Ballistic Missile Defense Seminar Held in Warsaw

28 March 2008

Participants in missile defense seminar (see more photos)

Numerous U.S. and Polish companies and research centers took part in a Ballistic Missile Defense seminar held in Warsaw from March 26-27. The seminar was sponsored by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and supported by the U.S. Embassy and the Polish Ministry of National Defense. According to U.S. Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe, the seminar offered “a unique opportunity for the United States and Poland to explore potential areas of research and development, and industry cooperation under MDA’s auspices and directly among the seminar participants. We are hoping for long-term partnerships to develop that will leverage both countries’ strengths and capabilities.” Ambassador Ashe also expressed hope that the U.S. team “will find interesting technologies, products, and services, and a climate conducive to strategic alliances and cooperation.”

Ambassador Ashe's remarks at the seminar follow:


Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz, Ms. Morgan, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am very pleased to be here today among senior government officials and representatives of the Missile Defense Agency as well as U.S. and Polish industry and research centers involved or interested in ballistic missile defense.  The presence of such distinguished delegates clearly indicates the importance and the multifaceted nature of missile defense cooperation. 

I think most of you are aware that we are currently involved in negotiations to position ten Ground Based Interceptors in Poland which has as its main goal the enhancement of U.S., Poland and our European partners’ security.  We hope soon to reach a successful conclusion to this important negotiation process. 

Today’s briefings followed by individual meetings tomorrow will offer a unique opportunity for U.S. and Poland to explore potential areas of R&D and industry cooperation under MDA’s auspices and directly among the seminar participants. We are hoping for long-term partnerships to develop that will leverage both countries’ strengths and capabilities.

Very seldom meaningful partnerships develop overnight, especially in complex technical areas. It may take a while to assess partners’ competencies and appreciate their mutual fit. Moreover, regulatory requirements must be satisfied before commitments are made in the defense sector and other national security fields. On the other hand, the more thorough are the preparations, the more beneficial is the eventual outcome, particularly in the long run.

The exploratory effort that you are expending now is time well spent. Nine major U.S. companies and a similar number of Polish institutions will present their needs and capabilities as well as talk one-on-one to establish direct contacts and possibly lay the groundwork for follow-up meetings. Those in turn may identify specific areas for actual collaboration and result in cooperative projects benefiting both partners.

As I’ve already suggested, the exploration and evaluation phases may take time, and also a government-to-government agreement must be signed before U.S.-Poland technical partnerships are formally established under the Missile Defense Agency’s auspices. The agreement itself has no bearing on other forms of ballistic missile defense cooperation, but simply allows for MDA’s technical engagement in Poland.

We welcome the MDA and U.S. industry team to Poland in the hope that they will find not only interesting technologies, products and services, but also a climate conducive to strategic alliances and cooperation. Needless to say, our Embassy stands ready to facilitate any research, development, testing, and production program aimed at BMD-related applications.