DEPLOYMENT OF U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE ASSETS IN EUROPE

 

* The United States reached a decision to initiate broader and more detailed discussions with Poland and the Czech Republic, which if favorably concluded, would allow the fielding of U.S. long-range ground-based missile defense interceptors in Poland and a mid-course guidance radar in the Czech Republic.

* However, no final decision on whether to field, or to host, U.S. Missile Defense assets has been made by any of the respective governments.

* 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.

* Unstable and unpredictable rogue states and extremist groups have looked to ballistic missiles and WMD as a way to counter the conventional military power of democratic nations.

* The United States has sought partnerships to develop and deploy missile defenses capable of protecting not only the United States and our deployed forces, but also friends and allies.

* Missile defense assets in Europe have the advantage that they can defend both 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.

* Department of Defense technical analyses showed that Poland and the Czech Republic are geographically optimal locations 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.

* Identifying optimal locations for defending against ballistic missiles launched out of the Middle East is mainly based on geography and the geometry created by ballistic missile trajectories.

* Depending on the results of these discussions, the United States will seek to field a limited number of ground-based missile defense silo-launchers with their associated interceptors in Poland, similar to those currently fielded at Fort Greeley, Alaska, and to deploy in the Czech Republic an X-band radar for midcourse tracking and discrimination of ballistic missile threats launched out of the Middle East.

* The U.S. Government’s technical analysis demonstrated that splitting the interceptor and radar facilities between Poland and the Czech Republic would maximize defensive coverage of Europe and the United States as compared to co-locating interceptors and radar in any single country.

* A long-range ground-based missile defense interceptor site and a missile defense radar in Eastern Europe would provide protection of most NATO territory against an intermediate and long-range ballistic missile attack from the Middle East.  In that context, it could complement and augment future NATO missile defense systems.

* U.S. missile defense system deployments are not directed at the Russian Federation, which has many hundreds of ICBMs.  A defensive site with a limited number of missile defense interceptors in Europe would not be able to counter Russia’s strategic offensive missile force, which would not be geographically well-situated in Europe for this purpose.

* The numbers of long-range ground-based interceptors at a possible site in Europe would be modest, up to 10.

* U.S. officials have been keeping, and will continue to keep, Russia informed about U.S. missile defense plans and programs as well as about our discussions with Poland and the Czech Republic with regard to locating U.S. Missile Defense assets in Europe to defend against missile threats launched out of the Middle East.

* The deployment of U.S. missile defense assets in Europe will improve the national security of the United States, of Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as all our European allies and friends.  There will likely be additional economic benefits to the host nation during construction and once the site becomes operational.

* The deployment of U.S. missile defense assets in Europe is completely consistent with ongoing NATO discussions about missile defense.  We have consulted closely with our NATO allies as these plans have developed, and believe that this system could both complement and become a cornerstone of an eventual NATO integrated missile defense program.