The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff yesterday said he was "optimistic" that the United States would soon resolve the final piece of a missile-defense deal with Poland, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, June 15).
Talks are continuing on a Status of Forces Agreement, which would address the legal status of U.S. military personnel deployed to Poland, according to Adm. Michael Mullen. Such an agreement would be necessary for the United States to move ahead with deployment there of 10 long-range missile interceptors or a Patriot air-defense battery.
"There are very important ongoing negotiations," Mullen said in Warsaw, where he was set for talks with Polish Gen. Franciszek Gagor. "I'm not just hopeful, but also optimistic, that they can move forward.
The Obama administration has not formally declared whether it intends to pursue its predecessor's plan for a European missile shield that would encompass missile interceptors in Poland and a radar site in the Czech Republic. President Barack Obama has said his decision would be based on the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of the technology and on the missile threat posed by Iran.
"Clearly the United States is both concerned about the growing missile capabilities, and the destabilizing aspect of those capabilities, that are coming out of Iran, and is very committed to looking for solutions that best resolve and protect against that threat," Mullen said.
Warsaw sought deployment of a U.S. Patriot battery as a benefit for agreeing to house the interceptors. Mullen said the timetable for deploying the system would be contingent on the outcome of the SOFA talks.
"It would be weeks to months after the completion of a (SOFA) agreement that we would be able to deploy the first Patriot battery," Mullen said, adding that the battery would initially be only for training.
That might not be sufficient for Poland, which has sought an operational weapon that could be linked to its air defenses. Gagor yesterday, though, did not pursue the issue in public.
"The Polish military is looking forward to the battery being deployed in Poland ... I believe that the battery will be in Poland sooner rather than later," he said (Agence France-Presse/Spacewar.com, June 29).