|
U.S. Close To Announcing Deal To Construct Missile Defence System in Central Europe |
|
|
|
Written by Staff
|
|
Tuesday, 23 May 2006 |
The United States is expected to announce plans for the implementation of a missile defence system based in Central Europe as a further protection against increasing threats from various points within the Middle East.
A Pentagon spokesperson said that the U.S. has been in discussion with allies in the EU going back to at least 2003. The Czech Republic's Defense Ministry spokesman Jan Pejšek confirmed in early April that the Czech Republic has been involved with "negotiations" with the U.S. to locate the base in that country. Poland is also being considered as a location for such a base.
Negotiations "are proceeding on the subject of the possibility of an American anti-missile base in the Czech Republic," Defense Ministry spokesman Jan Pejšek told The Prague Post April 5.
The United States currently has two missile defence bases, one in Fort Greely, Alaska and another in California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. A missile defence base in Central Europe would be the first of its kind located off American soil.
U.S. Defence Department spokesperson Lieutenant Commander Joe Carpenter while confirming ongoing negotiations with countries in Central Europe, would not specify which middle eastern countries the U.S. considered to be threats. Carpenter explained that a ballistic missile defence system situated within Central Europe would make a "significant contribution to the protection of the US and European allies from a Middle Eastern ballistic missile threat."
Current defence shield technology utilizes satellites and radars to detect, track and indentify intermediate and long-range ballistic missiles. If a missile is determined to be of hostile intent, interceptor missiles are deployed in an effort to destroy them.
Czech officials have said that a U.S. missile defence base would be beneficial to the Czech economy by creating much needed jobs.
If a deal is finalized, the U.S. expects that a Central European base would be operational by 2011. |
