Free Republic

NATO members appear ready to approve deployment of a territorial ballistic missile defense (BMD) network in Europe, although the scope of the European contribution is uncertain. At a missile defense conference here last week, experts from both sides of the Atlantic agreed that the Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) adopted by the Obama administration facilitates a change in the NATO view. (3AF, the French aeronautics and astronautics society, organized the event.) The alliance has studied the feasibility of transforming its Active Layered Theater BMD (ALTBMD) into a system capable of defending European territory, but has so far not embraced the concept...

The final installment of Missilethreat's synopsis of the 2010 BMDR will focus on the last sections of the report—dealing with international cooperation and the missile defense bureaucratic organizational structure. International Cooperation As a broad statement of intent, the report reiterates a U.S. commitment to the fielding of "robust, pragmatic, and cost-effective" regional missile defenses as well as a commitment to "international cooperation." Regional deterrence and a re-tooling of export controls will be key aspects of the future U.S. approach to deployed missile defense abroad. In Europe, NATO will dominate any missile defense processes. The expansion of missile defenses from the...