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| Frist: Europe missile-defense site needed |
| 2006-06-30 |
| Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist urged President Bush on Friday to intensify efforts to put interceptor missiles at a site in Europe to protect against potential attacks from Iran. "The threat from Iran is only going to grow in the years ahead. We need to take steps now to prepare to deal with that threat," Frist, R-Tenn., said in a letter to the president. "The time has come to revive and reinvigorate discussions with allies in Europe that have previously expressed interest in hosting these interceptors at a third site on their territory," said Frist, who is retiring from the Senate and is considering running for president in 2008. The United States has interceptor missiles buried in California and Alaska to counter potential threats from the Pacific, including from North Korea. The Bush administration has spent more than a year negotiating with several European allies to find a third site for the ground-based interceptor missiles, including discussions last year with Poland. For the budget year that begins Oct. 1, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency requested $61 million to produce 10 more interceptor missiles and $56 million to prepare for a third site. There has been no final decision on where that site may be, said Rick Lehner, an agency spokesman. In the letter, Frist sought to send a signal to Iran that the United States is committed to countering that country's nuclear ambitions. At the same time, the potential presidential candidate aimed to show that he's strong on national defense, which could be a major issue in the White House race two years from now. Putting interceptor missiles at a site in Europe would significantly enhance the United States' ability to protect against ballistic missiles launched from Iran, Frist said in the letter. "As Iran continues to make progress in deploying its Shahab 3 missiles and developing new, longer range missiles, while simultaneously pursuing nuclear weapons, the ability to shoot down Iranian warheads in flight becomes increasingly critical to our national security," Frist said. His comments came as the United States and European allies continue their efforts to persuade Tehran to roll back its uranium enrichment program that can produce fuel for nuclear power generators or the material for nuclear warheads. Iran insists that its program is peaceful. |
| Posted by:lotp |
| #6 Cover our allies and friends - criteria should be what help they've delivered since 9/11. Poles, Bulgarians, Hungarians, andBrits, sure, Danes? sure. Everyone else and all those refusing basing on their soil can get f*cked, especially Ireland, based on the last couple days' posts |
| Posted by: Frank G 2006-06-30 20:05 |
| #5 Europe has enjoyed decades and billions of dollars of military welfare. If they want it, they can buy it. Knowing that the major parties will insist on Euro content/development, its unlikely they'll have anything functional for another two decades. |
| Posted by: Uninter Whereting4376 2006-06-30 19:12 |
| #4 #2 Steve White: "It's hard to defend the UK, Denmark and Bulgaria without defending the rest of Europe." If it's aimed at frogistan or spain, couldn't we "miss"? Oops. ;-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-06-30 18:16 |
| #3 We know where the missile will land shortly after it lifts off. They don't haave MIRVs yet. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-06-30 18:00 |
| #2 It's hard to defend the UK, Denmark and Bulgaria without defending the rest of Europe. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2006-06-30 17:56 |
| #1 Frist is an idiot. He's assuming Bush will let the MM get nukes. I have my doubts. Let the Euros develop their own BMD or get on board with the GWOT. We should defend only those who are on board with GWOT, UK, Denmark, Poland, etc. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-06-30 17:18 |