By RIA Novosti,
Washington : An adjusted U.S. missile defense in Europe would be more effective than the previously planned one even if the current intelligence data on the Iran threat is wrong, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.
President Barack Obama announced Thursday that Washington was dropping its previous plans to deploy elements of a missile shield in the Czech Republic and Poland.
Two major developments led to the revision of the U.S. missile defense strategy in Europe: the increasing threat from Iran’s short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, rather than intercontinental ballistic missiles, and the significant advances in the U.S. missile defense capabilities in recent years.
“I probably am more familiar with the risks of over-reliance on intelligence than anybody because I’ve seen how often it’s been wrong,” Gates told journalists. “If the intelligence is wrong and the Iranians develop a capability sooner than the intelligence is saying, this architecture gives us a better chance of being able to cope with it.”
The Bush administration sought to deploy an omni-directional radar in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland as defense against potential strikes from Iran. Russia has consistently opposed the plans as a threat to its security and the strategic balance of forces in Europe.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev praised the U.S. move to scrap the missile shield plans as “a responsible approach” toward the dialogue between Moscow and Washington.