Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is a “missile defense system” and who would it protect?

A: The U.S. has developed an integrated, layered missile defense network to protect against ballistic missile attacks from hostile states. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is the U.S. government research and development agency charged with developing this system. A missile defense system comprises a number of components at locations around the globe, including land, sea, and air-based systems to defeat short to long-range missiles that could threaten the United States, as well as Europe and other allies and friends. The existing U.S. system protects the United States. The U.S. intends to add a missile defense site in Europe to increase protection for the U.S. homeland, and at the same time protect U.S. allies in Europe.

Q: How would the missile defense system work in this region of Europe?

A: A missile launch is first detected by an early warning satellite of the type that has provided missile early warning for several decades. Basic information regarding missile trajectory and type of missile is relayed to the North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) operations center. Ground-based early warning radars then track the missile and provide additional information about the missile to the command center. A ground-based X-band radar will then gather more precise target tracking information and this information is transmitted to the ground-based interceptor missile. An interceptor is launched, and receives additional targeting information while in flight. A small "kill vehicle" containing a package of advanced sensors and electronics separates from the main rocket motors and uses its on-board rockets to place it in the path of the target warhead more than 100 km in space. The "kill vehicle" then proceeds to collide directly with the target warhead, using only the force of direct collision to destroy the target warhead high in space and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of kilometers from the interceptor launch site. Since the intercept occurs so high in space and so far away from the interceptor launch site, debris from the intercept is unlikely to fall to earth.

Q: Where in Europe and the world are there components of the short to long-range missile defense elements already in place?

A: The U.S. has fielded and deployed missile defense systems to a number of locations both inside the U.S. and abroad to address the evolving ballistic missile threat. In Europe, the existing early warning radar in the United Kingdom has been upgraded to enable its integration and employment as a component of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. In addition, the U.S. and Denmark have signed an agreement to use an upgraded early warning radar in Greenland that will be integrated into the missile defense system in the next few years. Also, long-range interceptor missiles are located in Alaska and California in the U.S., and an upgraded missile tracking radar is located in the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. An X-band radar has been deployed to Japan, the Patriot system against short to medium range missiles is in numerous locations around the world, U.S. ships equipped with advanced missile defense radars and interceptor missiles are preparing for operation in the Pacific Ocean.

The United States is cooperating on the system with a wide range of friends and allies including Japan, Great Britain, Australia, Denmark and Italy. The United States also cooperates with Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, and with NATO on broad areas related to missile defense. In addition, the United States and Spain have established a Missile Defense Technical Group; the United States has a Theater Missile Defense Exercise Program with Russia; and we are exploring possible cooperative projects with France and Ukraine.

Q: Why is the United States interested in fielding missile defense assets in Europe?

A: The world’s least responsible states either have already acquired, or are attempting to acquire weapons of mass destruction as well as the means for their delivery, including ballistic missiles. Rogue states and extremist groups have looked to ballistic missiles and WMD as their asymmetric weapon of choice to counter the conventional military power of democratic nations. Defenses offer the advantages of not only defending innocent lives against the threat of ballistic missiles, but as more robust deployments occur, of deterring their acquisition, deployment and use. The United States has sought partnerships to develop and deploy missile defenses capable of protecting friends and allies and the United States and our deployed forces. Missile defense assets in Europe are valuable because they can defend much of Europe against intermediate-range ballistic missiles and the United States from intercontinental range ballistic missiles launched out of the Middle East. Simply put, forward deployment of U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System assets offers a defense of Europe against intermediate-range ballistic missiles where none now exists, and provides increased protection of the continental United States.

Q: Why Poland and the Czech Republic?

A: U.S. Department of Defense technical analyses showed that central Europe is geographically optimal for fielding U.S. missile defense assets to maximize defensive coverage of both Europe and the United States from ballistic missiles launched from the Middle East.

Q: What U.S. missile defense capabilities would be fielded in Europe?

A: Assuming negotiations are successful and a decision to field missile defense assets in Europe is made, the United States will seek to field a limited number of ground-based missile defense silo-launchers with their associated interceptors similar to those currently fielded at Ft. Greeley Alaska, and to deploy an X-band radar for midcourse tracking and discrimination of ballistic missile threats launched out of the Middle East.

Q: Why deploy ground-based interceptors so close to Russian territory?

A: U.S. missile defense system deployments are not directed at the Russian Federation and are not designed to counter Russia’s strategic offensive missile force. Determining the location for a missile defense interceptor site in Europe to defend against long-range ballistic missiles launched from the Middle East is simply a question of geography and physics.

Q: Will Russia be consulted during the decision process and how can their concerns be alleviated?

A: U.S. officials have been keeping, and will continue to keep, Russia informed about U.S. missile defense plans and programs.  U.S. officials have had 10 formal contacts with the Russian government about prospective missile defense deployment in Poland and the Czech Republic.  In August 2006, the Russian Minister of Defense, Sergei Ivanov, visited the U.S. missile defense site in Fort Greely, Alaska on a tour led by then U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.  Russia will be able to discuss its concerns during our regular bilateral consultations in diplomatic channels as well as in military-to-military channels.