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Missile Defense to Poland?
By John
Old Gray Lady is reporting the Pentagon is interested in bringing missile defense to eastern Europe. The casus missili? Protecting Europe from a nuclear Iran, so sayeth the usual anonymous John Doe from the E-Ring.
"Iran understands the use of ballistic missiles to change strategic geography," said a senior American Defense official who asked not to be identified because he did not want to be drawn into the public debate. "This is a long lead-time item. We would much rather be a couple of years early than a couple of years late."
It makes sense, in a way. The US has stood up a total of 10 interceptor missiles in Alaska and California, stacked against the North Korean No Dong threat. Strategically placing another ten-spot of the modified missiles in the Czech Republic or Poland would kill two birds with one interceptor (har), helping to protect Europe from the Iranian Shahab-3 while cementing ties with one of the new NATO allies. Sounds good on paper, but there's an oh-so-small catch.
The current missile defense shield, the one deployed in the Pacific, doesn't exactly work. In fairness, it doesn't exactly not work either, the jury is still out. While the system hasn't had a successful test kill in years, the Pentagon still feels that the basic nuts-and-bolts technology is promising.
The idea of missile interceptors in the former USSR's backyard isn't exactly blowing the Kremlin's hair back either. In an interview with a Polish newspaper, Russian General Yuri N. Baluyevsky, the chief of the Russian military's general staff, cautioned the Poles:
"Go ahead and build that shield. You have to think, though, what will fall on your heads afterward. I do not foresee a nuclear conflict between Russia and the West. We do not have such plans. However, it is understandable that countries that are part of such a shield increase their risk."Poland, however, is all but jumping up and down with their arms waving, yelling "pick me! pick me!"
"[The US] asked us officially if we were still interested in discussing the issue," Poland's deputy foreign minister, Witold Waszczykowski, said last month. "Of course we said yes and we are awaiting details."
If the United States does end up building a missile defense base in Poland, might I recommend placing the facility in or around Krakow? Aside from the historical city's choice location in the southwest corner of Poland, its name sounds like 105mm shells being fired.
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Comments
If anybody deserves to be on the US's short list of faithful friends it is the Pols. Having worked with them in Kosovo I saw the genuine affection they have for us because Reagan was crucial to helping them gain their liberty and they actually APPRECIATE what we did for them. Pretty much Poland, Holland, and Britain are about the only ones left worth our time.
How many Polacks does it take to change a light bulb? Sorry, I couldn't resist that. Darn right they are solid allies, good people worhty of alot more of our military assistance and business. They put up alot of resistance to the nazis and communists and are dead set against islamic terrorism.
I'm waiting for the chemical laser equipped planes to come online. I think they are about three years down the road, but each has a 8-10 shot capacity.
'Pretty much Poland, Holland, and Britain are about the only ones left worth our time....'
Hey! But what about us aussies? ;-)
One thing about the interceptors not having a 100% kill rate; they don't have to. Provided they work some of the time, an enemy can't be guaranteed a succesful 1st strike (they won't get a second chance).
I guess the Poles learned the lesson of the last 100 years: that, the most important political relationship they can have, is not with the nearby Germans, Russians, the EU, the UN, the NATO, but with the geographically distant US. I just hope that my home country, Hungary, also forges closer relationship with the US.
When Hungary joined the NATO, and we were finally in the same military alliance with the US and the UK, I considered it as one of the best developments in the last 100 years. I was very happy and still I am.
Vilmos
Like a needle in a haystack... Bellingham
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I think we've already ringed Seoul with these?