Translated material
Gallant Pentagon
The US offers Russia its anti-missile umbrella
The Americans “want to cooperate” with Russia in the field of missile defense, Deputy Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs Eric Edelman stated this desire of the US leadership. He assures that the State Department and the Pentagon are preparing for intensive consultations with Russia on missile defense. First of all, according to plans to deploy a dozen interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic. The American military is ready to provide Moscow with its radar intelligence data and reveal some elements of the technology for early detection of missile launches. Mr. Edelman does not rule out the creation of working groups to discuss specific forms of cooperation. A visit to the Russian capital by Pentagon head Robert Gates is not excluded.The statement by the US Deputy Secretary of Defense could mark the beginning of a new, rather sharp turn in relations between the two powers on the most pressing issue of recent times. Unless, of course, this is a banal distracting diplomatic maneuver.
The post of deputy head of the Pentagon for political affairs in the United States is considered a key one, so Mr. Edelman’s statement was not perceived in Russia as mere rhetoric. 55-year-old Eric Edelman has Russian roots - his grandmother emigrated from Russia in the 1920s. He himself worked in the US embassies in Moscow and Prague, headed the USSR and Eastern Europe department at the Pentagon, and was the chief security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney. Mr. Edelman is considered more of a hawk than a liberal. Regarding the upcoming consultations on missile defense, the second person in the Pentagon said harshly: if they do not bring results, the United States will not allow Moscow to dictate what it should do in bilateral relations with other countries.
Unexpected active steps by the American military began after a telephone conversation a week ago between the presidents of Russia and the United States, during which the topic of missile defense was “touched” and some agreements were reached. This telephone conversation was apparently the reason why the topic of missile defense will be discussed on April 19 in Brussels at a meeting of the North Atlantic Council and the Russia-NATO Council. At the same time, representatives of Russia and the United States will meet at “various levels” and from “various departments.” However, today it is already possible to partially predict the results of these consultations.
Some details of Eric Edelman's statement suggest that the Pentagon's proposal is just a political move that will not be followed by any practical action. For example, the deputy head of the Pentagon said that the United States could take part of Russian territory under its anti-missile umbrella. And at the same time, he was categorical regarding the management of the national missile defense system: the American system, command and control over it will remain entirely in the hands of Washington. There will be no “double key” in this system, said the deputy head of the Pentagon.
“Does he (Eric Edelman. - Ed. ) think that the Russian military are suckers who will give up even a tiny part of their influence in such a vital matter as protecting the country from air and space strikes,” said Vremya. news" one of the generals at the headquarters of the Strategic Missile Forces. “After all, the iron rule is known: strategic weapons are not trusted even to friends and allies.” The Russian general explains the haste with which the United States is trying to deploy elements of its missile defense system in Europe with the “ambiguous purpose” of future missile silos in Poland. And Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says these silos “dangerously replicate installations for launching intercontinental ballistic missiles.” That is, it is unknown what will happen in these mines in a few years.
By the way, it was Mr. Lavrov who was the first high-ranking Russian official to respond to Eric Edelman’s proposal. He invited European and CIS countries to conduct a joint assessment of nuclear missile threats, and NATO to resume dialogue in the field of missile defense. The United States appears in the speech of the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry only indirectly: unilateral steps in the field of missile defense are regarded by Mr. Lavrov as “creating preparations for the purpose of splitting Europe.”
It must be assumed that the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry pursued several goals in his speech. First, express your attitude to the Pentagon's policy proposal. Secondly, invite Europe to return to the issue of building, with Russia’s help, a non-strategic missile defense system or a theater of military operations (TVD) missile defense system, towards which very significant steps have already been taken. Efforts in this direction, as is known, subsided along with the publication of US plans to deploy elements of its national missile defense system in Europe. The Americans are already openly saying that any future alliance missile defense system will be compatible with the needs of the US missile defense system. And thirdly, invite the CIS countries to think about creating a joint missile defense shield.
It is far from certain that these proposals will hang in the air. Actually, the current Pentagon proposal arose from Europeans’ dissatisfaction with the fact that the United States is deploying a missile defense system in the European Union without consulting the EU and NATO.
European politicians have already expressed the view that by deploying radar and anti-missile defenses, the Americans are making Europe a target for Russian missiles. Thus, the United States, whether it wants it or not, will inevitably quarrel between Russia and Europe. And here, so as not to play into the hands of the Americans, Russia should under no circumstances withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. High-ranking Russian military officials have already spoken about this possibility. Yes, Russia can quickly resume production of this type of weapon and place it in combat positions - in the same Kaliningrad region. But the missiles will be aimed not at the United States, but at Europe.