U.S. Defense Chief Presses Missile Defense in Russia

Despite a seemingly chilly reception from Russian officials, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates yesterday expressed optimism about Washington’s efforts to decrease Moscow’s concerns on planned U.S. missile defense installations in Europe, the New York Times reported (see GSN, April 23).

Gates is the first of several administration officials set to make overtures to Russian leaders in coming months.  He met yesterday in Moscow with new Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, who afterward criticized plans to place 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic.

Serdyukov’s statement was probably prepared prior to the meeting, Gates said.

“We made some real headway in clearing up some misunderstanding about the technical characteristics of the system that are of concern to the Russians,” he said during an evening press conference.

“The key to this is cooperation,” Gates added.  “We would like to have the Russians as partners in this process.  We would like to share information with them.  We are prepared to co-locate radars with them.”

Gates said a team of Russian and U.S. government and military experts would be formed to answer questions raised by leaders in Moscow.  Russian officials are welcome to travel to the missile interceptor site at Fort Greely, Alaska, and a radar system in California, he said.

The United States is also willing to allow Russian officials to inspect any missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, Gates said.

Bush administration officials have argued that missile defense installations in Europe would counter potential missile threats from countries such as Iran and North Korea.  Russian officials question whether Iran is likely to produce an ICBM that could reach all of Europe anytime soon, Gates acknowledged (Thom Shanker, New York Times, April 24).

U.S., Czech and Polish officials yesterday discussed missile defense plans with representatives of other NATO nations, Space & Missile Defense Report reported.

There is a need to protect all NATO nations from missile threats, officials said.

“There is a shared desire that any U.S. system should be complementary to any NATO missile defense system,” said NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.  “The unanimous view was that the principle of the indivisibility of security should apply.”

There was discussion of whether NATO theater missile defense efforts could be “bolted on” the U.S. system, which as planned would not cover all of Europe.

Officials hope to have the U.S. sites finished by 2013.  Work has been conducted to ensure the U.S. system is compatible with the NATO system, said Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (Space & Missile Defense Report, April 23).

Obering said Washington hopes to know by the end of this year whether the Czech Republic will accept the radar system.  Other sites in Europe could be considered if Prague declines to house the radar system, the Czech News Agency reported yesterday.  Obering did not elaborate on potential alternative locations (Czech News Agency/Prague Daily Monitor, April 23).

U.S. officials also believe that Poland is open to negotiations on a site for installation of missile interceptors, Reuters reported.  “We believe they’re going to agree to begin a discussion, a negotiation about the site,” an official said as Gates headed to Poland (Kristin Roberts, Reuters/Washington Post, April 24).

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