Russia Could See Interceptor as ICBM, General Warns

Russia’s military chief of staff said that the nation’s missile warning system could mistakenly interpret a U.S. missile interceptor launched from Poland as an enemy ICBM, Interfax reported yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 19).

“There is a danger of this missile (antiballistic missile) being classified as an intercontinental ballistic missile,” Gen. Yuri Baluyevsky said in a television interview.

The Bush administration hopes to place 10 interceptors in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic under its missile defense program.  Moscow has objected to the plan as a threat to its security.

The Russian warning system is set to locate launch sites and respond to any missile launched from either Iran or Poland, the general said.

“All this will be literally a matter of seconds, which will not allow the U.S to let us know that they are going to knock down this (Iranian) missile,” Baluyevsky said (Interfax, Dec. 19)

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