The US plans to conduct test of its missile defense program elements to intercept and destroy five enemy missiles- three medium-range ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles, the director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency Gen. Patrick O'Reilly told Congress on Wednesday.
"This will be the largest and difficult test of military components for missile defense in history", said the head of the agency, speaking in the Congress at a hearing before the Senate Committee on Armed Services. He also noted that the Pentagon plans to use in it anti-aircraft missile complexes Patriot, TAAD, Idjis and mobile forward-based radar.
The relevant regional systems are created now on the three potential theaters of warfare: Europe, along with other NATO countries; the Asia-Pacific region, together with Japan and Australia; the Middle East with "Israel".
The most flexible of these is the European missile defense system, which is formed through the integration of the US missile defense shield to be placed in Europe, and opportunities in the field of other NATO members.
For example, complexes of Patriot are in service of Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Greece, and France and Italy have similar European systems, noted by the media.
It is to be mentioned in this connection that, the Baltic countries have a special interest in the American missile defense system.
So, the Minister of Defense of Lithuania Rasa Jukneviciene after meeting with Assistant Secretary General of NATO Patrick Ouro last February expressed Lithuania's desire that the Alliance will make an important step in creating a NATO missile defense.
"It would be important for us to hear the important news at the NATO meeting in Chicago", said the Minister. The meeting also dealt with the ongoing NATO project a reasonable defense against Russia.
"We support the principles of reasonable defense, it is important for us the NATO's air-ground surveillance project", said Jukneviciene.
Patrick Ouro noted that cooperation of the Baltic countries with NATO is an example for other NATO countries in the field of reasonable defense. He greeted Lithuania with the fact that NATO has accepted the air policing mission in the Baltic States and praised the efforts of the Baltic countries to increase aid from its side.
In addition, Jukneviciene noted at the meeting that Lithuania is hoping to create a NATO-specific rules governing the transfer of military technology not for the NATO countries, referring to Russia. "More transparency is more security", said the Minister.
The security situation in neighboring countries was also discussed during the meeting. According Jukneviciene, in this region is noted Russian military activity near the western border, and Russia is modernizing its weaponry.
Department of Monitoring
Kavkaz Center
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