Henry Obering Ready to Address Missile Shield Concerns
Missile Defense Agency director Lt. Gen. Henry “Trey” Obering said he’s looking forward to reporting to President-Elect Barack Obama on the effectiveness of the missile defense systems planned for Poland and the Czech Republic.
Obering said the missiles are “workable.”
“Our testing has shown not only can we hit a bullet with a bullet, we can hit a spot on a bullet with a bullet,” he said at a news conference. Obering warned that abandoning the project would impede America’s ability to protect allies in those regions.
Although Obama has not committed to installing the bases, he has stated he’d make sure the systems were functioning properly before going forward. Obering appears ready, willing, and able to address the new president’s concerns when he visits the Pentagon.
Russia’s president Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reportedly said Russia would not install missiles near Poland if the U.S. cancels its plans to install missile defense systems. Neither Poland’s nor the Czech Republic’s parliaments have ratified the agreements.
(Source: AFP)
Tags: Czech Republic, Dmitry Medvedev, Henry Obering, Poland, Sergei Lavrov