As the Obama administration continues fashioning a new European missile-defense architecture, senior officials plan to talk next week with Moscow about Russia participating in a new early warning radar suite.
Administration officials in recent days have begun describing a system that would include radars in multiple nations that could give Washington, NATO, Moscow and other allied nations early notice of an Iranian missile launch. The administration has mentioned plugging together sophisticated radars in southern Russia, Azerbaijan and other places like Ukraine to compose the radar framework.
Ellen Tauscher, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said Oct. 7 the issue will be among many on the table when administration officials meet with Russian officials in Moscow next week.
The next day during a breakfast meeting with reporters, Alexander Vershbow, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, added Ukraine to the list of possible early warning sites. He said Ukrainian officials "have mentioned" interest in participating.
In 2007, Russia proposed such a framework, which was rejected by the Bush administration.
Vershbow added the administration hopes to implement facets of agreements forged "nearly 10 years ago" that have never been implemented, such as a joint threat assessment and a "joint data center."
Moscow initially responded with "euphoria" to the Obama administration's revamped European missile-defense plan, Vershbow said. Since then, he said, Russian officials have realized the new plan will put more missiles and Aegis ships in Russia's neighborhood. "I think that euphoria has faded."
In the meantime, Vershbow said the administration hopes that "if not this year, then hopefully next" year it will get Senate approval for sweeping defense trade treaties with the United Kingdom and Australia.
"We hear a lot from both the U.K. and Australia" about the treaties, said Vershbow, who labeled both nations "impatient" to see them approved and implemented.
He said State Department officials are working with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee "to get them on the docket."
The Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) program is ready to test a few components that soldiers may have in their hands by 2010.
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