U.S.-Poland Ballistic Missile Defense Pact Takes Effect

Poland and the U.S. have jointly announced that their ballistic missile defense agreement entered into force Thursday. The pact will see the deployment of land-based anti-missile batteries in the European country by 2018.

Joint Statement on the U.S.-Poland Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement

The United States and Poland are pleased to jointly announce that the Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement of 2008 and its Amending Protocol of 2010 on deployment of the land-based SM-3 system within Poland has entered into force, effective September 15, 2011. The U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense system will be located at Redzikowo Base as a part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach to missile defense in the 2018 timeframe. This base represents a significant contribution by our two nations to a future NATO missile defense capability.

NEWS TRANSCRIPT: Russian Foreign Minister Interviewed On U.S. Trip, Mideast, Ties With NATO

MEDIA: BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union
DATE: July 11, 2011

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov

Text of report by the website of government-owned Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta on 11 July [Interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by Vladislav Vorobyev; date and place not given: "What Do You Dream of, Cruiser Monterey? Russian Foreign Minister Names the Problems for Which the West Should Not Look for Simple Solutions" - first paragraph is Rossiyskaya Gazeta introduction]

.S. Missile Shield to Cover Entire Bulgaria under New Plan

Ellen Tauscher

The U.S. missile defense shield will cover the entire territory of Europe, including all Bulgaria, according to U.S. Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher.

Poland May Join Mobile Anti-Missile System, Finmeccanica Says

Poland may join a multinational mobile anti-missile program that the U.S. plans to withdraw from, said Pier Francesco Guarguaglini, chairman of Finmeccanica SpA (FNC), one of the companies involved in the system’s development.

Gates, Mullen Defend European Missile Defense

The military’s top leaders defended the U.S. approach to missile defense on Capitol Hill June 15 when questioned about a new report that a key senator says shoots holes in the Obama administration’s European Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) for defending the continent against ballistic missile attacks.

Twelfth Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) Missile Defense Conference

Thank you, Mike, for that kind introduction. I am honored to be here at RUSI today. This Institute has a long and distinguished history, to which I am proud to add my participation. This conference, in particular, is an important forum to discuss the broad range of missile defense issues and it brings together so many important leaders on this issue.

Czech Republic pulls out of US missile shield plan

Alexandr Vondra - Czech Defense Minister

The Czech Republic is withdrawing from U.S. missile defense plans out of frustration at its diminished role, the Czech defense minister told The Associated Press Wednesday.

Doubts Persist Over Timeline For Obama Missile Shield Plan

Almost two years after the Obama administration announced its plan to establish over a decade a missile shield that would provide protection to all of Europe, doubts remain over the feasibility of the program’s ambitious timeline, Aviation Week reported on Monday.

Pentagon Mulls Hurdles To Early Missile Intercept

By Amy Butler

Nearly two years ago, Defense Secretary Robert Gates unveiled a new incremental strategy to protect much of Europe and the Eastern U.S. from an Iranian ballistic missile attack. The so-called Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) was designed with increments, each deploying new technologies in 2011, 2015 and 2018, and—eventually—the final phase would provide coverage from intercontinental ballistic missile threats from Iran in 2020.