WASHINGTON, Nov. 19, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/
-- Riki Ellison, Founder and Chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy
Alliance (MDAA), www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org,
comments on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Lisbon Summit
happening today and tomorrow. Ellison is one of the top foremost lay
experts in the field of missile defense in the world. His comments
include the following:
"Today and tomorrow, leaders of countries
from the twenty-eight member North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
will meet in Lisbon, Portugal to vote on a new "Strategic Concept" for
the alliance. This will involve defining the threat and coordination for
a territory wide defense of NATO."
"Russia will challenge the
threat perception and the necessity of creating a further integrated
defense of NATO. Russian President Medvedev, whose country is not a
participating member of NATO, will have the opportunity to address the
conference prior to the vote."
"The vote, regardless of Russian
pressure, will most likely produce a positive decision calling for NATO
to build a fully integrated command and control system to defend all of
its territory from air threats as well as cruise and ballistic missile
threats. This system, without sensors or shooters, would initially cost
close to $300 million; which would come from the common funds that NATO
members provide on an annual basis. Participating NATO countries that
have missile defense assets in existence and are developing them will
look to provide the sensors and shooters as part of their annual NATO
contribution."
"The most prominent NATO member with missile
defense is the United States whose major contribution will be the Phased
Adaptive Approach (PAA); a system based on mobile launchers, forward
based sensors and two land based sites in Romania and Poland. U.S. Navy
Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) cruisers and destroyers would also
be required in the Eastern Mediterranean, Adriatic and Baltic seas with
possible future deployment in the North Sea. Initial deployment would
be in 2011, followed by the first land site place in Romania in 2015,
with increased capability in 2018 and 2020."
"NATO members
contributing missile defense operations include the United Kingdom
(sensors), Germany (Patriot Advanced Capability-3, PAC-3 and Medium
Extended Air Defense Systems, MEADS), Netherlands (PAC-3), Italy
(MEADS), Norway (sensors), Denmark (sensors), Poland (Aegis Ashore),
Romania (Aegis Ashore), and France (Sol-Air Moyenne Portee Terrestre,
SAMP/T)."
"Other NATO members that will look for a positive vote
as a sign to move forward on hosting missile defense assets furnished by
the U.S. would be Turkey, the Czech Republic and possibly Bulgaria.
Turkey will be particularly sensitive to Russian and Iranian views as
the U.S. would ideally require a forward-based sensor located there to
provide early tracking of Iranian missiles, possibly as soon as next
year."
"A NATO repositioning of its 'Strategic Concept' in Article
5 of its charter is much needed as the world has changed since its
founding. There needs to be a non-provocative solution against the
growing threats that face NATO now and in the future; threats from the
proliferation of short- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles."
"If
positive, this Lisbon vote will be a strong message and endorsement of
missile defense as a deterrent and an extended substantial U.S.
commitment to Europe for its protection and peace."
"Momentum from
a majority vote in this conference could lead to the beginning of
making a global missile defense system feasible and the decrease of
countries desiring nuclear ballistic missiles."