State’s Rood says U.S. has no interest in arms race with Russia

 05 March 2007

Although the United States advocates placing limited missile defense capabilities in Europe, a senior U.S. government nonproliferation expert says it has no interest in sparking an arms race with Russia.  Discussions with Poland and the Czech Republic entail deployment of “a purely defensive system,” says U.S. Assistant Secretary of State John Rood. This would put 10 missile interceptors and tracking radar sites in Central Europe to defend against Middle Eastern threats.  The U.S. objective for limited missile defenses in Europe “is to optimize the defensive coverage of both Europe and the United States,” Rood said during a February 27 speech in London.  Adding the defense assets would provide considerable protection against long-range missiles and intermediate-range missiles, he said.  To read Assistant Secretary Rood’s full remarks, click here.