Timeline Part II
In June 2007, Index Research published US-NATO ‘Missile Shield’ Programme: Index Timeline . This contained information about the US_NATO missile shield programme starting with February 2007. This was later updated to August 2007. Continual updates to this research were then added. Ten months later, the amount of information has become unwieldy. I thought it best, for easier reading, to put the updates from August 2007 – April 2008 in this separate blog.
Missile shields are now a major topic at the present NATO summit. Mr. Bush bangs on about a rogue nation,’ seemingly unaware that most of the world think that the United States is the real ‘rogue .’ Mr. Bush’s speech prior to the opening of the United Nations summit was a repeat not only of continued platitudes but also of many accusations made after 9/11 about Iraq – with Iran now the unjustified focus of “evil.” Are Mr. Cheney, and his very own ‘poodle,’ Mr. Bush, pathologically focused on matters ‘nuclear’, and intent on a forthcoming war?
It is unfortunate that Czechoslovakia is so sycophantic to the U.S. demands for missile shield placements. A confrontation between Russia, who feels (rightly) threatened by U.S. missile shield plans, and Mr. Bush is due to take place on 12 April 2008.
Updates: click for entry to the period in which you are interested.
2007: August, September, October, November, December.
2008: January, February, March, April.
(to be continually updated hereafter)
+
AUGUST 2007
Lavrov says U.S. failed to justify Europe missile shield -1
01.08.07. Rian.ru.
Public opposition to U.S. missile defense plans deserves respect: Czech president
04.08.07. Englishpeople.com.
Russia Plans ICBM to Counter US Missile Shield
06.08.07. Spiegel/ICH. The Russian navy plans on producing a new submarine-based missile system in 2008. It is part of a big increase in the country’s spending on research, development and procurement of weaponry, prompting fears of a new cold war.
ISRAEL
Israel: Missile shield before West Bank pullout
08.08.07. NBC. Barak says Israel must have a missile defense system in place to protect it from Palestinian rocket fire before it could carry out a large scale pullback in the West Bank, an official said Wednesday.
MEANWHILE: a (HO HO) “INVESTMENT IN PEACE” (SIC)
US and Israel in $30bn arms deal
16.08.07. BBC. Olmert has said the aid will preserve his country’s military advantage over other countries in the Middle East.
the new military aid package represents a 25% increase from present levels.
U.S.: No strings attached to new defense package for Israel. (Pull the other one?)
Putin increases missile defence rhetoric
12.08.07. FT – ICH. The war of words between Moscow and the west over missile defence intensified over the weekend as Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, declared a new radar station near St Petersburg to be “the first step in a large-scale programme”.
US attorney general in Baghdad
12.08.07. presstv.ir. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has visited Baghdad for talks with US and Iraqi officials on his third visit to Iraq. He was met by US General David Petraeus, the multinational force commander in Iraq, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) said in a statement.
ENTER CHINA
US military sees looming China threat to satellites
14.08.07. breitbart.com. China may be just three years away from being able to disrupt US military satellites in a regional conflict, a senior US military leader said Tuesday, citing a recent anti-satellite test and other advances. /The warning came amid calls at a conference in Alabama for intensified efforts to ensure US “space superiority” in the wake of China’s shoot down January 11 of one of its own satellites with a ballistic missile.
IRAN leader denounces U.S. missile shield plan
16.08.07. IHT.
Russian radar site doesn’t fir U.S. missile shield needs: general
16.08.07. spacewar.com. A Russian radar site in Azerbaijan is too close to Iran to serve as a replacement for a planned US missile defense site in eastern Europe, the chief of the US missile defense agency said Thursday. ( closer than Israel?
US $30bn “Aid” to Israel
19.08.07. S. Meyer, Index Research. Did anyone notice a interesting series of events between the US and Israel recently? Is this a coincidence? Is there a relationship between these stories?
Russia: US missile shield a ‘big mistake’
21.08.07. S Peck, Telegraph. Russia: US missile shield a ‘big mistake’ . Russia’s military chief told a Czech delegation it would be making a “big mistake” by hosting a US missile defence shield on its soil.
The Warfare State is Part of Us
22.08.07. Norman Solomon, Counterpunch –ICH. How to Survive at the Pentagon on $2 Billion a Day. We actually live in concentric spheres, and “politics” suffuses households as well as what Martin Luther King Jr. called “The World House.” Under that heading, he wrote in 1967: “When scientific power outruns moral power, we end up with guided missiles and misguided men. When we foolishly minimize the internal of our lives and maximize the external, we sign the warrant for our own day of doom. Our hope for creative living in this world house that we have inherited lies in our ability to re-establish the moral ends of our lives in personal character and social justice. Without this spiritual and moral reawakening we shall destroy ourselves in the misuse of our own instruments.” … What we’ve tolerated has become part of us. What we accept, however reluctantly, seeps inward. In the long run, passivity can easily ratify even what we may condemn. And meanwhile, in the words of Thomas Merton, “It is the sane ones, the well-adapted ones, who can without qualms and without nausea aim the missiles and press the buttons that will initiate the great festival of destruction that they, the sane ones, have prepared.”
Russia Talks Tough on Missile Defense
23.08.07. AP-usadaily. President Vladimir Putin’s offer of cooperation with the United States on missile defense is good only if Washington drops a plan to deploy elements of the system in central Europe, a Russian official emphasized Thursday.
NATO to give Georgia access to radar data – representative
23.08.07. globalsecurity.org
Austrian Minister: US Missile Shield Is Provocation
23.08.07. Reuters / Truthout.
Poll: Poles still oppose U.S. missile base
24.08.07. thestate.com. 56 percent of those questioned oppose putting the base on Polish territory – a level of resistance that has remained fairly steady over the past months. The poll said that 28 percent favor the plan.
The new ‘NATO of the East’ takes shape
M K Bhadrakumar, Asia Times. ‘It is certainly a measure of the SCO’s success that the United States and Japan are knocking at its door, anxious to gain “observer” status. … the massive shift in the templates of great-power politics in recent years also has provided impetus for the SCO’s growing clout. … Where does the SCO fit in the “new cold war?” The question can take different forms. A variant would be, “Is the SCO turning into a NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization]-like military alliance? … What stands to reason from the above is that the two (China, Russia) leaderships may have for the first time discussed the common challenge facing the two countries, emanating out of the US plans to deploy the missile-defense systems in Central Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. … Lavrov added, “We and China are analyzing the US global missile-defense plans targeting Europe and the East.”
US missile defence shield a threat: Russia
27.08.07. peninsularqater.com
Ten Reasons Why Russia Can’t Trust Uncle Sam
26.08.07. Robert Bridge, Globalresearch.ca. The West says that it is perplexed by Russia’s “aggressive” behavior of late, and suggests that Moscow is desirous to regain its past superpower status, and even a little empire. But if cashing in on oil is imperialism, how do we explain the following U.S. moves
GUE/NGL Delegation to Greenland 27.08.2007 – 31.08.2007
27.08.07. europeanagenda. Greenland plays an essential role in the United States’ missile shield system due to the location of a strategic American military base near Thule in the north of Greenland
Barak: Israel needs missile shield
28.08.07. AP – Guardian. Israel won’t be able to carry out a major West Bank pullback for 2 years because it first needs a missile defense system in place to protect it against Palestinian rocket fire, Defense Minister Ehud Barak told a parliamentary committee Monday.
+
SEPTEMBER 2007
Hot Air Department
Palestinians whine about Israel’s missile shield
02.09.07. themidnightsun. “Israel has decided to erect a missile shield. It’s about time and who would blame her for defending herself?” ( Are not nuclear weapons enough to ‘defend’ Israel, not to speak of all the ‘aid’ Israel gets from the US government? )
Warsaw to host talks on U.S. missile shield Sep. 6-7
04.09.07. rian.ru. The U.S. has plans to deploy interceptor missiles in north Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic to fend off what Washington sees as an impending missile threat from “rogue states,” such as Iran and North Korea. Russia has consistently rejected this reasoning, and views the plans as a threat to its own national security. [ the US is the “rogue state” ]
Boeing Warns of U.S. Missile Defense Laser Delay
05.09.07. Nti.org. U.S. President George W. Bush requested $549 million in fiscal 2008 for the Airborne Laser, which would be fired from a Boeing 747 aircraft to destroy enemy missiles during their boost phase of flight, the Associated Press reported. The Senate and House Armed Services committees both recommended reducing the project’s funding, and the House Appropriations Committee agreed in July to enact a $51 million cut.
Talks on US-Poland missile shield could be completed by year-end
06.09.07. monstersandcritics.
No Missile Deal for Putin: Bush
07.09.07. News.com. US President George W. Bush and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin showed no sign of progress after talks in Sydney today to defuse tensions over US missile defence plans that have angered Moscow.
Schroeder calls U.S. missile plan “dangerous”
08.09.07. Reuters – Washington Post.
US military team set to inspect Azerbaijan radar station
08.09.07. ft.com. … to inspect a radar station that Russia has proposed as an alternative to missile defence facilities in central Europe.
Rice to visit Israel, Palestine next week
13.09.07. earthtimes. [whenever Rice travels, one can look for what is tinkling in back pocket?]
Senate to call Boeing’s 2009 raygun nuke-zap bluff?
14.09.07. theregister.co.uk. It seems that the ground-based mid-course defence layer of the proposed American missile shield will not get the money requested by the Bush administration. In particular, the draft Senate bill will cut appropriations for planned interceptor and radar sites in Eastern Europe. … What hasn’t yet been shown is the feasibility of making a missile explode by lighting it up with a raygun, let alone a raygun that has to fit in a plane. But Boeing, leaders of the Airborne Laser (ABL) programme, have their modified jumbo jet all ready to go. They also claim successful ground tests of the necessary laser machinery. The firm recently swore blind that if they got the full budget request, they’d blast a missile using ABL in 2009. (They said 2005 last time, in 2002.)
U.S. lawmaker sees missile defense system as part of NATO
15.09.07. englishpeople. The missile defense system must be fully incorporated in NATO and it must protect not only the United States but also the whole of Europe, U.S. Democrat Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher told a press conference in Prague on Friday. [ Tsk. Tauscher should know better! ]
Left party leaders rap US plan for missile shield
15.09.07. pehninsulaqatar. ‘Left-wing’ leaders [ie socialists] from six central European countries condemned US moves to site a missile defence system in the Czech Republic and Poland in a joint declaration adopted yesterday. “We are concerned about the decision to deploy the system and are at one with the large majority of our populations in rejecting it,” said the statement, signed by Social Democratic party leaders from the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Poland, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Poland says no decision on U.S. anti-missile shield
24.09.07. tehrantimes.
Spying claim row on US missile shield
26.09.07. theherald.co.uk. Russia’s Foreign Minister said yesterday that the true reason the US wants an anti-missile system in Eastern Europe is not to defend Europe from Iranian missiles but to spy on Russia.
Russia promises retaliation if weapons deployed in space :
27.09.07. rian.ru / ICH. “Should any country deploy weapons in space, then the laws of armed warfare are such that retaliatory weapons are certain to appear,” Col. Gen. Vladimir Popovkin said.
U.S. Missile Defenses in Europe Could Undermine Russian Nuclear Deterrent, Physicists Say
27.09.07. NTI.
Physicists Question US on Missile Plan
27.09.07. sfgate. A number of top U.S-based physicists have concluded the United States used inaccurate claims to reassure NATO allies about U.S. missile defense plans in Eastern Europe. They say the planned Polish-based interceptors and a radar system in the Czech Republic could target and catch Russian missiles, thus threatening Russia’s nuclear deterrent. That view supports Russia’s criticism of the system.
Congressional Budget Cuts no Barrier to European Missile Defense Plans, U.S. General Says
28.09.07. Nti. The head of the U.S. missile defense agency said fiscal 2008 budget cuts proposed in Congress could slow but not stop the Bush administration’s efforts to deploy missile defense elements in Europe, Inside Missile Defense reported Wednesday
U.S. carries out successful missile defense test
28.09.07. Reuters. A U.S. interceptor missile on Friday shot down a dummy warhead replicating an incoming North Korean missile in the 7th successful test of Boeing Co’s long rang missile shield, the Pentagon said.
Russia wants global pact to outlaw weapons deployment in space
30.09.07. economictimes.
+
OCTOBER 2007
Missile Defense System Is Up and Running, Military Says
02.10.07. T. Shanker, NY Times. After a successful test last week, the tracking radars and interceptor rockets of a new American missile defense system can be turned on at any time to respond to an emerging crisis in Asia, senior military officers said Tuesday.
Bahrain sets up missile shield
04.10.07. presstv. Bahrain has set up a new radar system as part of a missile shield to protect the Persian Gulf littoral state against possible attacks.
Bahrain has set up a new radar system as part of a missile shield to protect the Persian Gulf littoral state against possible attacks.
US offers joint missile shield
06.10.07 presstv.ir. The US offers Russia to set up a joint missile defense system to allay Moscow’s concerns about US plans to deploy the shield in Europe. [ Really? ]
Czech FM: U.S. has final say on launch of interceptor missiles
08.10.07. Xinhuanet. Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said on Sunday the United States would have the final say on launching interceptor missiles from eastern Europe to protect against attacks on Europe or the United States.
Missile defence to reduce number of nuclear weapons — Wolfowitz
08.10.07. ceskenoviny.cz. Missile defence, including the possible U.S. radar base near Prague, should help reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world, Paul Wolfowitz,former World Bank head and formerU.S. deputy secretary of defense, told CTK during the Forum 2000 conference in Prague today. [1. For what organisation / for whom, officially, is Wolfowitz speaking? 2. Nuclear weapons are illegal and should have already been dismanted, according to the non-proliferation treaty.
INTERVIEW-Lockheed sees missile-shield sales
09.10.07. reuters. ISRAEL (sic) and a number of other countries are in talks with the United States about buying a new Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) missile defense system even though flight testing is still in its early stages, company executives told Reuters on Tuesday.
Is Menwith Hill and the UK to be possible site for missiles and X-band radars?
09.10.07. According to the Mail on Sunday the government is in secret talks to allow George W Bush’s controversial “son-of-Star Wars” Missile Defense system to be based in Britain (06 October 2007). ‘The Mail on Sunday has learned that the Government has opened talks to allow the US to put both the missiles and the radar station on British soil’.
Stark Differences on Arms Threaten U.S.-Russia Talks
10.10.07. NY Times. Growing disagreements over how to carry forward arms control treaties threaten to bog down meetings in Moscow this week between top-level Americans and their Russian counterparts that are intended to seek a compromise on missile defense.
Broad Principles Separate U.S., Russian Officials as They Prepare Missile Defense Talks
10.10.07. NTI. U.S.-Russian disagreements over the merits of negotiated arms control agreements are endangering prospects for constructive results at this week’s meeting of senior officials in Moscow, the New York Times reported today. .. discussion could be waylaid by Russia’s announced intention to suspend participation in a multilateral conventional arms pact and by the U.S. refusal to extend a strategic nuclear arms agreement
US rejects Russian security concern
12.10.07. al jazeera. The US has rejected Russian calls to freeze a planned missile defence system in central Europe, despite a warning from Moscow that it would move to “neutralise” the threat.
Putin threatens withdrawal from cold war nuclear treaty
12.10.07. Guardian.
President Vladimir Putin warned today that Russia was considering withdrawal from a major cold war arms treaty restricting intermediate range nuclear missiles unless it is expanded to include other states. Mr Putin said that Moscow is planning to dump the intermediate range nuclear forces treaty (INF) – signed in a landmark deal between the US and Soviet Union in 1987 – unless countries like China are included in its provisions. His comments came just before talks in Moscow today between the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and the defence minister, Anatoly Serdyukov. His comments came just before talks in Moscow today between the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, and the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, and the defence minister, Anatoly Serdyukov. Mr Putin also repeated his opposition to the Bush administrations plans to site elements of its missile defence shield in central Europe. The project threatened the US and Russia’s strategic relationship, he suggested. [ looks like US has come up against a wall it can’t manipulate. ]
Rice: Missile Defense Plans to Proceed
12.10.07. Guardian. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says plans to expand the U.S. missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic will proceed, but she wants to seek Russian suggestions for cooperation to address Moscow’s opposition to the program. Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Rice and Gates face arms control and diplomatic disputes that are testing the strength of U.S.-Russian relations, such as Iran’s nuclear program, Russia’s commitment to democracy and the U.S. missile shield in eastern Europe.
Putin Criticizes U.S. Officials on Missile Defense
12.10.07. President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia sharply upbraided the visiting American secretaries of state and defense on Friday as highly anticipated negotiations produced no specific accords to resolve growing disagreements over missile defense and other security issues.
Analysis: Vladimir Putin raises the stakes over missile defence
12.10.07. timesonline. [Excuse me, but US-NATO first “raised the stakes” by announcing it was going to build the missile shield and then tried to rope in eastern European countries. timesonline playing the US repeat- tape; not done homework!]
Merkel, Putin to talk about missile shield
12.10.07. expatica.com. [the talks] are expected to focus on US plans for an anti-missile shield in eastern Europe and the future status of Kosovo. [isn’t Merkel another Bliar-style US puppet? ]
Putin warns U.S. to back off on missile talks
13.10.07. AP. President Bush’s top two Cabinet officials, expecting a polite photo op, were ambushed by a Russian leader who fears Eastern Europe may be turned into a U.S. staging point for a new Cold War.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO): Index Timeline
16.10.07. S. Meyer, Index Research. Research on “NATO OF THE EAST”
[ US SPIN ]
US sees progress in missile defense talks with Russia
17.10.07. AP / IHT. Senior American officials insisted Wednesday they were making headway in talks to narrow differences with Russia over U.S. proposals for anti-missile bases in eastern Europe, despite Moscow’s concerns. [ the real story lies embedded in AP report ]. Despite Russian objections, they [US officials ] said the United States would press ahead with its plans to place a sophisticated tracking unit in the Czech Republic and 10 interceptor rockets in Poland to shoot down incoming ballistic missiles. … In an effort to allay Russian concerns, the U.S. last week proposed developing a “joint architecture” for cooperative missile defense, as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates met President Vladimir Putin and other top officials in Moscow. After those talks, Russian officials repeated their opposition to the plan, and Russia has sent mixed signals since then.
Ooops
U.S. Mistakenly Fires Patriot Missile in Qatar
17.10.07. NTI. The U.S. Army accidentally fired a Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missile during a training exercise at Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar, the Washington Post reported today. The Qatari military reported that the PAC-3 missile landed on local farmland about four miles north of the base, causing no damage. One PAC-3 missile costs more than $4 million, according to the defense research group GlobalSecurity.org.
……
U.S., ISRAEL Consider Layered Missile Defenses
17.10.07. NTI. Top U.S. and Israeli defense officials have pledged to study the potential for a layered missile defense system to protect Israel from Iranian and Syrian ballistic missiles as well as smaller rockets launched from Lebanon and the Gaza strip, Reuters reported today. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak agreed to establish a joint committee to examine how Tel Aviv might receive support from Washington might in deploying such a system, said Defense Department spokesman. The two senior officials also discussed improvements to the Arrow 2 Israeli air-defense system, which the United States is already a partner in maintaining, according to an Israeli security source. The system is in place to destroy incoming missiles launched by nations such as Iran and Syria.
Consultations on missile defence at NATO HQ
17.10.07. NATO.int. The North Atlantic Council and the NATO-Russia Council respectively, discussed on 17 October missile defence issues. The sessions were a continuation of consultation meetings held at NATO HQ last year, as well as in February and April 2007.National delegations included high-ranking officials and experts from capitals. For example, the US team was headed by Under Secretary of Defence Eric Edelman, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried and Director of the Missile Defense Agency General Henry Obering, while the Russian delegation was led by Ambassador Anatoliy Antonov from the Foreign Ministry and General Alexander Yakushin of Russian Space Forces.
Bush warns Putin over ‘World War Three’
18.10.07. Telegraph. President George W Bush today warned that world leaders risk helping bring about “World War Three” unless they do more to prevent Iran developing nuclear weapons.”We’ve got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel,” Mr Bush told a White House press conference.
nuclear hypocrisy evident in following story
Nuclear Deal With India May Be Near Collapse
16.10.07. Washington Post. Premier Cites Internal Opposition To Agreement Pushed by Bush. A controversial nuclear deal between the United States and India appears close to collapse after the Indian prime minister told President Bush yesterday that “certain difficulties” will prevent India from moving forward on the pact for the foreseeable future. … Neither government appeared eager to announce the setback to what had been billed as one of the Bush administration’s biggest foreign policy ‘achievements.’ [ ‘achievement ‘ ? How can something be an ‘achievement in India when it is a reason for war in Iran?] tThe reluctance to admit that the deal is faltering contrasts with the fanfare when it was announced in 2005. … The agreement lays [laid] out a framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation that would eventually allow trade in nuclear reactors, technology and fuel between the two nations. It permits [permitted] India to reprocess nuclear fuel and opens the way for the United States to become a “reliable” supplier for India’s energy program.
Putin attacks US, announces new nuclear weapon
18.10.07. timesofindia. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday chastised the United States over its policy in Iraq and Iran, and announced “grandiose” military plans, including development of a new nuclear weapon. In a nationally broadcast [3 hour] link-up with ordinary Russians across the country, Putin called the US intervention in Iraq a “dead end” and called on Washington to set a deadline for the withdrawal of troops. In a nationally broadcast link-up with ordinary Russians across the country, Putin called the US intervention in Iraq a “dead end” and called on Washington to set a deadline for the withdrawal of troops. In a video link-up with servicemen at the Plesetsk nuclear missile base, Putin said that Russia would build another nuclear submarine next year and was also planning a “completely new” atomic weapon. … Later Thursday Putin was to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Moscow for talks expected to focus on Iran’s Russian-backed nuclear programme.
U.S. Offers Missile Defense Concessions to Russia
22.10.07. NTI.
ISRAEL Developing New Missile Interceptor
22.10.07. NTI.
U.S. Deploys Third Missile Interceptor at Vandenberg
22.10.07. NTI.
European Missile Defense Deals COULD be Delayed
23.10.07. NTI. The Bush administration hoped to sign deals before the end of 2007. That would allow lawmakers in Prague and Warsaw to consider the deal in spring 2008, paving the way for construction to begin and for the sites to have initial operational status by 2011. However, the recent Polish parliamentary election throws a potential wrench into the works. The victorious Civic Platform party is likely to seek additional concessions from the United States for supporting installation of 10 missile interceptors in Poland.
Russia Warns Over U.S. Missile Defense, Says Iran is Not a Threat
23.10.07. Fox / ICH. Russia is concerned that U.S.-led missile defense initiatives in Europe and Asia are based on an erroneous assessment of the threat posed by Iran, Foreign Minster Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday.
Bush says Iranian missiles could reach US, all Europe by 2015
23.10.07. iii.co.uk / ICH. “Our intelligence community assess that, with continued foreign assistance, Iran could develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States and all of Europe before 2015,” he said.
U.S. offers to keep missile shield on stand-by
23.10.07. Gates said the possible delay was one of the proposals he and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice put forward in talks with Russian officials to try to ease Moscow’s concern and win its cooperation over the defence system. … “We have not fully developed this proposal, but the idea was we would go forward with the negotiations, we would complete the negotiations, we would develop the sites, build the sites but PERHAPS we would delay activating them until there was concrete proof of the threat from Iran,” he told reporters in Prague.
US-Japan missile shield worries Russia
23.10.07. Radio Australia. Russia’s foreign minister has told Japanese leaders the Kremlin is concerned about a missile shield Tokyo is building with Washington. They began working on the project in 1998 after North Korea shot a ballistic missile over Japan into the Pacific Ocean.
Czech-US missile shield talks to spill over to 2008: official
23.10.07. Raw Story. “I do not think we will be able to conclude an agreement … by the end of the year,” he told journalists on the margins of a visit by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates to Prague.
=
Gates to throw support behind missile shield in Prague – Summary
18.10.07. earthtimes. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates will be holding talks in Prague next week on US plans for its missile shield on Czech soil, Czech Defence Ministry spokesman Jan Pejsek said Thursday.
Following this visit, the following headline appears: Czech parliament votes against referendum on U.S. missile shield – 1 (27.10.07)
Poland’s new plans on Iraq, US shield
22.10.07. presstv.ir. He (Tusk) said Poland should drive a tough bargain in return for hosting the US missile defense base. {where is Cheney / Condi / Gates with shekels in pockets? ]
CHINA says U.S. missile shield threatens global stability
24.10.07. rian.ru. The placement of U.S. missile defenses in Europe will not ease global security concerns but will undermine the global strategic balance, the Chinese foreign minister said Wednesday.
Putin: US Plan Evokes ’62 Cuban Crisis
26.10.07. AP. President Vladimir Putin on Friday evoked one of the most dangerous confrontations of the Cold War to highlight Russian opposition to a proposed U.S. missile defense system in Europe, comparing it to the Cuban missile crisis of 45 years ago. The comments — made at the end of a summit between Russia and European Union that failed to resolve several festering disputes — were the latest in a series of belligerent statements from the assertive Putin. [ Hang on a minute, AP. The US govn.has been making BELLIGERENT statements about missile defense systems for YEARS ]
Czechs to benefit from U.S. missile shield
30.10.07. arcmax.com. Villagers near the Czech Brdy military complex south of Prague are seeking millions of dollars in compensation for placing a U.S. radar base in the region. A Czech government commission allocated $67 million for development projects in the Brdy municipalities, while local authorities in villages and towns had asked for a sum about four times as large, Prague Radio reported Tuesday.
UPDATE 1-US lawmakers refuse funds for Europe missile shield
31.10.07. Reuters. [However, whatever US lawmakers decide, it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference to Bush govn.] See To Implement Policy, Bush to Turn to Administrative Orders (Washington Post 31 October).
+
NOVEMBER 2007
Russia Claims U.S. Accelerating Missile Defense Plan
01.11.07. NTI. Talks with Poland and the Czech Republic “have not only not been suspended, but additional measures are being taken to speed them up,” said ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin in a prepared statement. “There is the impression that the United States is trying to make the realization of its plans irreversible.”
Lawmakers Cut Missile Defense Funds
06.11.07. sfgate. Lawmakers on Tuesday reduced money requested by President Bush to build a European missile defense system, eliminating funds slated for building an interceptor site in Poland.
Negotiators from the House and the Senate left the funding out of a $460 billion bill to finance U.S. defense operations covering the budget year that began Oct. 1, according to Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.
Funding Cut for Poland Interceptor Site
07.11.07. NTI. .S. House and Senate lawmakers yesterday cut fiscal 2008 funding for installation of 10 missile interceptors in Poland, the Associated Press reported.
US okays $155m arms package for Israel
YNETNEWS. The US Congress on Wednesday approved a $155 million arms package for Israel, aimed at the development of the Hetz and David mid-range defensive missile systems and for the development long-range defensive missile systems. The arms package is still pending the approval of the US House of Representatives and President George W Bush. The Israeli defense establishment was pleased with Congress’ decision, which effectively increases Israel’s missile development budget by 30%.
Bush Threat of World War III: Cuban Missile Crisis Redux
08.11.07. Professor Francis Boyle, globalresearch.ca. “During the course of an October 17, 2007 press conference, President Bush Jr. terrorized the entire world with the threat of World War III if he could not work his illegal will upon Iran . Then Russian President Vladimir Putin responded in kind by likewise terrorizing the entire world with the prospect of yet another Cuban Missile Crisis if he did not get his way on the provocative anti-ballistic missile (A.B.M.) systems that the Bush Jr. administration plans to locate in Poland and the Czech Republic.
House Approves $8.7B for Missile Defense
09.11.07. NTI. The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved a fiscal 2008 defense spending bill that includes $8.7 billion for missile defense programs, the Associated Press reported. The amount is roughly 2 percent below the funding level sought by the Bush administration. .. U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday also allocated $155 million for development of an Israeli advanced missile interceptor, Agence France-Presse reported
Russia piles pressure on EU over missile shield
Adrian Blomfield, Telegraph. Russia threatened to site short-range nuclear missiles in a second location on the European Union’s border yesterday if the United States refuses to abandon plans to erect a missile defence shield.
Russia abandons key Cold War arms treaty
16.11.07. Yahoo. President Vladimir Putin ordered the moratorium on July 13 amid [after?]a row over US plans to install an anti-missile shield in eastern Europe.
Bogdan Klich, new Polish defense chief, signals a shift on U.S. missile shield
19.11.07. AP/ IHT. The new defense minister of Poland said his country should reconsider whether allowing the United States to base part of a missile defense system in the country serves Polish interests. The comments by Bogdan Klich, published Monday, underlined the shift in thinking under the new government that took office Friday. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has vowed to take a firmer stand in relations with the United States.
Putin says Russia will not tolerate NATO military build up – 2
20.11.07. rian.ru.
Russia slams U.S. written proposals on missile shield, CFE
23.11.07. rian.ru. The United States has gone back on previous initiatives concerning its missile shield in Europe in a written proposal earlier received by Russia, a source in Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Friday.
DECEMBER 2007
Gov’t questions nature and need of US anti-missile shield
Opposition to U.S. Missile Shield Grows in Poland
03.12.07. angus reid. 61 per cent of respondents are opposed their country’s participation in the project, up five points since August.
03.12.07. wbj.pl. According to Rzeczpospolita, the new government does not really feel committed to talks with the Americans regarding the anti-missile shield, as Warsaw has doubts on whether the US is revealing all details concerning the shield.
Gates calls for anti-Iran missile shield
07.12.07. ABC.
India to launch ICBM, develops missile defence shield
12.12.07. Earthtimes. India is to launch a 5,000-km nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) next year, even as it has developed a credible missile shield that is superior to the American Patriot anti-missile system, defence scientists said Thursday. Both are homegrown systems and make India one of the very few countries in the world possessing the technology to manufacture them.
Belarus to play its role in US missile shield row: president
14.12.07. Raw Story.
Russian general says Pentagon is seeking direct confrontation with Moscow
15.12.07. IHT.
Russia may dump weakening US dollar in its energy deals
15.12.07. dailytimes.com.pk. It seems that the rejection of the US dollar has become a fashion trend in modern-day business relations. Several major oil and gas exporters have recently announced their plans to use a different currency in their deals with other countries. The heads of Iran, Venezuela and Ecuador expressed such an opinion at the OPEC summit in November. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad particularly stated that Iran needs to replace the dollar because of its ongoing setback. His Venezuelan counterpart, Hugo Chavez, expanded on the idea and put forward a suggestion to change the dollar for the basket of currencies (apart from the dollar it includes the euro, the British pound, the Japanese yen, the Chinese yuan and the Venezuelan bolivar) to recalculated world prices on oil. Ahmadinejad continued with an idea to set up the OPEC Oil Exchange and the OPEC Bank.
Spooky Math for “Flying Lightsaber”
19.12.07. Wired. ‘Yes, only the US Congress could develop a scenario where everyone acknowledges that: (a) we’re spending too much money on a troubled program that is pushing immature technology; (b) we could be buying real warfighter capability with other systems; (c) no one is willing to pull the trigger. So we have this case where $300 million plus $350 million divided by two equals $514 million. That’s real good math, boys.’
Putin Agonistes: Missile Defense will not be Deployed
19.12.07. Mike Whitney, ICH. The American people have no idea of the reckless policy that is being carried out in their name. The gravity of the proposed Missile Defense system has been virtually ignored by the media and Russia’s protests have been dismissed as trivial.
Israel okays short-range missile defence shield
23.12.07. AFP. The security cabinet allocated 811 million shekels (207 million dollars, 144 million euros) towards the development and manufacture of the system over the coming five years, a defence ministry spokesman told AFP. Defence Minister Ehud Barak said the system — dubbed “The Iron Dome” — would be operational within 30 months.
Iran to get missile system from Russia
26.12.07. Reuters. Russia has agreed to sell an S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran, Iran’s defence minister was quoted as saying on Wednesday, a report likely to irritate the United States.
+
JANUARY 2008
Joint Japanese and US Missile Shield Test a Success
02.01.08. Daily Tech. Japanese destroyer shoots down incoming ballistic missile. Since the Reagan era, the United States has wanted to develop a system that could defeat ballistic missiles in the air before they were able to impact their targets. This concept was part of what was dubbed the “Star Wars” program during Reagan’s tenure.
S. Korea Opposes Joining US Missile Defense System
03.01.08. koreatimes.
Polish PM to visit Prague on U.S. anti-missile shield
05.01.08. Xihuanet.
INCURSION OF MILITARY INTO CIVIILIAN FIELD: THIS IDEA SHOULD BE SQUASHED IMMEDIATELY.
Airline to Test Anti-Missile System
06.01.08. David Koenig, AP, Truth Out. Up to three American Airlines jets will be outfitted this spring with laser technology being developed to protect planes from missiles fired by terrorists. … About a year ago, BAE invited reporters to American’s maintenance base in Fort Worth to see a jet outfitted with the laser-jamming device called Jeteye. … BAE expects to test the device through 7,000 hours of flying in 2008 and early 2009, he said.
Poland signals a shift on U.S. missile shield
06.01.08. Judy Dempsey, IHT. Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski says the new Warsaw government is not prepared to accept U.S. plans to deploy part of the shield in Poland until all costs and risks are considered.
150K Czechs sign petition opposing plans for American missile shield
08.01.07. usa today.
+
FEBRUARY 2008
Poland Says It Has Agreed to US Shield
01.02.08. APF / Forbes. Poland said Friday it has reached an agreement in principle with the United States on plans to install a missile defense system on Polish territory. [NB: how much bribery money in this one?]
Report: Russian envoy to NATO warns Poland against accepting U.S. missile defense
03.02.08. IHT. “The Polish colleagues must be reminded of their recent history, which indicates that attempts to place Poland ‘on the confrontation line’ have always led to tragedies. That way Poland lost nearly one third of its citizens during World War II,” envoy Dmitry Rogozin was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.
Pentagon Seeks $10.5 Billion for Missile Defense
05.02.08. nti.
India Might Consider U.S. Missile Defense Purchase
07.02.08. nti.
U.S. Trying to Surround Russia, Lavrov Says
08.02.08. nti. “You would have to be very naive to assume that the American missile defense base in Europe is aimed against anything but Russia. It’s difficult to interpret it as anything other than a manifestation of imperial thinking.” —Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Russia to Deploy Longer-Range Missile Defenses
08.02.08. nti.
U.S. says will seek 3rd missile-defense site in Europe
12.02.08. J. Wolf, Reuters. The previously unannounced third leg in Europe involves a highly mobile X-band radar station, built by Raytheon Co. It would be placed closer to Iran, which is speeding efforts to build ballistic missiles capable of delivering deadly weapons beyond the Middle East, said Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, head of the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency. The powerful, “forward based” radar system would go in southeastern Europe, possibly in Turkey, the Caucasus or the Caspian Sea region, Obering told a defense-technology conference sponsored by Aviation Week magazine…. Major U.S. missile-defense contractors include Boeing Co, Lockheed Martin Corp and Northrop Grumman, in addition to Raytheon.
Russia, China propose draft treaty on use of weapons in space
12.02.08. The Jurist.
NATO opens missile defenses facility
15.02.08. UPI. A NATO missile defense system testing facility in the Netherlands is expected to open Thursday, in a project to protect forces against ballistic missiles. Officials say the facility’s opening of the integration test bed marks a major milestone for the multiyear NATO project aimed at protecting forces from missile attacks while deployed on operations, NATO reported. The facility, run by NATO’s Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense Program Office, will test the designs for NATO systems that will allow European and U.S. missile defense technologies to work together to protect forces against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
Russia: US Satellite Shot a Weapons Test
16.02.08. breitbart / ICH. Russia said Saturday that U.S. military plans to shoot down a damaged spy satellite may be a veiled test of America’s missile defense system.
British, US Team Propose Moon Mission
15.02.08. AP / Guardian. British and U.S. scientists said Friday they were exploring plans for a joint lunar mission that would use an orbiter to fire missile-like penetrators into the moon’s surface…. The mission would also provide an opportunity to test the space communications network needed for future robotic or human explorers.
Northrop Grumman To Provide System for NATO Air Defense
18.02.08. moneycnn. Defense and technology company Northrop Grumman Corp. (NOC) Monday said one of its units will provide navigation systems for a NATO air and missile defense system program. Northrop Grumman said in a statement its Italian subsidiary will provide the navigation and localization systems for the Medium Extended Air Defense System program, a project jointly financed by the U.S., Germany and Italy.
U.S. Missile Defense Prospects Could Ride on Antisatellite Attempt This Week, Experts Say
19.02.08. nti. A pending U.S. effort to destroy a failed spy satellite in orbit could have strong repercussions for the nation’s missile defense program, the New York Times reported Saturday. A successful attempt using a sea-based Standard Missile 3 missile interceptor could bolster the Bush administration’s efforts to deploy interceptors in Alaska and California, as well as on U.S. ships and in Eastern Europe, according to the Times. Alternatively, a failure could strengthen the hand of missile defense foes who have criticized the decision to deploy interceptors without testing them in real-world scenarios
US missile blasts rogue 17,000mph satellite
21.02.08. Independent. In the first mission of its kind, the US Navy struck the satellite with its first attempt but it is not yet known whether its hazardous fuel tank was destroyed.
Missile shield talks with Poland, Czech on track-US
21.02.08. AP/wiredispatch. The United States has made good progress in talks with Poland and the Czech Republic over the possible siting of the U.S. missile defence shield and all major issues have been resolved, a U.S. official said.
Pushing Missile Defense in Europe
22.02.06. J. Landy, Thomas Harrison, FPIF. With the occupation of Iraq soon to enter its sixth year and the looming possibility of war against Iran, it’s easy for Americans not to notice the Bush administration’s attempt to expand the U.S. military presence in Europe. A new Cold War between the United States and Russia threatens. And the U.S. media is paying little attention. Even many in the peace movement don’t know that Washington has proposed to install 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar military base in the Czech Republic. The missiles and radar taken together constitute an anti-missile system purportedly meant to defend against Iran and other “rogue” states. In fact, they represent a new expansion of U.S. global military power and an escalation of the arms race with Russia.
Poland Cancels Missile Defense Talks
22.02.08. nti. U.S. efforts to deploy missile interceptors in Poland have hit a major snag, with Polish officials cancelling a meeting scheduled today with U.S. representatives, a Polish newspaper reported
Pushing Missile Defense in Europe
23.02.08. J. Landy, T. Harrison, anti-war.com. With the occupation of Iraq soon to enter its sixth year and the looming possibility of war against Iran, it’s easy for Americans not to notice the Bush administration’s attempt to expand the U.S. military presence in Europe. A new Cold War between the United States and Russia threatens. And the U.S. media is paying little attention. [the US anti-missile system represents] a new expansion of U.S. global military power and an escalation of the arms race with Russia.
Poland: no missile shield without aid
23.02.08. AP / wiredispatch. Poland Says It Won’t Agreement to Missile Defense Base Unless US Helps Upgrade Military
Czech Greens to hold party referendum on radar after NATO summit
25.02.08. ceskenoviny.
U.S. Agrees to Polish Military Aid as Part of Missile Defense Deal, Foreign Minister Says
27.02.08. nti
U.S., Israel Plan Joint Missile Defense Tests
28.02.08. nti. The United States and Israel plan over the next two years to test their combined ballistic missile defenses, Reuters reported yesterday
+
MARCH 2008
NATO allies split on missile shield add-on
12.03.08. M. John, Reuters / Wiredispatch. NATO will delay a decision on whether to commission a missile shield to protect those parts of Europe not covered by a planned U.S. system because of internal disagreements, an alliance official said on Wednesday. NATO allies Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey will not be fully covered by a proposed U.S. shield in east Europe to counter missile threats from what Washington calls “rogue states” such as Iran and North Korea. [is the U.S. the “rogue state”?]
Report Finds Overspending on U.S. Missile Defense
18.03.08. nti. The U.S. Missile Defense Agency has spent at least $1 billion more than anticipated over the last two years as it deployed elements of a shield to protect the United States from enemy missile threats, the Government Accountability Office said yesterday. The GAO http://www.gao.gov report noted that the agency had exceeded costs for some specific programs, which include deploying missile interceptors on land and at sea and improving defense systems on ships, the Associated Press reported.
Russia, U.S. fail to agree on missile shield
18.03.08. Reuters. The U.S. plan has plunged relations between the two countries to a post-Cold War low and negotiations on the proposals have already been running for almost six months.
U.S. Delivers Written Proposal to Ease Russian Concerns Over European Missile Defense Plans
20. 03.08. nti. In an effort to protect against a potential Iranian long-range missile threat, the United States is seeking to install 10 missile interceptors in Poland and a radar tracking and guidance site in the Czech Republic. Russian officials have repeatedly and vociferously objected to the plans, saying the interceptors could threaten Russian strategic missile forces. … The written proposal has added importance to Russian officials because they said their U.S. counterparts had pulled back on earlier oral offers, the Associated Press reported. The latest proposal would allow Russian personnel some access to monitor the construction and operation of the facilities, but Russia has demanded a permanent presence, according to AP
U.S., Czech Republic Could Soon Sign Radar Deal
25.03.08. nti. The United States and the Czech Republic by early May could sign a deal to place a U.S. missile defense radar in the European nation, RIA Novosti reported. … The signing could occur April 28 during a visit to Washington by Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. Another possible date is May 5, which corresponds to a NATO conference on missile defense and the anniversary of anti-Nazi actions in Prague at the end of World War II. In return, the Czech government is looking for access to no less than five U.S. military research efforts and a visa waiver deal with Washington. (and some money?)… Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev yesterday dismissed U.S. statements that the European missile defense sites would be established to provide a defense against Iran, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, March 24). “That’s complete nonsense,” he told Czech public television. “Iran poses no threat. It is possible to deal with Iran with different means, if necessary. “The entire system is directed against Russia and China, that’s how we understand it,” Gorbachev added.
Democrats Scrutinize Missile Defense Agency
25.03.08. nti. As the majority party in Congress, Democrats are moving to increase oversight of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, Congressional Quarterly reported Sunday. In the minority prior to the 2006 election, Democrats had little power to address their concerns about the lack of supervision over the agency that leads deployment of various systems intended to protect the nation against missile threats. They also questioned its role in promoting deployment of missile defense elements in other nations.
Time Limited for Missile Defense Talks, Poland Says
26.03.08. nti. Poland hopes to ink a missile defense deal with the United States on hosting 10 missile interceptors before the next U.S. president is elected in November, the Associated Press reported
Future Unclear for Missile Defense
26.03.08. nti. The Bush administration has spent tens of billions of dollars on U.S. missile defense efforts, but the future of the program is cloudy as the country prepares for a new president, the Associated Press reported today.
+
APRIL 2008
Gates Hopeful on US-Russia Deal
01.04.08. AP. Gates suggested at a news conference in the Danish capital that overcoming Russia’s objections to U.S. plans for missile defense bases in Poland and the Czech Republic could have the added benefit of easing concerns among U.S. allies in Europe about Russia’s public threats to retaliate if the bases are installed. Missile defense is among topics on the agenda of a NATO summit this week in Bucharest, Romania.
A fitting venue for Bush? Former Dictator Ceausescu’s home Parliament Palace, Bucharest..
The NATO SUMMIT, BUCHAREST
VIDEO. Goerge Bush press conference prior to NATO summit.
Missle Defense to Top Bush, Putin Meeting Agenda
02.04.08. VOA. When President Bush meets with Russian President Putin on Sunday the two leaders are expected to discuss a number of thorny issues, chief among them the Bush administration’s plan to build a missile shield in Europe. … Bolton says President Bush [read Cheney] is anxious to secure the future of the missile defense program before stepping down next January. … Russia is strongly opposed to U.S. plans to put interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic. Moscow says the plan threatens Russia’s security, while Washington insists the defense shield is intended to protect Europe from a potential threat from Iran.
Bush Says He Sees NATO Endorsing Missile Defense Plan (Update1)
02.04.08. Roger Runningen, Bloomberg. Bush said an endorsement would “be a very important statement, because NATO could assure its members and the people within NATO that there would be defenses available” to prevent a rogue nation from launching a strike on Europe. The U.S. wants to start construction next year of a missile site in Poland for 10 interceptors and a fixed radar site in the Czech Republic to counter a potential long-range missile threat from Iran. The plan is opposed by Russia. The U.S. Congress wants to see signs of NATO support before approving construction funds.
US Pushes Pie-in-the-Sky Missile Defense in Europe
YALE Global on Line.
Russia’s problems nudge Afghanistan off the map
02.04.08. globe and mail. Putin’s grievances in Eastern Europe and Balkans will make it hard for Harper to get world leaders’ attention at NATO summit
Ukrainians split over push to join NATO
02.04.08. wiredispatch. Ukrainian Leaders Push for Membership in NATO, but Citizens Are Divided Over Joining Alliance
NATO to admit Croatia, Albania, delays Macedonia
02.04.08. REUTERS/wiredispatch.
Japan completes missile defense system deployment–reports
03.04.08. newsinfo.inquirer. Japan completed deploying a ballistic missile defense system in the Tokyo area on Saturday, a day after North Korea reportedly fired short-range missiles off its west coast, news reports said.
EU allies unite against Bush over Nato membership for Georgia and Ukraine
03.04.08. Independent. Gordon Brown has sided with more cautious EU allies against President George Bush over US support for the admission of the former Soviet republics of Georgia and Ukraine being admitted to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The rift threatens to dominate the Nato summit in Romania and the US pressure risks provoking a crisis later in the week with the outgoing Russian President, Vladimir Putin, who has made it clear he will oppose Nato membership for the two states on Russia’s borders. … Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s incoming president, warned this week that granting Nato membership to the two former Soviet republics could threaten European security.
+
Sarah Meyer is a researcher living in the UK
The url to US-NATO ‘Missile Shield’ Programme: Index Timeline Part II is :
http://indexresearch.blogspot.com/2008/04/us-nato-missile-shield-programme-index.html
shorter url: http://tinyurl.com/29zgzx
+
