A leaner, looser 'Star Wars' system
President Bush's missile-shield plans are stoking cold-war tensions, as Putin threatens to re-aim Russian weapons at Europe.
By Peter Grier | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the June 5, 2007 edition
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Washington - The missile-defense plans of today's Pentagon are far less ambitious than those envisioned by the Reagan-era Strategic Defense Initiative. Out, is the concept of an impenetrable domed shield for the US. In, is possible limited security against an accidental launch or rogue power such as North Korea.
Yet 30 years after "Star Wars" roiled world geopolitics, US missile defense remains a contentious issue, both in Washington and abroad.
Support for missile defense in Congress remains mixed. Meanwhile, Russia continues to hammer at Bush administration plans to deploy missile-defense elements in Europe with rhetoric that harks back to US-Soviet cold war days.
In an interview released Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that he might respond by re-aiming nuclear weapons at Europe.
Military sites on the Continent could be targeted with "ballistic or cruise missiles or maybe a completely new system," said Putin.
So far the US has placed 17 long-range interceptor missiles at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force, Calif., according to US Missile Defense Agency officials. This system is still under development, though it was raised to operational status during a recent North Korean missile test.
In Europe, plans call for ten interceptors based in Poland, with a radar in the Czech Republic.
Overall, the Missile Defense Agency has conducted more than 35 major tests, Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry Obering III, Missile Defense Agency director, told Congress in April.
"Overall, since 2001 we have built a record of 26 successful hit-to-kill engagements in 34 attempts," said Gen. Obering.
This year the Pentagon is requesting $8.9 billion in missile defense funds, with $7.1 billion of that devoted to developing near-term capabilities, and $1.8 billion earmarked to develop defenses against future threats. Missile defense has enthusiastic boosters on Capitol Hill. Sen. Daniel Inouye (D) of Hawaii, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, said on April 25 that "after nearly 25 years and over $90 billion spent, I believe we can finally say that ... we have turned a corner. The United States has a [missile defense] system in place that could be operational if needed."
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