America Considers Turkey for Missile Defense

The Polish newspaper “Wyborcza” claimed that the U.S. government gave up establishing a rocket shield system in Poland and the Czech Republic. It also claimed that Turkey and Israel were being considered instead of these two countries.

According to the newspaper, a proponent for the rocket shield, Riki Ellison, indicated that signs coming from top American generals at the Pentagon are very clear, showing that the USA is looking for other solutions, rather than building rocket shield systems in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Ellison emphasized that the American generals didn’t mention any plan involving Poland or the Czech Republic even once at a conference for defense experts.

“Wyborcza” wrote that the Obama administration is thinking about building the rocket shield systems somewhere in the Balkans, or on bases in Turkey or Israel, or placing them on warships. In terms of the newspaper, an anonymous source from the American Congress indicated that the Obama administration had been evaluating the reactions arising from Congress giving up the plan for a few weeks.

In 2008, the U.S. and Poland signed an agreement ordering 10 interceptor missiles to be built.

Russia opposes the USA building rocket shields in Poland and the Czech Republic. In July,the president of Russia, Dimitriy Medvedev, threatened the U.S. by saying that he will place rockets in the Kaliningrad area of Moscow if the two countries can’t come to an agreement on rocket shields.