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American Foreign Policy Council, Washington, DC
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TOKYO FOCUSES ON NEED FOR NMD In response to North Korea’s expanding nuclear and missile capabilities, Japan is continuing to drift toward deeper missile defense dialogue with the United States. The February 17th Straits Times reveals that Tokyo and Washington are at work on a new, ship-based anti-missile system, and could commence testing as early as next year. At the same time, the DPRK’s recent rollback of its self-imposed moratorium on missile testing has also prompted Tokyo to contemplate two domestic anti-missile measures -- the deployment of two Aegis-class naval warships to the Sea of Japan to track Pyongyang’s missile activities and the issuance of a governmental white paper detailing possible responses, including naval strikes, to a North Korean missile launch, the Agence France Presse (February 5) and the Kyodo News Service (February 9) report. Tokyo also appears to be mulling the creation of a nation-wide missile defense architecture modeled after U.S. plans for NMD. Speaking to the Japanese House of Representatives Budget Committee on February 6th, Shigeru Ishiba, director general of the country’s Defense Agency, urged lawmakers to contemplate a comprehensive study of the feasibility of a national anti-missile system. “Ballistic missiles have proliferated very much,” Tokyo’s Sankei Shimbun (February 7) quoted Ishiba as saying. “During the Cold War era, the United States and the Soviet Union were the only countries [possessing ballistic missiles], but now there are 46 countries in possession [of ballistic missiles]. As a result, the United States has begun practical deployment [of missile defense systems].” “If Japan decides to develop and deploy an MD system,” according to Ishiba, “it is necessary to work out the details properly on how much it would cost and how effective it would be within our total defense capability, as well as what legislation would be necessary.” TAIPEI SKETCHES MISSILE DEFENSE PLANS Taiwan, meanwhile, is moving ahead with plans for its own national missile defense. Speaking at a public press conference on February 13th, Tang Yao-ming, Taiwan’s Minister of Defense, revealed that Taiwan’s “military has set up a task force to plan for the establishment of a comprehensive missile defense system.” The goal of the program, which is a response to China’s mounting missile capabilities, is to field an effective, layered missile defense capability “within ten years,” the Taipei Times (February 14) cites Tang as saying. The three-stage Taiwanese system will reportedly entail an initial land-based capability centered around the U.S. PAC-3 system, to be followed later by the deployment of both a sea-based and airborne defenses. RUMSFELD PRESSES FOR CONGRESSIONAL NMD SUPPORT The Bush administration’s top defense official has publicly urged adherence to the White House’s schedule for near-term missile defense deployment, Defense News (February 13) reports. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 13th, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stressed the growing need for the United States to field a preliminary missile defense capability, even prior to the completion of operational testing. Citing the battlefield successes of two developmental weapons systems – the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) and the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle – Rumsfeld urged Congressional leaders to relax congressional rules and move forward quickly with the Bush administration’s vision for NMD. Traditional defense planning entailed a long-term process designed to produce a “perfect system,” the Pentagon chief said. By contrast, the Bush administration has “decided to develop and put in place a rudimentary system by 2004, which should make us somewhat safer than we are now, and then build on that foundation.” TURKEY, INDIA EDGE CLOSER TO ARROW In the wake of last month’s successful test of the Arrow Theater Missile Defense system, officials in Jerusalem appear to be ramping up efforts to create an expanded Middle East missile defense coalition. The Jerusalem Post (February 16) reports that Israel has floated a request to New Delhi to invest $100 million in the Arrow project. The request follows a similar overture to Ankara regarding participation in the joint U.S.-Israeli missile defense program. Both Turkish and Indian involvement, however, is contingent on U.S. approval, and Washington remains deeply divided over the expansion of the Arrow program, the influential Israeli daily reports. |
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