June 15, 2007 :: New York Times :: News
While at a NATO meeting in Brussels on June 14, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates gave the U.S. response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's missile defense counter-proposal. Under the Russian proposal, interceptors would instead be based in Turkey, Iraq or aboard Aegis vessels and would share a Russian-leased radar facility in Azerbaijan.
In his response, Gates stressed that while the Azeri radar facility could enhance the current U.S. plan, it would not replace the X-Band Radar facility proposed for the Czech Republic. "I was very explicit in the meeting that we saw the Azeri radar as an additional capability, that we intended to proceed with the radar, the X-band radar, in the Czech Republic," Gates said. The X-Band Radar is designed to detect specific objects in space and to assist the interceptors destroy an adversary's missile in mid-flight. The system in Azerbaijan is an early warning radar with a wider range, but with less precise tracking capability.
At the meeting of defense ministers, Gates also effectively secured NATO's implicit endorsement for the U.S. plan. The group announced it would study how to incorporate shorter-range NATO missile defense systems with the new system to provide protection for Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey and parts of Romania-all areas that would not be covered by the U.S. plan. "The NATO road map on missile defense is now clear," said Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the NATO Secretary General. "It's practical, and it's agreed by all." In a surprising move, Gates also announced possible U.S. interest in placing additional missile defense systems in Ukraine. (Article)
» More stories on: Russia, European Missile Defenses
