Missile Defense developments worldwide)
http://tinyurl.com/5sp9ngw
February 12, 2010 richardrozoff , Stop NATO
Former U.S. President Carter on Wednesday said North Korea would not consider shuttering its nuclear program without a security pledge from the United States, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, April 26). Global Security Newswire
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5. http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20110427_9102.php
Nearly a Decade Behind Schedule, New Satellite is to Provide Earlier Missile-Launch Warning
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
WASHINGTON -- Nine years late, the Air Force is finally ready to launch a new missile-spotting satellite that it says will usher in "a new era in persistent infrared surveillance"
(see GSN, Aug. 23, 2010).
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6. Army Orders Patriot Missile Enhancements
The U.S. Army has issued a $58.3 million contract to defense firm Raytheon for updates to 131 Patriot Advanced Capability 2 missiles, the company announced on Tuesday
(see GSN, March 3).
The Army's Aviation and Missile Command at the Redstone Arsenal in Alabama authorized the contract in accordance with its long-standing effort to refurbish existing Patriot missile interceptor technology. The contract would bring the PAC-2 interceptors up to the Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical configuration, lengthening their operating life and improving their dependability, according to a Raytheon press release.
"These continuing upgrades speak to the critical role Patriot plays in our 12 partner nations' air and missile defense capabilities," company Vice President for Patriot Programs Sanjay Kapoor said in released remarks. "This cost-effective alternative makes it possible for them to increase their air and missile defense capabilities, using existing Patriot systems"
(Raytheon release, April 26).
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7. http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20110425_3045.php
U.S.-Russia Defense Technology Pact in the Works
Monday, April 25, 2011
WASHINGTON -- The United States is working to revive an agreement with Russia that would serve as the legal foundation for the two nations to exchange potentially sensitive information on a broad range of technologies, including missile defense systems (see GSN, April 22).
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8. http://tinyurl.com/6bjqgj9
Global Security Newswire, SEARCH for MISSILE DEFENSE 2011 AND EARLIER
Many articles with easy references/links...IMPORTANT
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9. http://tinyurl.com/64nt6hl
The New York Times, Missile Defense SEARCH...MANY ARTICLES Important
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10. http://tinyurl.com/3jq6jna
GOOGLE SEARCH, MISSILE DEFENSE, articles, videos...
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11. click here
Obama selects Panetta for defense secretary, Petraeus for CIA
- NEW: Petraeus to resign from military once confirmed, sources say
- It took a meeting with Obama to convince Panetta to take the job, a source says
- Petraeus will be nominated as CIA chief
- It is the most extensive reshaping of Obama's national security team to date
Washington (CNN) -- In the most extensive reshaping of the Obama administration's national security team to date, the president will name Central Intelligence Agency Director Leon Panetta as his nominee to succeed Robert Gates as defense secretary, top U.S. officials said Wednesday...more...
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12. From: Global Network
Sent: Thu, April 28, 2011
http://af.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idAFTRE73Q3GH20110427
Russia worried by NATO expansion near its border
"The expansion of NATO infrastructure towards our borders is causing us concern," Putin told a news conference after meeting Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
"NATO is not simply a political bloc, it is a military bloc. No one cancelled the agreements on how the bloc reacts to external threats. It is a defence structure," added Putin.
NATO has already taken in the three former Soviet Baltic states as members, as well as old Warsaw Pact nations including Poland and the Czech Republic.
Moscow has long been worried by the military alliance's growth and the possibility of its further expansion to take in former Soviet republics such as Georgia or Ukraine. And it is wary of U.S. and NATO plans for a European missile defence shield, which it fears could be a threat to its security unless Russia too is integrated into such a system.
Visiting Denmark Tuesday, Putin criticized the Western coalition attacking Libya, saying it had neither the right nor the mandate to kill the country's leader, Muammar Gaddafi.
Sweden is taking part in the NATO operation in Libya, though it is not a member of the military alliance.
In the context of the Libya operation, Putin also said decisions on using military force were being taken too easily.
He contrasted this with the Soviet war in Afghanistan in the 1980s, when he said Soviet commanders were much more careful in their use of force for fear of causing civilian deaths and casualties.
PO Box 652
Brunswick, ME 04011
(207) 443-9502
Email address removed" target="_blank">Email address removed
www.space4peace.org
http://space4peace.blogspot.com/ (blog)
Sent: Tue, May 3, 2011
Subject: [globenet] U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Site at Deveselu Air Base in Romania]
ï » ¿
The United States and Romania jointly selected the Deveselu Air Base near Caracal, Romania, to host a U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense System which employs the SM-3 interceptor (also referred to as the "Aegis Ashore System"). The deployment to Romania is anticipated to occur in the 2015 timeframe as part of the second phase of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) -- the U.S. national contribution to a NATO missile defense architecture.
The EPAA will provide protection of NATO European territories and populations, and augment protection of the United States, against the increasing threats posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles from the Middle East. At the November 2010 NATO Summit, the Alliance welcomed the EPAA as a U.S. national contribution to the NATO missile defense capability.
Technical Aspects of the United States Ballistic Missile Defense System in Romania
- The site will consist of a radar deckhouse and associated Aegis command, control, and communications suite. Separately, it will house a number of launch modules containing SM-3 interceptors.
- Personnel can live and work safely near the Aegis radar system. The United States has safely operated the Aegis Radar Test site in Moorestown, New Jersey for over 30 years without any danger to people or the environment.
- SM-3 interceptors are for defensive purposes only and have no offensive capability. They carry no explosive warheads of any type, and rely on their kinetic energy to collide with and destroy incoming enemy ballistic missile warheads.
- The Aegis Ashore configuration of the ballistic missile defense system will be thoroughly tested at a specialized test center at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in Hawaii starting in 2014.
Proposed Characteristics of the United States Ballistic Missile Defense System in Romania
- The U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense site is approximately 430 acres (175 hectares) and is located within the existing Romanian Air Base at Deveselu.
- An estimated 200 military, government civilians, and support contractors will be required to operate the U.S. facility at the site.
Potential Debris from Intercept
- SM-3 Interceptors based in Romania will not be used for flight tests, and will be launched only in defense against an actual attack.
- The risk of damage or injury from an intercept and debris are small and pose little threat to people and property. The alternative (allowing a threat warhead to impact its target) likely would result in far more severe consequences.
Proven Defensive Capabilities
- The Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system incorporates decades of reliable and effective operations of the Aegis ship-based system into its design and test program.
- The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System has been proven effective through repeated testing. Since 2002, the system has been successful in 21 of 25 flight tests with the SM-3 interceptor.
On September 17, 2009, President Barack Obama announced the U.S. decision to adopt a new approach to ballistic missile defense in Europe. This plan is called the European Phased Adaptive Approach or EPAA. The President stated:
To put it simply, our new missile defense architecture in Europe will provide stronger, smarter, and swifter defenses of American forces and America's Allies. It is more comprehensive than the previous program; it deploys capabilities that are proven and cost-effective; and it sustains and builds upon our commitment to protect the U.S. homeland against long-range ballistic missile threats; and it ensures and enhances the protection of all our NATO Allies.
The United States has demonstrated substantial progress in implementing the President's vision, consisting of four phases.
- Phase 1 (2011 timeframe) -- Addresses regional ballistic missile threats to our European Allies and our deployed personnel and their families by deploying a land-based AN/TPY-2 radar and existing Aegis BMD-capable ships equipped with proven SM-3 Block IA interceptors. In March 2011, the United States announced the deployment of the USS Monterey to the Mediterranean to begin a sustained deployment of Aegis BMD-capable ships in support of the EPAA.
- Phase 2 (2015 timeframe) -- After appropriate testing, we will deploy a more capable version of the SM-3 interceptor (Block IB). We will also add a land-based SM-3 ballistic missile defense interceptor site, which Romania has agreed to host, in order to expand the defended area against short- and medium-range missile threats. Negotiations for a basing agreement are well underway and the United States and Romania announced the joint selection of a site in May 2011.
- Phase 3 (2018 timeframe) -- After development and testing are complete, we will deploy a more advanced SM-3 interceptor (Block IIA) and add a second land-based SM-3 site, which Poland agreed to host in October 2009, to counter short-, medium-, and intermediate-range missile threats. In July 2010, the United States and Poland signed the Protocol amending the August 2008 Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement to provide the basis for Poland to host the land-based SM-3 site. On April 22, 2011, Polish President Komorowski signed legislation ratifying the Agreement.
- Phase 4 (2020 timeframe) -- After development and testing are complete, we will deploy the SM-3 Block IIB interceptor to enhance our ability to counter medium- and intermediate-range missiles and potential future ICBM threats to the United States from the Middle East.
- One of the most important milestones since President Obama's announcement in 2009 was NATO's decision at the Lisbon Summit in November 2010 to develop a missile defense capability whose aim is to protect NATO European populations, territory and forces against the increasing threats posed by the proliferation of ballistic missiles. NATO also agreed to expand its current missile defense command, control, and communications capabilities to protect NATO European populations, territory, and forces. Allies at Lisbon welcomed the EPAA as the U.S. national contribution to NATO's missile defense architecture, as well as contributions from other Allies.
Another important milestone was the commitment made during the November 2010 NATO-Russia Council (NRC) Summit for NATO and Russia to explore opportunities for missile defense cooperation. Effective cooperation with Russia could enhance the overall effectivenss and efficiency of our combined territorial missiles defenses, and at the same time provide Russia with greater security. As an initial step, NATO and Russia agreed on a joint ballistic missile threat assessment and that the NRC would resume theater missile defense cooperation.
The United States and Russia also continue to discuss missile defense cooperation.
For more information on U.S. missile defense policy, please see the
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Sent: Thu, May 5, 2011
Sent: 04 May 2011 To: Nigel Day
Subject: NATO Secretary General to speak at RUSI Missile Defence Conference
RUSI's major annual missile defence event, which takes place on 15-16 June, will also include the following senior speakers:
- Ambassador Dr Dmitry Rogozin, Permanent Representative of Russia to NATO and Special Envoy of the President of Russia for Interaction with NATO on Missile Defence
- Ellen Tauscher , Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, United States Department of State
- Dr James N Miller , Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, United States Department of Defense
- Lieutenant General Patrick J O'Reilly , Director, United States Missile Defense Agency
RUSI's Missile Defence conferences have firmly established themselves as the European forum for networking and discussion between senior military representatives, policy makers, industry and analysts. The conference will discuss the following core issues:- NATO's New Strategic Concept and Missile Defence Cooperation with Russia
- European Contributions to NATO Territorial Defence
- Integrating US PAA Systems with NATO ALTBMD for Territorial Defence
- Tectonic Shifts in the Middle East and North Africa: Implications for Missile Defence
- Capabilities and Operational Developments
- Missile Defence, New START and Arms Control
To discuss programme and sponsorship matters, please contact Avnish Patel, Senior Projects Executive and Research Analyst, at Email address removed" target="_blank">Email address removed or on +44 20 7747 2626.
Visit www.rusi.org/180 to join the celebrations
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15. Romania: U.S. Missile Deployment Pact Expected This Autumn
http://news. xinhuanet. com/english2010/ world/2011- 05/05/c_13860720 .htm Xinhua News Agency May 5, 2011 Romania hopes pact on anti-missile shield can be signed...
Giant Interceptor Missile Radar Heading To Seattle
http://blog. seattlepi. com/aerospace/ 2011/05/04/ huge-missile- defense-radar- coming-to- seattle/ Seattle Post Intelligencer May 4, 2011 Huge missile defense radar...
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17. The New York Times
My Alerts: Nuclear Weapons
May 5, 2011
--------------------------------------
World / Asia Pacific: Afghanistan Intensifies Criticism of Pakistan
By ALISSA J. RUBIN
A senior Afghan official on Wednesday publicly questioned
how Pakistan could claim nuclear security when they did not
know that Osama bin Laden was hiding in their midst.
Full Story:
click here=tnt&tntemail1=y
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18. http://en.rian.ru/russia/20110504/163853797.html
Moscow: Romania and the United States should expect counter measures from Russia in response to a missile shield agreement, a senior Russian lawmaker said on Wednesday.
Bucharest announced on Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with the United States to deploy a U.S. missile interceptor system at a disused Soviet airbase on its territory.
"Military specialists in the United States, NATO and Romania should be absolutely aware that any measure entails counter-measures," said Konstantin Kosachev, who heads the foreign policy committee of State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.
He said the counter measures would be used with the sole purpose of protecting Russia and would not be aimed at any particular state.
Moscow issued an urgent request on Tuesday for legal guarantees from the United States that its missile shield will not target Russia's strategic nuclear forces.
"My personal point of view is that the ideal scenario would be for the United States to issue legal guarantees, but the Americans are unlikely to do that," Kosachev said.
The head of the State Duma's defense committee, Viktor Zavarzin, said the U.S.-Romanian deal would have "a negative impact on inter-European relations and undermine the existing balance of forces and interests."
"And this, in turn, will provoke an unnecessary escalation of tensions," he added.
[Moscow is concerned that U.S. interceptors would have the capacity to target Russia's long-range missiles once the missile shield is fully deployed by 2020 under Mr. Obama's "phased adaptive approach" plan.]
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Wednesday, May 4, 2011
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20110504_4176.php
(May. 4) - Russian Ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin, right, confers in 2009 with President Dmitry Medvedev. Rogozin said U.S.-Russian discussions on potential missile defense collaboration were encountering obstacles (Dmitry Astakhov/Getty Images).
Bucharest and Washington this week said they had agreed to establish an
interceptor facility at the Daveselu air base near Romania's border with
Bulgaria. The interceptors are slated for installation by 2015, in
accordance with the Obama administration's Phased Adaptive Approach for
Missile Defense in Europe.
Russia, though, said the decision conflicted with U.S. pledges to offer
Moscow a voice in the system's planning.
"We regret to say that practical steps on building the European segment of
the U.S. global defense system are being made regardless of Russian-U.S.
dialogue on missile defense problems, which was started under a decision by
President Dmitry Medvedev and President Barack Obama," Interfax quoted a
Russian Foreign Ministry statement as saying.
The Kremlin also called for formal U.S. assurances that the planned European missile shield would not be trained on Russian missiles (Shanker/Barry, New York Times, May 3).
"In this situation the necessity of legal guarantees from the United States
that (its) missile defense system ... will not be aimed against Russia's
strategic nuclear forces becomes even more crucial," RIA Novosti quoted the
Foreign Ministry as saying. "This issue should be resolved swiftly.
Moreover, we are sure that it is necessary ... to proceed to the
coordination of the concept and the architecture of the European missile
defense system as soon as possible" (RIA Novosti, May 3).
U.S. government sources dismissed Moscow's grievances, noting a call by
Washington and NATO for Russia to contribute to a collaborative antimissile
framework for the European continent, the Times reported. The Obama
administration has said that its effort is aimed at protecting Europe from
missiles fired from the Middle East, in particular Iran.
"Missile defense cooperation with Russia is a key U.S. goal," a Defense
Department insider said.
"We believe cooperation on missile defense is in the security interest of
both our countries," the source said. "We are actively seeking cooperation
with Russia in bilateral channels and through NATO. Cooperation is the best
way to provide Russia transparency and reassurances that missile defense is
not a threat to its security" (Shanker/Barry, New York Times).
NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General James Appathurai on Tuesday said it would be impossible for the the military alliance's planned antimissile
system to affect Russia's strategic deterrent, Interfax reported
Meanwhile, discussions between Washington and Moscow on potential
antimissile collaboration were not proceeding smoothly, Russian Ambassador
to NATO Dmitry Rogozin said. The sides were expected to hold the discussions from Monday through Thursday this week in Belgium, according to a previous report (see GSN, May 3).
"The current phase are consultations between military officials," and
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov is expected to meet on
Thursday with U.S. Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher, Rogozin noted.
"On the whole, I can say that the main problem remains unsolved. It is the
problem of sane, coherent and verifiable guarantees that the American system of missile defense that would be deployed in Europe would not target the Russian strategic potential," the official said.
Moscow was open to certain U.S. suggestions, including the potential
establishment of a joint missile threat early warning scheme, Rogozin said
(see GSN, March 4).
"But if the firepower of the U.S. missile defense is located near a zone
where some of our strategic nuclear forces are deployed, if the area to be
covered by the American missile defense pushes deep into the territory of
the Russian Federation, we won't be able to come to an agreement," the
official said.
Moscow "needs clear, reverifiable guarantees that would be based on
completely clear technical military criteria," Rogozin said. "We must have
such guarantees. It's practically impossible to move forward without them.
At military level there exists a certain limit to the possibility of
reaching agreement, but it is only politicians, and politicians at a very
high level indeed, who can lift those limits."
"Without the political will on the part of the U.S. to see Russia as a
partner instead of some unclear entity, negotiations can hardly bring any
progress. It seems to me that before the end of the week it will be clear to
us where we stand at the moment," the official said.
"In any case, the military may in theory reach an agreement, but a powerful
political impulse is needed that no one else than the American side can
give, and at the highest political level as well," he said. "Otherwise
negotiations will simply get stuck" (Interfax II, May 3).
Military leaders of the Russia-NATO Council should seek at a meeting slated
for Wednesday to "clarify [U.S. and NATO] intentions regarding what they are actually going to build," Rogozin said. "They either plan to create a
machine capable of safeguarding European countries from single launches of
short- and medium-range missiles from the south, or their ambitions are so
big that the matter implies the building of a global and multilayered
defense system, for which there is no other enemy in the world but the
Russian Federation" (Interfax III/Kiev Post, May 4).
(http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20110504_5643.php)
The draft fiscal 2012 defense authorization bill would allow lawmakers to grant the Obama administration's full funding request for National Nuclear Security Administration activities to maintain and update the U.S. nuclear weapons complex, along with an extra $109 million for U.S. missile defense operations, the House Armed Services Committee announced on Tuesday.
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Sent: Wed, May 4, 2011
The United States and Russia Issue Joint Statement
Datum: Wed, 4 May 2011
<click here=3350>
/Wed, 04 May 2011
*No. 046-11* *May 04, 2011*
A joint statement issued following the U.S.-Russia Missile Defense
Working Group Consultations can be found here
<click here;.
U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/Advisories/
Media Contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132
Public Contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx or +1
(703) 428-0711 +1
-----------------------------------------
STATEMENT FOLLOWING U.S.-RUSSIA MISSILE DEFENSE WORKING GROUP CONSULTATIONS
The meeting of the Enhanced Missile Defense Sub-Working Group was held
in Brussels on May 2, 2011. The delegations were headed by Russian
Federation Deputy Minister of Defense Anatoly Antonov and by U.S.
Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense James Miller.
The meetings of this group support implementation of the decisions by
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama to
explore ways to cooperate on missile defense and to implement any
agreements that may be reached.
The results of these consultations should become U.S. and Russian
defense authorities' contribution to the development of a comprehensive
joint analysis of the future framework for missile defense cooperation.
This builds on the decisions taken by the heads of state and government
at the NATO-Russia Council Summit in Lisbon. The U.S. and Russian
delegations discussed various military technical aspects of potential
missile defense cooperation in Europe, which should not adversely affect
strategic stability.
22. From: Sheila Email address removed" target="_blank">Email address removed
Bruce K. Gagnon, > Coordinator
> Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Subject: [globenet] What Do These Ships Do?
> A Raytheon built "missile defense" interceptor is fired from a Navy Aegis destroyer
> Professor Yang sits in jail, on his 31st day of fasting, to protest the construction of Navy base to port Aegis destroyers on Jeju Island, South Korea
>
> I've been accelerating my pace of work on the Global Network 19th annual space organizing conference that will be held in nearby Massachusetts on June 17-19. We will feature the space technology work of the Raytheon Co. at that event since they are based in Massachusetts and are right-smack-dab in the middle of building many of the most destabilizing weapons systems of the day.
>
> Coincidentally there will be a "christening" this Saturday here in Bath, Maine of another Aegis destroyer that is a launch platform for the Raytheon built SM-3 "missile defense" interceptor that you see pictured above. So these two events are binding my work at this time.
>
> Few people in Maine know much about what these Aegis warships really do. They might notice them when they drive over the Kennebec River and see Bath Iron Works (BIW) just below where usually 1-2 of the Aegis are docked at the shipyard. They know that BIW is the largest non-governmental employer in the state and that there is a long history of shipbuilding in Bath. But that is about it. Most people think that the ships are about defending the U.S. (from who?) and leave it at that. In fact most Mainers don't really wish to know much more than that because they don't want to be in conflict with their neighbors who might work at BIW.
>
> Some years ago there was a fashionable phrase in the environmental movement - bio-region. The idea was that good environmentalists should become more familiar with their bio-region and work in that area to preserve it. But I think the word should apply to other movements as well. We should all know what the U.S. military empire is doing in our bio-region and we should help foster a public discussion about whether it is a good thing or not for our nation and the world.
>
> In the case of the Aegis destroyers, and the interceptor missiles built by Raytheon, these systems are currently among the most provocative weapons technologies being deployed by the Pentagon today. As I have described many times in the past, they are currently being plunked down along the borders of Russia and China and are forcing military counter moves by both of those countries. This obviously is leading us to a new dangerous and expensive arms race.
>
>
> Here in Maine we are driving on roads with large potholes in them, our many bridges need repair, and education and social programs are being slashed as our state finds itself in fiscal crisis. Progressive activists admirably protest these cuts but few of them yet make the deadly connections to U.S. military spending - and they particularly ignore the massive expenditures of money at military production sites in our bio-region.
>
> As I write this Professor Yang Yoon-Mo is on the 31st day of his fast while sitting inside a jail on Jeju Island, South Korea. Yang's jailing, for non-violently resisting the destruction of his sacred bio-region, is directly linked to BIW here in Maine and Raytheon in Massachusetts.
>
> There is a circle that connects each of our bio-regions and sadly that circle is one of violence and destruction. The Aegis destroyers are indeed destroying life today - in Libya, on Jeju Island, and even in Massachusetts and Maine as social progress is devastated in order to pay for the new $1 billion warships that will only make the future more insecure for all of us.
> Bruce K. Gagnon
> Coordinator
> Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
> PO Box 652
> Brunswick, ME 04011
> (207) 443-9502
> www.space4peace.org
> http://space4peace.blogspot.com/ (blog)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------23. Romania: U.S. Missile Deployment Pact Expected This Autumn Posted by: "Rick Rozoff" Email address removed?Subject=%20Re%3A%20Romania%3A%20U.S.%20Missile%20Deployment%20Pact%20Expected%20This%20Autumn" target="_blank">Email address removed rwrozoff Thu May 5, 2011
http://news. xinhuanet. com/english2010/ world/2011- 05/05/c_13860720 .htm
Xinhua News Agency, May 5, 2011 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
