US discussing missile sites in Europe

From DefenseNews

U.S. Discussing Missile Site in Europe with Poland, Others

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, WASHINGTON

The United States is discussing with Poland and other countries possible sites in Europe for a missile interceptor base capable of protecting the continent against long-range missile attack, a senior defense official said Nov. 16.

The official said the discussions have been under way “below the radar screen” since 2002 but indicated the U.S. government is now nearing the point of making decisions on whether and how to go forward with such an initiative.

“There have been a handful of countries — Poland is one, but there are several others — with whom we’ve been having discussions,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in an interview with Agence France-Presse and another news organization.

The talks with Poland were first disclosed earlier this week by Gazeta Wyborcza in Warsaw, and were not denied by Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz.

“We will analyze everything thoroughly and at the appropriate moment say whether it is good or not for Poland,” Marcinkiewicz said on the private television station TVN.

The U.S. official declined to identify the other countries with which the United States is discussing the missile site.

“We have the most mature dialogue with Poland because they’ve expressed continuing interest in the subject,” he said. “There are other countries that remain interested in the dialogue on the possible emplacement of interceptors in Europe.”

He said the site could be very similar to the U.S. site at Fort Greely, Alaska, where half a dozen ground-based missiles are positioned to intercept potential long-range missile attacks from North Korea.

A similar site in Central Europe would provide both the United States and Europe protection against long-range missiles fired from the Middle East or North Africa, he said.

“The analysis is fairly preliminary at this point. So there is no final determination, but a single site would probably provide pretty good protection,” said the official.

He cautioned that many issues remain to be worked out, and a U.S. decision to go forward would lead to more intensive consultations with U.S. allies on how it might work.

“Ideally, you’re probably looking at the end of the decade for some initial capability,” the official said.