[A-List] US imperialism: missile defence

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

Pentagon puts hard sell on Europe over missile defence

Richard Norton-Taylor
Tuesday November 19, 2002
The Guardian

The US yesterday stepped up pressure on its European allies to embrace
missile defence and said it was poised to ask Britain for the use of bases
here for the controversial project.

"Nato's vulnerability to political coercion and blackmail will only
increase" without a missile defence system, said John Bolton, America's
under secretary of state for arms control and international security.

Mr Bolton and other US officials made clear that they were referring to such
"rogue" states as Iraq, Libya and Iran.

They were speaking at a conference at the Royal United Services Institute
sponsored by Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, three large US
corporations with strong vested interests in the development of missile
defence programmes.

"It is no longer a question of whether missile defence will be deployed," Mr
Bolton said, but of "what, how and when". He added: "The train is about to
pull out of the station. We invite friends and allies and the Russian
federation to climb on board."

American officials held out the prospect of contracts for European companies
if their governments agreed to join the US in developing missile defence
systems.

Officials in the Ministry of Defence and Foreign Office have been deeply
sceptical about missile defence partly on grounds of money - it would cost
Britain up to £10bn, according to official estimates - partly because the
technology is far from proven and partly out of concern that it might
encourage a new arms race.

Geoff Hoon, the defence secretary, last week gave missile defence his most
enthusiastic support so far. Yesterday, Lord Bach, the arms procurement
minister, appeared more circumspect. There was "no essential need at the
present time" for Britain to invest in a missile defence system here, he
said. The government would agree "only if it was convinced the security of
the UK and Nato would be enhanced". He repeated the government's line that
it would consider "very seriously" an American request to use radar and
satellite stations at Fylingdales and Menwith Hill, both in North Yorkshire.

It is widely assumed that the government would never refuse such a request
which senior US officials at yesterday's conference indicated would come
very soon. "Decisions on requests will be made in the very near future,"
said one. "The time to be pussy-footing is over," said another.

The US wants this week's Nato summit in Prague to endorse missile defence,
whereby missiles would knock out incoming missiles.

"If Nato countries participated that would facilitate industrial cooperation
[between the US and Europe]," said one senior official clearly hoping that
European defence companies would apply pressure to their governments.