October 23, 2009 :: New York Times :: News
After a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland would agree to host SM-3 missile interceptors provided by the U.S., to be deployed by 2015. This will be in addition to the provision of Patriot surface-air-missiles to Poland by the U.S.—part of the original Bush administration ground-based interceptor plan. While the Obama administration has scrapped the core of the original European missile shield plan to install ground-based interceptors in Poland and a radar unit in the Czech Republic, they have chosen to keep the 2008 promise to give Poland the Patriot missile system.
Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said Friday that the Czech Republic is also ready and willing to proceed with the new missile defense strategy for Europe proposed by the Obama administration. The shift to mobile SM-3 interceptors and Aegis ship-based missile defense is partly a response by the Obama administration to Russian objections to a ground based system able to defend against longer range ballistic missiles.
(Article)
» Poland Welcomes SM-3s
» Biden in Czech Republic
» Missile system details for: Patriot, Aegis Ship-Based BMD
