DESPITE CHINESE JITTERS, MOVEMENT ON MISSILE DEFENSE IN ASIA
U.S. plans to create a missile shield in East Asia are progressing despite concerns from China. As part of the evolving system, the U.S. and its regional allies have been weighing options for a second, and possibly even a third, X-Band Radar site in Southeast Asia to compliment the one already in place in northern Japan. That detection capability would be utilized by ground and sea based interceptors, such as Aegis-equipped cruisers and THAAD ground systems.
But what is the aim of the new Asian shield? While the system is commonly cited by the U.S. as a defense against North Korean ballistic missiles, recent comments by Steven Hildreth from the Congressional Research Service have shed light on a different goal as well. “The focus of our rhetoric is North Korea... The reality is that we’re also looking longer term at the elephant in the room, which is China.” Mr. Hildeth’s argument is echoed by officials in China, who have expressed worries that the shield constitutes a possible threat to their strategic nuclear deterrent - and China's ability to coerce Taiwan with short- and medium range missiles. (Wall Street Journal, August 23, 2012)
PUTIN DANGLES PROSPECT OF NEW ARMS REDUCTIONS
Russian President Vladimir Putin has suggested that he would be willing to cut Russia's nuclear arsenal even further than mandated under the 2010 U.S.-Russian New START treaty - but with a caveat. According to the Russian leader, he would only be willing to negotiate a new arms control agreement codifying such cuts if the U.S. was to give Russia concrete assurances that it will not threaten Russian security with the planned European missile shield. (New York Times, August, 24, 2012)
[Editors' Note: Moscow has long viewed the U.S.-led effort to erect missile defenses in Europe as a potential threat to its strategic capabilities, and used a variety of means - from threats to inducements - to discourage the construction of the European shield. The offer of new nuclear reductions appears to be the latest such effort.]
AN IMPROVED ARROW IN ISRAEL'S QUIVER
Israel has announced that it will soon be ready to test its next generation Arrow-3 missile defense system. Once fully developed and deployed, the Arrow-3 will become the first line of defense in Israel's multi-tier national missile shield, providing the Jewish State with the capability to intercept ballistic missiles in space. The remaining components of Israel's layered system consist of the Arrow-2, PAC-3 theater defenses, David’s Sling (a system now under joint development between Israel and the U.S. and designed to intercept cruise missiles and medium- to long-range rockets), and the recently-deployed Iron Dome theater missile system. (Aviation Week, September 3, 2012)
U.S. BMD COULD SEE REWORKING UNDER ROMNEY
If Republican candidate Mitt Romney wins the presidential election on November 6th, U.S. missile defense policy could see a significant bump in spending. The Republican Party Platform, unveiled at the GOP's convention in Tampa, Florida in late August, includes language criticizing the Obama administration’s cuts in funding for missile defense research and deployment funding, charging that they are leaving the nation vulnerable. In turn, President Obama's "Phased Adaptive Approach" - unveiled by the current Administration in September 2009 and focused on the creation of a European missile shield - could see a significant reworking if Romney wins the race for the White House. The Romney team has vowed that, while continuing to protect European allies from the missile threat from Iran, it would also reserve the right to mobilize Bush-era plans for a more effective U.S. shield should Iran begin making quicker progress on an ICBM. Still, experts point out, such a shift is far from assured, even if Romney becomes president. Funding for such a reorientation remains a real issue given the current, restrictive fiscal climate and looming defense cuts. (Global Security Newswire, September 4, 2012)
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