US missile defense complex in Poland

US missile defense complex in Poland

The US missile defense complex in Poland, also called the European Interceptor Site (EIS), is part of the Ballistic Missile Defense European Capability. It will be placed in Redzikowo, Słupsk, Poland,forming a Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system in conjunction with a US narrow-beam midcourse tracking and discrimination radar system in the Czech Republic. It consists of up to 10 silo-based interceptors, a two-stage version of the existing three-stage Ground Based Interceptor (GBI), with Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV), with a closing speed of about 7 km/s.

According to the United States administration the system is intended to protect against missiles from Iran, although in November 2007 the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate reported that Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program had been halted since fall 2003. It has also been pointed out that Central Europe is way beyond the range of any missile that Iran currently has. [ [http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40835 Q&A: &#39US Missile System Could Re-Start Cold War, or Worse&#39 ] ]

Russia strongly opposes the system. As an alternative it has proposed sharing the Qabala Radar in Azerbaijan, which Russia leases, but for the US this is not an acceptable substitute. [AFP. [http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070710/wl_afp/usrussiadefensemissiles Azerbaijan no 'substitute' for Pole, Czech bases: US] . July 9, 2007.]

The missile shield has received much local opposition in the area, including several protests. This included a protest in March 2008, when an estimated 300 protesters marched on the proposed site of the missile base [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/29/europe/EU-GEN-Poland-Missile-Defense.php Protesters March on Proposed US Missile Base] ] .

History

Since 2002, the US has been in talks with Poland and other European countries over the possibility of setting up a European base to intercept long-range missiles. A site similar to the US base in Alaska would help protect the US and Europe from missiles fired from the Middle East or North Africa. Poland's prime minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said in November 2005 he wanted to open up the public debate on whether Poland should host such a base. [BBC. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4445284.stm US considers Polish missile base] . November 17, 2005]

In February 2007, the US started formal negotiations with Poland (in April 2007 57% of Poles opposed the plan) [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/24/AR2007042400871.html U.S. Might Negotiate on Missile Defense] , washingtonpost.com] and Czech Republic concerning construction of missile shield installations in those countries for a Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6704669.stm Europe diary: Missile defence] , BBC News]

The coord|54.553748|16.620255 Ustka-Wicko base of the Polish Army is mentioned as a possible site of US missile interceptors. Russia objects; its suspension of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe may be related.

Russia threatened to place short-range nuclear missiles on the Russia’s border with NATO if the United States refuses to abandon plans to deploy 10 interceptor missiles and a radar in Poland and the Czech Republic. [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1569495/Russia-piles-pressure-on-EU-over-missile-shield.html Russia piles pressure on EU over missile shield] , Telegraph] [ [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/05/23/asia/AS-GEN-China-Russia.php China, Russia sign nuclear deal, condemn US missile defense plans] , International Herald Tribune] In April 2007, Putin warned of a new Cold War if the Americans deployed the shield in Central Europe. [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/apr/11/usa.topstories3 Russia threatening new cold war over missile defence] , The Guardian] Putin also said that Russia is prepared to abandon its obligations under a Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987 with the United States. [ [http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-10-12-us-russia_N.htm U.S., Russia no closer on missile defense] , USATODAY.com]

John McCain is a strong supporter of missile defense. [ [http://www.johnmccain.com/informing/issues/054184f4-6b51-40dd-8964-54fcf66a1e68.htm John McCain 2008 - Effective Missile Defense] ] In October 2007, McCain said: "And the first thing I would do is make sure that we have a missile defense system in place in Czechoslovakia and Poland, and I don't care what Putin's objections are to it." [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,303827,00.html Republican Debate Offers Internal Jabs, Pack Attack on Hillary Clinton] , FOXNews.com]

Barack Obama said he supported shifting federal resources away from an “unproven missile defense system” to proven technologies. [ [http://blog.washingtonpost.com/earlywarning/2008/03/obamas_missile_defenses.html Obama's Missile Defenses - Early Warning] ] “I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending. I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I will not weaponize space. I will slow our development of future combat systems,” Obama said. [ [http://www.newsmax.com/smith/barack_obama/2008/06/10/103236.html Obama's Defense Plan Leaves Us Vulnerable] , Newsmax.com] [ [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/07/08/ap/politics/main4242313.shtml Poland Avoids Missile Defense Topic With Obama] , CBS News]

On July 4, 2008, Poland did not agree on the United States conditions and installation of anti-ballistic missile on its territory. [ [http://www.zw.com.pl/artykul/265966.html Polska nie zgadza się na instalację tarczy] ]

On July 8, 2008, The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that if the missile defense system is okayed, "we will be forced to react not with diplomatic, but with military-technical methods." [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,378065,00.html FOXNews.com - Russia Warns of Military Response If U.S.-Czech Missile Defense Agreement Approved - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News ] ]

On August 14, 2008, The United States of America and Poland announced a deal to implement the missile defense system in Polish territory, with a tracking system placed in the Czech Republic. The Russians responded by saying such action "cannot go unpunished." [ [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/world/europe/16poland.html?hp Russia Lashes Out on Missile Deal] , The New York Times, August 15, 2008] "The fact that this was signed in a period of very difficult crisis in the relations between Russia and the United States over the situation in Georgia shows that, of course, the missile defense system will be deployed not against Iran but against the strategic potential of Russia," Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's NATO envoy, said. [ [http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2008/08/200881514010734640.html Russia angry over US missile shield] , Al Jazeera English, August 15, 2008]

Russia warned Poland that it is exposing itself to attack — even a nuclear one —by accepting a U.S. missile interceptor base on its soil. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn the deputy chief of staff of Russia's armed forces warned Poland, that "Poland, by deploying (the system) is exposing itself to a strike — 100 percent". [ [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1833364,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics Will Russia Attack Poland Next?] Time, August 15 2008]

On August 20 2008, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Poland’s Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski signed in Warsaw the "Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Poland Concerning the Deployment of Ground-Based Ballistic Missile Defense Interceptors in the Territory of the Republic of Poland". [ [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/aug/108659.htm Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of Poland] ] [ [http://www.msz.gov.pl/Agreement,regarding,the,placement,in,Poland,of,anti-ballistic,defensive,missile,interceptors,20825.html Agreement regarding the placement in Poland of anti-ballistic defensive missile interceptors] - full text]

ee also

*Recent Developments From National Missile Defense Article
*European Front From Anti-ballistic Missile Article.

References

External link

* [http://www.mda.mil/mdalink/pdf/esi.pdf US factsheet]


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