International Missile Defense Conference held in Krakow

The US Consulate General in Krakow, in cooperation with a local think tank, organized a one-day conference on June 29, 2007 entitled, “Does Poland Need the Missile Shield?” The conference on the proposed American plan to locate a defensive missile system in Poland and radar system in the Czech Republic featured a panel with US Ambassador Victor Ashe, Guy Roberts, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for WMD Policy, Dr. Patricia Sanders, Executive Director of the US Missile Defense Agency and Dr. Witold Waszczykowski, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who had just returned from missile defense negotiations in the United States. All of the panelists outlined the current threat, stressing that the proposed US system is defensive and a part of the overall joint security of the United States and Europe. Guy Roberts explained that NATO sees the proposed US missile defense system as easily “bolted on” to existing plans for NATO missile defense. He also stated that the US has been very open with Russia about the system by encouraging visits to both US missile sites and the future Czech and Polish sites. Dr. Patricia Sanders discussed technical aspects of the missile defense system, explaining that 18 of the last 19 tests of the missile system have been successful. Five journalists and academics spoke on the second panel. Objections centered on having a US military presence here, fearing this would make Poland a potential target and “a puppet of the US”. Other panelists disagreed with this, citing the examples of Germany and Italy, both of whom have substantial US military presence and yet have disagreed with the US on major policy issues.