Obama scraps missile defence shield

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama yesterday shelved a Bush-era plan for an Eastern European missile defence system that has been a major irritant in relations with Russia. He said a redesigned defensive system would be cheaper and more effective against the threat from Iranian missiles.

“Our new missile defence architecture in Europe will provide stronger, smarter and swifter defences of American forces and America’s allies,” Obama said in an announcement from the White House. “It is more comprehensive than the previous programme, it deploys capabilities that are proven and cost effective and it sustains and builds upon our commitment to protect the US homeland.”

The missile defence system, planned under the Bush administration, was to have been built in the Czech Republic and Poland. Obama phoned Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer on Wednesday and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk yesterday to alert them of his decision.

It was unclear whether any part of the new system would still be hosted by those nations, which agreed to host the Bush-planned shield at considerable cost in public opinion and their relations with Russia. Obama said the US will continue to work cooperatively with what he called “our close friends and allies”. But the president said the old plan was scrapped in part because, after a seven-month review, the US concluded that Iran is less focused on developing the kind of long-range missiles for which the system was originally developed.

New technology also has arisen that military advisers decided could be deployed sooner and more effectively, he said. Anticipating criticism from the right that he was weakening America’s security, Obama said: “I’m committed to deploying strong missile defence systems that are adaptable to the threats of the 21st century,” he said.

The criticism came immediately. Congressman Eric Cantor of Virgina, the second-ranking Republican in the House, said he would “work to overturn this wrong-headed policy”.

Obama also made a pointed reference to Russia and its heated objections to the shield. “Its concerns about our previous missile defence programmes were entirely unfounded,” Obama said.

Still, the decision can be read at least in part as an effort to placate Russia at a time when its support against Iran’s suspected nuclear programme is sorely needed.

Defence secretary Robert Gates said the changes stem from intelligence experts’ conclusion that short- and medium-range missiles were “developing more rapidly than previously projected” in Iran. Gates said the United States would deploy Aegis ships equipped with interceptors to defend European allies and US forces against any threats.

But he said a second phase of the new plan, to begin in 2015, could result in missiles being placed on land in Eastern Europe. With this decision, Obama faced the dilemma of either setting back the gradual progress toward repairing relations with Russia or disappointing the Czech Republic and Poland, two key NATO allies. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is preparing to visit the US next week for the UN General Assembly and the G20 summit. The original plan was to establish 10 interceptors in Poland and a radar system in the Czech Republic. Moscow argued vehemently the plan would undermine the nuclear deterrent of its vast arsenal.

“This improvement to the system has nothing to do with Russia and everything to do with Iran,” a Pentagon spokesman said.