the US interceptors do not carry nuclear warheads or any other explosive. Instead, they are designed to take out ballistic missiles by smashing into them at speeds of 24,000 kilometres per hour. Dale, the Heritage Foundation expert, said that Russian threats like Solovtsov's constitute a continued pattern of intimidation toward the rest of Europe, rather than a real Russian concern about the missile defence system, pointing to recent Russian threats to cut off natural gas supplies to Europe and meddling in Georgia and Ukraine. The potential of a nuclear conflict with Russia is so remote that the focus should instead be on Iranian missiles rather than Russian attempts to use the dispute as a pretext to reassert control over former Warsaw Pact countries, Dale said. 'What the United States is preparing is nothing that can prevent an attack from Russia,' she said. 'In military terms, they don't have an argument. In political terms, they clearly think they do.' © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

View blog reactions

Latest Headlines in US

Talkback

Add your comment (no registration required)

page: 1 2 3

tonny from belgiumMay 29th, 2007 - 13:04:39

Dale from the American Heritage Foundation is just another neocon from a neocon thinktank .This is one of the guys behind the doctrine that caused the fluked invasion of Iraq.That is what you get when lunaric rightwing lobbyists mingle with politics .Their knowledge of the world outside the USA is based only on their preconcieived image of reality .Not on facts.Those thinktanks are fueled by the armament industry with their only reasons being to influence foreign policies of the USA and diverting more money from taxpayers into armament .There is no reason for missiles to be installed in eastern europe next to the russian border .It is just the start of a new weapons race ,to be met with countermeasures by the Russians,after being met with counter-countermeasures from the USA .All to the delight of Lockheed,Raytheon and other major suppliers of the cold war .Guess who is going to pay the bill?

Report this comment

Correction/AdditionMay 29th, 2007 - 13:20:03

The war in Iraq was planned and the evidence for it fabricated by Israel, the Neo cons along with the Jewish lobby groups in the U.S persuaded and tricked the big Chimpanzee currently in charge of America to attack Iraq, make no mistake about it the Americans are only fighting Israel’s war and just look at the result for the region and of course the U.S and its allies.

Report this comment

SharkMay 29th, 2007 - 13:29:00

to Tonny: You obviously think that all Americans are stupid, barbarous, and aggressive people. Well, think again. The United States has it's reasons for a deterrant in that area of the world, considering the recent views and under-handed actions of the Russian government. Ever play chess, Tonny? Better learn! 'CHECKMATE'!

Report this comment

From Jacob Israel To SharkMay 29th, 2007 - 13:41:38

Shark you sound like a 24 carrot proper idiot why don’t you come here to Israel to see if we can improve on your extremely low IQ. It id idiots like you who could compromise Israel’s security.

Report this comment

malcolm xMay 29th, 2007 - 13:57:20

Not all citizens of the U.S. agree with the 'reasons' for this policy. If you 'remember', which is something many 'Americans' seem to have a problem doing, Israel attacked Syrian SAM missile sites in the Bekka valley because they were perceived as a threat. Reagan (the great deceiver), in fact referred to those missiles as offensive weapons. So, why doesn't the same 'reasoning' apply here? Because it's not in neocon interest! At some point the hand will be overplayed.

I expect that Russia and Belarus to develop increasingly close political and military relations and possibly a redeployment of Russian forces in Kaliningrad. And, expect more contentious relations concerning any oil and natural gas pipelines crossing Polish territory. If Poland thinks that they can win this confrontation with Russia, they're foolish. The U.S. won't protect them from General Winter!

Report this comment

IanMay 29th, 2007 - 14:11:02

@ shark. Your 'argument' lacks dispassionate reasoning. It smacks of knee-jerk emotional jingoism. Perhaps you should stick to playing Checkers. Chess is way out of your league.

Report this comment

TribeWolfMay 29th, 2007 - 14:11:06

It's common sense boneheads. Did you even bother to read the article? Russia has had missle defense since the 1960's. Now we put up a shield of 12 - 15 missles to protect ourselves and our European allies from the wackadoos in the middle east (check your map on where that is - ah, directly southeast of Poland) and now we're the bad guys. Of course, it must all be the Republicans fault too.

You show your ignorance. You must have been taught, make that indoctrinated, by the Dems in public school all your life. You would be speaking Russian, German, or Chinese by now if it wasn't for the 'neo-cons' that have been making the hard choices over the last 50 years to protect your sorry behind.

You would also be the first one complaining and screaming conspiracy theories if we ever got attacked by a missle from any other country. I can hear you now. 'Why didn't we stop it? We have the technology. The government knew it was coming and let it hit us on purpose. Impeach George Bush!'

What idiots you are.

Report this comment

malcolm xMay 29th, 2007 - 14:19:08

I, personally, have never depended on anyone to protect, or defend myself. Maybe, if you grew (and I do mean grow as in grow up) out of your irrational xenophobias, you wouldn't need DADDY neocons to protect you from ghosts. Those I fear the most are those whom erode the protections afforded me by the U.S. Constitution, and they're right here, and they're not wearing turbans and calling on Allah. They're wearing business suits and calling on Jesus.

Stick to your 'reasons'. They're serving me well right now. You're witnessing the earliest stages of the destruction of your way of life, and it's all being self inflicted.

Stay strong, stupid, and 'American'! Long live John Wayne!

Report this comment

tonny from belgiumMay 29th, 2007 - 16:48:51

Just to clarify,I am not anti USA.There is absolutely no reason to accuse me of that .All arrows are aimed at neocons,evangelists and conservative republicans responsible for the sorry state of world affairs and the lack of protection of the poor and bereaved in the USA .Can any of them explain why they have to weep and cry wolf everytime a proposition is made to rmprove health care,medicare and social socutity ?Suuddenly then they claim paying too much taxes,waiste of good money,the poor being too lazy to work,etc,etc.I never hear them complain about the trillions of dollars waisted on armament.Do they eat rockets,bombs and guns ?Is there any constructive use to all these weapons ?Of course not ,yet never do neocons raise their voice in protest .Too me they are rrresponsible ignorant brainwashed people ,not able to define priorities .My guss is sooner or later those guys will be sent where they belong.The waistelands of history .Americans are already waking up to the facts.You can fool some people all the time,you can fool all people some time,but you cant fool all the people all the time.

Report this comment

Ginger S.May 29th, 2007 - 18:07:38

Oh, by all means let's make another enemy while Bush is at his wonderful foreign policy. Will we even survive the rest of his term?

Report this comment

page: 1 2 3

Add your comment (no registration required)

Latest from M&C Blogs

Musharraf exits the Pakistani stage as storm clouds gather - Global Eye on August 20, 2008 7:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

A new cold war? Missile defence deal draws Russian reaction - Global Eye on August 18, 2008 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (15) | TrackBacks (0)

South Ossetia: Winners, losers, hypocrites and incompetents - Global Eye on August 13, 2008 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (22) | TrackBacks (0)

Upside-down House - The World in Pictures on August 4, 2008 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Church of our Lady in Dresden, Germany - The World in Pictures on August 4, 2008 11:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Giant Orange - The World in Pictures on July 15, 2008 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

US

US Features

US missile defence plans impervious to Russian threats

Latest Headlines in US

Talkback

Latest from M&C Blogs

Similar articles

In Monsters and Critics

Corporate

The Fine Print