US-backed European missile defense ‘ready by July’

By Michael Sercan Daventry

LONDON

The United States’ missile defense system in Europe will be ready to deploy by July, a London security conference has been told.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Frank Rose said his country expected to declare initial operating capability (IOC), a crucial stage in the system’s development, at NATO’s Warsaw summit this summer.

The missile defense system, announced by President Barack Obama in 2009, will see sensors and interceptor missiles stationed in Eastern Europe and Turkey.

Rose told a conference held by RUSI, the London-based defense think tank, that the system was not designed to counter a perceived threat from Russia.

He said on Tuesday: “Both the United States and NATO have made clear that U.S. missile defenses in the system NATO is building in Europe is not designed – or capable of – undermining Russia’s strategic deterrent capabilities.

“The U.S. and NATO have explained this to Russia on many occasions over the past several years.”

He added: “It is also [notable] that Russia did not respond positively to the many offers to cooperate on missile defense over the years. I think it is important for us to remind people that it was Russia that unilaterally terminated a cooperative dialogue with NATO on missile defense in 2013.”

NATO officials speaking at the same conference said Russia’s own intercontinental missiles were too sophisticated for any NATO system to intercept them.

Robert Zadra, a senior director in NATO’s air and missile defense section, said the alliance would have to use other means to counter Russia in the event of a second Cold War.

He said: “Should the new Cold War scenario that was mentioned in February by Russian Prime Minister [Dmitry] Medvedev in Munich really materialize in the years to come, then NATO will have to rely on other capabilities – and on the full range of such capabilities – for deterrence and defense purposes, but not for missile defense.”