MISSILE DEFENSE TALKS WITH RUSSIA: GOING NOWHERE FAST
Negotiations between NATO and Russia over Europe's emerging missile defense shield have stalled almost completely. Both sides appear unwilling to budge on the issue of missile defense deployments in the Eurozone. The Atlantic Alliance has promised to build the shield - intended to defend the Eurozone from ballistic missile threats - with or without Russian cooperation. The Kremlin, for its part, has threatened to pull out of the "New START" Treaty signed with Washington in December 2010, and to deploy short-range missiles near NATO countries if the shield is built. Nor is an end to the deadlock in sight; Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, has said that there are “no grounds" to conclude that the parties will manage to come to terms by May, when a NATO summit on missile defense is scheduled to be held. (Global Security Newswire, February 28, 2012)
DEFENSE DATA AS BARGAINING CHIP
In its efforts to engage the Kremlin on missile defenses in Europe, the Obama administration is considering sharing key data relating to U.S. missile defense capabilities with Russia. Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary Brad Roberts has confirmed to Congressional lawmakers that the U.S. may disclose some classified technical data about American interceptors in order to assuage Russian concerns over the European missile shield. The news, detailed by Roberts in recent testimony before a subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, has stirred outrage among Republican legislators, who have vowed to block any attempt by the administration to share such information. Congress already moved last year to require that they are notified at least two months in advance of any such information disclosures. (Global Security Newswire, March 7, 2012)
NEW FOCUS ON ICBMS IN NORTH KOREA
North Korea, which recently weathered a regime transition, is now expanding its investments in strategic capabilities, a top U.S. military official has told Congress. Adm. Robert Willard, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM), testified in front of the House Armed Services Committee on March 2nd that the DPRK is actively seeking to enhance its long-range ballistic missiles. “There is development within North Korea of a road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile system that we’ve observed,” Willard noted in his prepared statement. The news constitutes a significant development; road-mobile missiles are much more difficult to detect and, since they are usually solid fueled, can be fired more quickly than their liquid fueled counterparts. (Washington Times, March 7, 2012)
RUSSIA DEPLOYS S-400 REGIMENTS...
Continued deadlock with Washington over U.S. plans for missile defenses in Europe has not stopped Moscow from enhancing its own anti-missile capabilities. Russia will reportedly be deploying three regiments of the sophisticated S-400 air defense system this year. The S-400 is said to be capable of engaging targets as far away as 400 kilometers, and is designed to defend against ballistic missiles, manned aircraft, and UAVs. According to Russian officials, one S-400 regiment is already deployed in the Russian Far East. An additional one will be positioned in Moscow, and the last will be deployed with the Air Force and Air Defense Chief Command. (Moscow RIA Novosti, March 14, 2012)
AND SEEKS TO COUNTER U.S. DEFENSES
Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has called for countermeasures against proposed Western missile defenses in Europe, all while reiterating that negotiations with the U.S. over the dispute should continue. “Even though the talks are ongoing, (Russia) must get ready for a serious rearming of the armed forces so that we could be in a due shape and capable to respond to the missile defense in Europe,” Medvedev has told reporters. “By 2017-2018 we must be fully prepared, fully armed.” The comments have set the stage for a major political tug-of-war in May, when missile defenses will be debated as part of NATO's planned summit in Chicago. (Washington Post, March 20, 2012)
PYONGYANG LOOKS TO SPACE
Pyongyang has officially declared that it will launch a satellite into space in April in a move that is widely seen as a disguised test for a road-mobile ICBM that North Korea has been developing. The announcement comes just weeks after the U.S. and North Korea reached a deal that provides the DPRK with food aid in exchange for a moratorium on missile and nuclear development - a pledge the launch will likely violate. (Global Security Newswire, March 16, 2012)
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