http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8260230.stm

 

Obama shelves Europe missile plan

 

Barack Obama: "I'm confident... we have strengthened America's national security"

US President Barack Obama has shelved plans for controversial bases in Poland and the Czech Republic in a major overhaul of missile defence in Europe.

 

The bases are to be scrapped after a review of the threat from Iran.

 

Mr Obama said there would be a "proven, cost-effective" system using land- and sea-based interceptors against Iran's short- and medium-range missile threat.

 

Russia, which saw the old shield as a threat, initially welcomed the news but there has been criticism in the US.

 

The US signed a deal in August 2008 with Poland to site 10 interceptors at a base near the Baltic Sea, and with the Czech Republic to build a radar station on its territory.

 

 

ANALYSIS

 

BBC World Affairs correspondent Paul Reynolds

On the military side, this heralds a shift of emphasis in the whole US anti-missile defence strategy. It is not an end to it but it is a change.

 

The emphasis will now be on regional and shorter-range defence. The Israeli example might be a good one. The US is co-operating with the Israelis on the Arrow anti-missile missile and on a shorter-range missile interceptor known as David's Sling.

 

Such methods will now come to the fore. And the existing Aegis ship-based defence, already deployed near Japan, will also have renewed importance.

 

US missile rethink a huge shift

 

The US had said the missile shield would be fully operational by 2012.

 

But President Obama this year ordered a review of the defence system, which was strongly backed by his predecessor George W Bush.

 

'Stronger and smarter'

 

On Thursday, President Obama said in a live TV address that the change was needed to "deploy a defence system that best responds to the threats we face".

 

He said a review had shown the need to switch strategy to defending against the short- and medium-range missiles that Iran could use to target Europe.

 

Twice Mr Obama referred to the need for a system that was "proven and cost effective".

 

He said the new approach would provide "a stronger, smarter and swifter defence" of US and allied forces in Europe.

 

Mr Obama said he had spoken to both the Czech Republic and Poland and stressed his commitments to their defence.

 

But he said again that Russia's concerns about the old system were "entirely unfounded".

 

 

 

 

Although the White House said the US "no longer planned to move forward" with the old shield scheme for Poland and the Czech Republic, Defence Secretary Robert Gates stressed the US was not abandoning missile defence of Europe.

 

He said negotiations were under way with both nations about deploying upgraded SM-3 interceptors from 2015.

 

The first phase of the new strategy, he said, would be to deploy "current and proven missile defence systems in the next two years", including the sea-based Aegis and the current SM-3.

 

'Real work'

 

The overhaul marks a major US foreign policy shift but it has already drawn some criticism.

 

John Bolton, who was undersecretary of state for arms control and international security under President Bush, said the move was "unambiguously a bad decision".

 

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Great NEWS

Although the White House said the US "no longer planned to move forward" with the old shield scheme for Poland and the Czech Republic, Defence Secretary Robert Gates stressed the US was not abandoning missile defence of Europe.

 

Change means shuffling a few things around, rewording but doing the same thing in the end...gotta love Obama!