In December of 2006, PajamasMedia ran a story on efforts by Democrats to cut the Missile Defense program
The incoming chairman of the Senate’s Armed Services Committee is Carl Levin. Levin, a Michigan Democrat, has long been a foe of missile defense. In 1980s, he worried that President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative — which aimed to develop technology to destroy Soviet missiles during all phases of flight — was “destabilizing.”
Today Sen. Levin sings the same tune in a different key. “They’ve not done the operational testing yet that is convincing,” said Senator Levin during a post-election press conference. He was referring to the Ground based Missile Defense [GMD] system being installed in Alaska and California, to defend against North Korean missiles. He added that he favors stalling purchases of interceptor missiles - vital for missile defense — until after testing is complete.
In short, Sen. Levin and other longtime opponents of missile defense plan to use “testing” - set to an unrealistically high level - to stop missile defense.
But, it seems, once again Democrats are on the wrong side of defense issues. While Senator Levin may not recognize the threat inherent in North Korea and Iran's missile programs, Europe apparently does.
US plans to extend its "star wars" missile-defense program to Europe, which once dismissed the technology as an unproven cold-war anachronism, are gaining acceptance among governments here...
"This is all a result of Iran," says Tim Williams, a European security analyst at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies in London. "Governments see that Iranian missiles can hit Europe, and suddenly they are very worried about the threat from ballistic missiles. They have to look at missile defenses."
Sunday, Iranian media reported that the country had launched a rocket into space, raising speculation that Iran was nearing the technological capacity to launch intercontinental missiles. That report, which quoted the head of Iran's aerospace research center, was quickly denied by his deputy, however.
There was no such equivocation from Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who, ahead of Tuesday's UN Security Council meeting on Iran's disputed nuclear program, compared its nuclear drive to a train that has no brakes.
The US, which says that a European shield would intercept ballistic missiles fired from "rogue states" such as Iran, wants to build a radar station here in the Czech Republic and a corresponding base with 10 interceptor missiles in neighboring Poland. After years of talks, the US last month approached the Czech and Polish governments about hosting the shield.
Britain is also on board
Britain is holding talks with the US about the possibility of putting parts of the 'Son of Star Wars' missile defence system in the UK.
A Downing Street spokesperson confirmed that talks were taking place, but stressed that they were at a very early stage and that no decisions had been made. The spokesperson said that Britain wanted to be kept in consideration as plans for the system were developed and refused to confirm reports in the 'The Economist' that Prime Minister Tony Blair had raised the issue with US President George Bush.
Russia isn't so happy
``We must react to this,'' Putin said, noting the U.S. defense shield would ``completely neutralize'' the deterrence threat posed by Russia's own nuclear missiles. ``There will be no more balance of power,'' he said, adding that Russia will aim to achieve weapons of its own to ``overcome'' such arms systems.
Putin, turning to Gates, said ``you have made a mistake'' when judging that missiles launched from Iran could threaten eastern Europe. The Islamic Republic's missiles can reach no more than between 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) and 2,000 kilometers, the Russian president said.
Why is Russia so upset? I mean really?
Perhaps it has something to do with this?
