US-Russian Team Deems Missile Shield in Europe Ineffective

Washington Post, Common Dreams by Joby Warrick, R. Jeffrey Smith | May. 18, 2009 (News Report)

A planned U.S. missile shield to protect Europe from a possible Iranian attack would be ineffective against the kinds of missiles Iran is likely to deploy, according to a joint analysis by top U.S. and Russian scientists.

The U.S.-Russian team also judged that it would be more than five years before Iran is capable of building both a nuclear warhead and a missile capable of carrying it over long distances. And if Iran attempted such an attack, the ... Full Story »

Posted by Dwight Rousu

See All Reviews »

View

Review

Dwight Rousu
4.5
 by Dwight Rousu - May. 19, 2009

Seldom does a report so clearly tell the major shortcomings of the bush missile defense farce. The story stays focused on the report, but that means leaving out the problems that nukes can be smuggled in suitcases, or carried on cruise missiles for which ballistic missile defense is ineffective.

Having worked many years on missile defense, I find the report credible. More data on the credentials of the study participants might lend even more credibility.

if Iran were to build a nuclear-capable missile that could strike Europe, the defense shield proposed by the United States “could not engage that missile,” the report says. The missile interceptors could also be easily fooled by decoys and other simple countermeasures, the report concludes.

“The much more urgent problem is to seek a resolution” of the Iranian nuclear crisis, the report says. “That is a project on which the United States and Russia need to cooperate more closely.”

Dwight posted this story.

See All Reviews »

Dwight's Rating

Overall
4.5

Very good
from 15 answers
Quality
4.5
Facts
5.0
Fairness
5.0
Sourcing
5.0
Style
4.0
Context
4.0
Depth
3.0
Enterprise
5.0
Relevance
5.0
Popularity
4.5
Recommendation
5.0
Credibility
4.0
More How our ratings work »