Russia scraps plan to deploy missiles near Poland
Move comes after Obama dumps Bush-era plan to deploy missile defense system in Poland.
By The Associated Press Tags: Iran Barack Obama Israel news Iran nuclearRussia has scrapped a plan to deploy missiles in a region near Poland after U.S. President Barack Obama dumped the Bush-era plan for a missile defense in Eastern Europe, a Russian deputy defense minister said Saturday.
Vladimir Popovkin told Ekho Moskvy radio that Obama's move has made the deployment of Iskander short-range missiles in the Kaliningrad region unnecessary.
"Reason has prevailed over ambitions," Popovkin said. "Naturally, we will cancel countermeasures which Russia has planned in response, such as the (planned) deployment of Iskander missiles in the Kaliningrad region."
Russia staunchly opposed the Bush administration's plan to deploy 10 missile interceptors in Poland and correlated radar in the Czech Republic and threatened to respond by deploying the Iskander missiles in its westernmost Baltic Sea region.
Obama's decision to scrap the plan was based largely on a new U.S. intelligence assessment that Iran's effort to build a nuclear-capable long-range missile would take three to five years longer than originally thought, U.S. officials said.
Obama is to meet with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the United Nations and the Group of 20 economic summit in the coming week.
Medvedev hailed Obama's decision as a responsible move, but Russian officials have given no indication yet that Moscow could edge closer to the U.S. stance on Iran and help raise pressure on Tehran over its nuclear program.
On Friday, however, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the new missile defense system planned for Europe had the flexibility to adapt to changes in Iranian missile capabilities even if U.S. intelligence about Tehran's slower-than-expected pace turns out to be wrong.
Gates, a former CIA director, said that even if Iran moves more quickly on its long-range missile program, the revised program will have the flexibility to deal more quickly and effectively with the change.
"We actually are better able to deal with a changed situation - in which the intelligence assessments are wrong - with the new architecture than we were with the old one," Gates told reporters.
The new assessment asserts Iran is unlikely to have a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile until 2015 to 2020, a U.S. government official familiar with the report told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the report remains classified.
It is the second time in two years U.S. intelligence has revised downward the threat posed by Iran's weapons programs.
President George W. Bush contended that the Poland missile base was needed to shoot down any Iranian missile if it ever developed one with adequate range to threaten the United States or Europe. The U.S. already has a similar missile site and radar in Alaska.
Previous intelligence assessed that Iran would have an ICBM capable of menacing Europe and the United States sometime between 2012 and 2015, another U.S. government official said.
The assessment changed because Iran has not been conducting the kind of observable development and testing that would be expected to accompany a robust long-range missile program, the second official said.
The new assessment is contained in a classified May 2009 National Intelligence Estimate. The secret report is called "Foreign Ballistic Missile Development and Threat Through 2020." National Intelligence Estimates contain the consensus judgment of all 16 American intelligence agencies about critical national security issues.
Thomas Fingar, the former chairman of the National Intelligence Council, said Iran's progress - or lack thereof - on its ballistic missile program can be readily observed.
"There's been a lot of testing. They learned from the tests and we learned from the tests," Fingar said.
Fingar, who spearheaded the controversial 2007 national intelligence estimate that disclosed Iran had halted its nuclear weapon design work in 2003, was not privy to the new intelligence. But he said Iran may be working on short-range missiles because they are easier to build than large, long-range missiles, and lessons learned in their development can be applied to larger missiles.
He also said Iran may not be aggressively pursuing an ICBM because it has discerned its most likely adversaries are in the region, so shorter missiles have more immediate utility for offensive attacks or deterrence.
The new Obama plan would deploy systems designed to shoot down short- and medium-range missiles, with construction in phases to begin around 2011. Systems to counter longer-range missiles would be in place around 2020.
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Send this article to the New York Times, which claims there has not yet been any Russian reciprocity to the US decision to scrap its original missile plans for Poland and the Czech Republic.
Last thing we need is another missile race!
The US has bases all over Western Europe. While every one of those bases may be a target (they would have been from the Russians), the bases's Patriot and SM-2 missile shield, to the extent it exists and isn't still science fiction, extends to several hundred (or thousand) sq. KM surround the base. The EU is richer than the USA, has more land and population. They can build and invent their own. They might have to forgo a high speed rail upgrade, or welded tracking someplace.
If you don't like Russians having bases in Syria, build your own in the Baltic. Show 'em who's boss. Stop asking your big brother to do everything.
and Israel has unfortunately moved into fourth place in terms of US priorities (as per Gen. James Cartwright).
During the 30's Germany carried out secret tests in Russia to develop weapons it was barred from possesing under the treaty of Versailles. Given North Korea's recent flurry of missile tests and the known relationship between IRI and DPRK, is someone failing to put 2 and 2 together? Or, are the North Korean tests also inadequate for the development of a long range missile programme?
Apart from the "little" Russian missiles, the Dear Leader from Caracas has also purchased a number of T72 battle tanks. Of course these tanks are reliable, for only can they be used in the desert area of the Guajira. Hardly in the Orinoco jungle terrain. Then of course he bought a number of Sukhoi, which are no match for the Colombian Air Force pilots whom are battle trained on a daily basis. The love affair most certainly has its dangers. Colombia and the US consider the fellow as a clear and present danger to much of Latin/Central America. Have a nice day.
NATO wants to have a partnership with Russia. The so called missile shield is more political than defensive. Mr.Obama and his underlings are convinced, that its time to place the Iranian ICBM threat in the Out tray. Many may be confused, however the US has other and better uses for its scarce resources. Like Health Care, revamping the banking industry and above all creating jobs. Thats good. Israel, it seems, has also downplayed Iran's ICBM program, that is according to DM Barak. Thats even better. There is a story circulating in the Gulf, it seems that Israeli expertise has been required to deal with the growing Iranian threat. Nobody believes in todays US Intel. Least of all those affected parties in the ME. Another glorious day for Mr.Ahmadinejad..? I think not, for he probably believes that the Zionist entity has set a well laid trap. His diatribes against Israel has increased mainly due to the above, for he cannot fathom or even begin to understand all these changes.
...Europe now being completely vulnerable to the Iranian threat, will that bring their interests closer to those of Israel, or not? While Israel is continuously improving its anti-missile defense system Europe has put its bet on American protection and spent its money on anything but defense. Who has miscalculated here, Europe or Israel?
Iran's successful testing of solid rocket propellant and its even longer range, manly Shihab 4 & 5 rocket design plans along with its haram, lusty romance with Chavez in his Venezuelan lovenest does not bode well for the US and the west. What's most to fear from Iran's successful nuclear drive would be their plans to eventually minituarize their weaponry and selectively arm their proxies to strike when ordered and leave no retaliatory trace back to the Iranian Motherland.
Western consumerisim and high speed internet will change Iran and every other country, we are heading to a new world order and the internet will define it. Save the missile money, buy a large monitor and wireless keyboard.
Hmmmmm.... Why is it that a rash of things that Israel wants oddly just don't happen ever since Bibi took his current position regarding the settlments? who could have ever predicted this? Failure: Bibi.
If you are so frightened, the EU is richer than the US. You guys spend so little of your GDP on defense, spend a little more. Why should the US contribute more to EU defense than you Europeans ever would on your own. Have you no defense industries to rob you blind? Can you not build your own Maginot line in the sky? Have you no unemployed physicists? For a mere few hundred billion Euros, you too can build your own Star Wars system. And it will surely work as well as a US built system if you spend enough. Maybe you could even contract with the same firms ripping off the US government.
bibi flies secretly to russia, days after U.S drops its missile shield plans hmmm, U.N finds israel guilty of war crimes, Iran shoves new proposals in the eyes of the world body, syria is hinting that peace is within reach, iraq is playing a vital role, turkey is very active, a big smoke screen was set up to blank everything and everyone, mitchel comes to israel and leaves...hillary states that if iran doesnt give up nukes program then more sanction (no mention of military action)lebanese president cancels an invite by saudi to be with obama. bottom line there is something big cooking,and all of these actions are filtering down into the same cup, not sure what but we will all know soon enough.
Iran may simply buy a missile delivery system if they are so intent on obtaining one. Russia, North Korea and China are all able to supply a proven and tested platform to Iran if they wished. The US talked and blustered but in the end could not stop North Korea becoming a nuclear power. What makes anyone think that they can precent Iran doing the same?
Anyone who can draw a 'great circle' curve on a glove can see in an instant that the Bush defense had NOTHING to do with Europe. The interceptors and radars were in the wrong places. Anyone who has followed the development of the Mid-Course Ground Based Defense involved understands that the system has NEVER passed any essential test. It is incapable of defending against any ballistic missile which the US or anyone has faced in the last 50 years. It could not defend against any launch it was not given exact details about the time, trajectory and target of days in advance. it was incapable of defending against any target given the least protection in the form of decoys and countermeasures. The system deployed now in Alaska, and intended for use in Poland was a failure 10 years ago. It is a failure today. This is no problem as Iran has no ICBMs. And we HAVE the capability to intercept Medium Range Ballistic Missiles. The USN has the capability. Even the THADD can do the job.