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Sat, May 26 2012
US troops, Patriot missiles in Poland spark Russian concern
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov.
Photo: Mikhail Evstafiev
U.S. troops and Patriot missile batteries arrived in Poland this week, where they will be stationed in the northern town of Morag, just 64 kilometers from the Russian border. The training mission ties Poland more firmly to NATO, but also re-ignites Russian concerns over missile defense in the region.
Here in Morag, a small town in northern Poland, a handful of American Patriot missile launching platforms point toward the sky, as around a hundred U.S. soldiers reported for duty in a ceremony. It will be the largest-ever deployment of US troops in Poland on a long-term basis.
The soldiers will be rotating through Morag through 2012 as they train the Polish military to use Patriot missile systems. The deployment is part of an agreement negotiated by former President George Bush in 2008.
But the new installation is just 64 kilometers from the border of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. A Russian foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying it Is "unclear" why the location had been chosen, and that the move would promote neither stability nor trust within the region.
This is not the first time Russia has bristled at the deployment of NATO equipment near its borders.
Russian officials had also condemned a defensive missile shield that former president George W. Bush had planned for Poland and the Czech Republic. The United States has insisted the shield was intended to protect against missiles from Iran, but Russia sees it as a threat. That plan was scrapped by President Barack Obama last year in favor of a more pared-down missile defense system.
Many welcomed the move; others accused the United States of trying to placate Russia.
At a press conference in Morag, Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said the very presence of American troops on Polish soil boosts Poland's security. He said the greater the American presence in Poland, the easier it will be for the United States and Europe to act on NATO's Article 5, which considers an attack on one member to be an attack on all.
But Klich insisted the American Patriot missiles could not possibly pose a threat to Russia.
He said, you do not have to be an expert to understand that this type of weapons system cannot be changed from defensive to offensive, and that it is no risk to any of Poland's neighbors.
Former Minister of Defense Janusz Onyszkiewicz, now at the Center for International Relations in Warsaw, believes Russia is less upset with the Patriot missiles or with missile defense itself, than with the strategic advantage it represents.
"What the Russians were afraid of - and I think they still are - is that development of missile defense can give the Americans such a technological advantage that the Americans can develop these systems much further than was anticipated. In this situation the only asset of strategic nature which puts Russia on par with the United States - their nuclear capabilities - would be annihilated. They did not want their status reduced, and that is why they were worried about missile defense," Onyszkiewicz said.
For the moment, Poland's six launching platforms will remain empty, unarmed with real missiles. But Lee Feinstein, the U.S. Ambassador to Poland, told journalists in Morag the situation will eventually change. "We have a concept of operations. That concept is very basic, and it is a concept of being able to walk before you run. So we are beginning this operation in the configuration that we have today, but in the future the operation will, of course, include live missiles," he said.
Despite the grumbling of nearby Russia, residents of Morag seem pleased to be hosting the American troops and their military equipment.
One local woman thinks hosting the installation will increase the region's security. Plus, she says, it might force Polish authorities to pay more attention to Morag, which would make it a better place to live.
Source: VOANews.com
Here in Morag, a small town in northern Poland, a handful of American Patriot missile launching platforms point toward the sky, as around a hundred U.S. soldiers reported for duty in a ceremony. It will be the largest-ever deployment of US troops in Poland on a long-term basis.
The soldiers will be rotating through Morag through 2012 as they train the Polish military to use Patriot missile systems. The deployment is part of an agreement negotiated by former President George Bush in 2008.
But the new installation is just 64 kilometers from the border of the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. A Russian foreign ministry spokesman was quoted as saying it Is "unclear" why the location had been chosen, and that the move would promote neither stability nor trust within the region.
This is not the first time Russia has bristled at the deployment of NATO equipment near its borders.
Russian officials had also condemned a defensive missile shield that former president George W. Bush had planned for Poland and the Czech Republic. The United States has insisted the shield was intended to protect against missiles from Iran, but Russia sees it as a threat. That plan was scrapped by President Barack Obama last year in favor of a more pared-down missile defense system.
Many welcomed the move; others accused the United States of trying to placate Russia.
At a press conference in Morag, Polish Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said the very presence of American troops on Polish soil boosts Poland's security. He said the greater the American presence in Poland, the easier it will be for the United States and Europe to act on NATO's Article 5, which considers an attack on one member to be an attack on all.
But Klich insisted the American Patriot missiles could not possibly pose a threat to Russia.
He said, you do not have to be an expert to understand that this type of weapons system cannot be changed from defensive to offensive, and that it is no risk to any of Poland's neighbors.
Former Minister of Defense Janusz Onyszkiewicz, now at the Center for International Relations in Warsaw, believes Russia is less upset with the Patriot missiles or with missile defense itself, than with the strategic advantage it represents.
"What the Russians were afraid of - and I think they still are - is that development of missile defense can give the Americans such a technological advantage that the Americans can develop these systems much further than was anticipated. In this situation the only asset of strategic nature which puts Russia on par with the United States - their nuclear capabilities - would be annihilated. They did not want their status reduced, and that is why they were worried about missile defense," Onyszkiewicz said.
For the moment, Poland's six launching platforms will remain empty, unarmed with real missiles. But Lee Feinstein, the U.S. Ambassador to Poland, told journalists in Morag the situation will eventually change. "We have a concept of operations. That concept is very basic, and it is a concept of being able to walk before you run. So we are beginning this operation in the configuration that we have today, but in the future the operation will, of course, include live missiles," he said.
Despite the grumbling of nearby Russia, residents of Morag seem pleased to be hosting the American troops and their military equipment.
One local woman thinks hosting the installation will increase the region's security. Plus, she says, it might force Polish authorities to pay more attention to Morag, which would make it a better place to live.
Source: VOANews.com
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The Sofia Echo
Cosmos:
"Bulgaria should also have a defence system then perhaps they will not just let another nation invade."
Lol Cosmos,
I know you are not serious;)
Lets see, who could potentially invade BG... hmmm I can see the danger of the Macedonian Phalanx on the horizon, reinvigorated by the spirit of their newly adopted foreign Grandpa Al the Great... what? It can happen... there are 23,000 people in FYROM, who are not Albanian and are not Bulgarian - that's two Phalanx right there! (refer [...]
Read the full comment to our own General Epaminondas on the topic, he is an authority on the subject, proven in the battle of Leuctra:)
Who else.. The Turks are in NATO, the Greeks are broke, the Romanians don't care... who else Cosmos... oh wait! There is plenty of foreign military in BG and growing by the day ... from the US... it sounds to me, like the fox is guarding the chickens here...
Poland is in the same situation...
Cosmos
Everything in modern European Hi tory hence present conflicts has,politicaly,its roots
In Ancient and Medieval times something like a slow fused chain reaction.
As for if the Poles really needed the Patriot defence system
(which can be offensive if tuned up
for)the real point to ponder on is Who created the need for such a system? was it Russia per se or was it some Russo-phobic remains of the Cold War Era trying to promote Raytheon's turnover.
If poland wants help with protection it will get it its up to them.I do enjoy some of the history lessons but we need to move on.
Bulgaria should also have a defence system then perhaps they will not just let another nation invade.
Cosmos,
stick to british issues.
BG alway picked the right side - that of BG.
UK has always worked against us, so we were right to support Germany.
Just because you lose, doesn't mean that you were on the wrong side, it just means that you lost.
Germany was giving us a chance to redress British backstabbing and we took it rightly.
Joseph,
good defence suggests impunity and therefor has the same destabilizing effect.
Weapons are weapons...
Russia and Islam have been at war since long before the US exsisted.
Sure the Russians made mistakes, but at every one such, the US is there waiting to "capitalize" on it, regardless of the future cost.
The US did support the Chechens, as well as every anti-Russian Muslim element, starting with Afghanistan where 50,000 young Russian men and boys were killed by American weapons..
It is [...]
Read the full comment ironic that it was the US that ended up paying as 9.11 had much to do with their previous actions in the area and support for the islamists - a perfect example of shortsighted policy by ignorant officials, that continuous as we speak.
Lets cut the bull and the history lessons,in the last sixty years plus Bulgaria has always picked the wrong side it will always lay down to any invader.
But the Polish issue is another topic so please stick to the report if poland wants these defences why should it not have them its there choice they can always say no.
As a point of historical accuracy (I know you will respect this, Valeri), Kaliningrad - former German Koenigsberg - is also known to the Poles as Krolewiec and to the Lithuanians (who have a stronger claim than most to the area) as Karalaucius.
Most - though not all - of the original "Prussian" population - ethnically and linguistically very closely related to Lithuanians, were "ethnically cleansed" by the invading Germans in the Middle Ages, i.e. killed. The invading Poles were a bit kinder - they merely intermarried, as per the joint ruling Polish/Lithuanian royal dynasty in [...]
Read the full comment 1368, who founded the Jagellonian University of Krakow (and also IIRC the University of Wilno/Vilnius shortly after).
So - in short - Kaliningrad (named 1945) is better known by no less than three older and much more respectable names: Koenigsberg, Krolewiec, and Karalaucius. In other words, the "City Of The Four K's"......
Some people can't get rid of their
conspirative structure by playing and bluffing around the minority card it's as old as Rome Divisio et
Impera Anglo Saxon politics was ery very good at it.should the need arise they always stirred up
a miniority problem or left a piece of s**t just to keep things stinking around, never did provide a solution but a fuse that would flare up when needed.
You can rely on your silos in south dakota and also bowel in half a million toilet but not for long , [...]
Read the full comment will it be for aroond 25-30 years or even provoke a holocaust when feeling Asia's breath on your neck.
Valeri is right. Bulgaria has always been on the side of BG. It's just too bad the Anglos and Americans couldn't see what Boris III was trying to do during WWII and before.
Well, of course we're irking the Russians, and using the Poles as well. But supporting the Muslim extremists against Russia? Russia did that all by itself by having something called Chechnya. I have read a few good books by Russians pretty much stating they messed up all by themselves in both Chechnian wars, without any help from anyone. One of the books was [...]
Read the full comment by a Russian soldier, which was an amazing read. There is enough hatred of the Russians by the Chechens to last a few centuries.
But Valeri, at least say we're attacking with something else besides Patriot missles. Come on! Patriot missiles are defense missiles, meant to track missles coming in. They're not used for attacking. With all the money we spend on defense(and not spending on education, poverty, etc), we have much more sophisticated stuff to attack Russia than a Patriot Missle, like $500,000 toilets and nuclear weapons in a silo in North Dakota. :)
PS: I think the whole idea of going into Poland is silly, but the US defense department has to justify its budget. If you want effective change, then you need to cut the defense budget by at least 300 Billion. The US defense department budget could be cut by $200-300 billion, and we'd still be outspending people by a lot. Man, we could use the money for something good other than $500,000 toilets and weapons.
The Dark Ages began with the Battle of Kossovo at the time even Bosnia was allied to Serbia et comme bien entendu on ne parler pas a l'epoque d'Albanais.
Which is essentially what they are doing right now.
Supporting all kinds of Muslims if it will mess with Russia....
San Stefano suffered sudden death or infant mortalty because of Disraeli's fear of the expansive Russians. Hence berlin Congress
And BTW cosmos,
wasn't it the Anglos that nuked whole cities and fire bombed others?
Who cares all humans are made of dirt - it's now that counts and NOW Russia is more Capitalistic than the US for sure.
Who cares about UK - small potato.
No cosmos, BG has always been on one side that of BG.
Great powers come and go - our only 20th century goal was redress the British back stabbing of the Congress of Berlin in 1878, to reunite with the Bulgarians in Macedonia, although that's a gonner since after so many years of brainwashing they now all come directly from Al the Great to lol;)
That said, the Poles are playing America's fool.
At least Poland put up a fight against the Germans Bulgaria changes sides like changing socks.
If history is correct was it not the reds that made a pact with Hitler to carve up Poland and was it not the russians that murdered all the Polish army leaders,was it not Stalin that murdered millions of his own people for not towing the red line.Was it not Bulgaria and its neighbours that supported Adolf and then supported Russia when the Germans started to lose the war.
Keep up the good work Poland you will be supported by the UK . and the U.S.A.
Kaliningrad is the symbol of Russian generosity!
After what the Germans did in Russia, any other nation would have erased the name Germany out of the map and plow salt over it, like Rome did to Cartage, so that it will never ever exist other than in legends...
All they kept was one enclave for 28 million killed!
Foolish if you ask me - I would have enslave them and deport them all to Russia to help rebuild...
We should all remember that we are actually dealing with here, not a part of historic Poland, but the half of age-old German East Prussia (Ost-Preussen) that was ceded to Poland after WW II, the northern half ceded to Russia ahd now forming the Kaliningradskaya Oblast as an 'exclave' from the rest of Russia. Rather unfortunately. Lyudmilla Putin (she of wifely relationship to Vlad The Bad), was born there and has a fond recollection of the place. Otherwise the Germans would have bought it back long ago.
Lol cosmos, off your meds there?
What reds are you dreaming my friend?
You mean those of Berkley Ca?
Those are the only variety one can encounter these days my friend;)
Go Russia! Kick some Anglo ass;)
Well done Poland for not being frightened by the reds I think Poland will get all the protection it needs from the US.and the UK.The more missiles the better after all do not mess with the free countries of the world or get your arses kicked.
"... though one can understand the local Polish wish to derive economic benefit from the American base in their town..."
And that of the oldest profession especially... I don't think they are reckoning for that part...
Sorry - I was slightly wrong. The name "Morag" (though used both in Ireland and Wales) is actually Scottish Gaelic in origin, and is their version of "Sarah".
It is also the given name of a recently reported monster in Loch Morar, Scotland: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morag_(loch_monster)
Hopefully this will attract some of the US tourists who would otherwise go to Mora(n)g in Poland, though one can understand the local Polish wish to derive economic benefit from the American base in their town.
Polish Masuria (where Mora(n)g is) [...]
Read the full comment has lots of lakes (lochs), but no lake monsters as yet (not a Polish tradition). Maybe they should get some Scottish advisors.....
Valeri
<<The Americans are perpetuation distrust and are creating it themselves.
It's all about missiles and wars - just read the news>>>
I perfectly agree, in about 25-30
which in geo-strategic endeavour is nearky tomorrow they will find themselves lagging behing Asia.
it's about Raytheon , General Dynamios and the whole lot of it they are worried.
No I don't ExPat.
I think that they are schizophrenic with their fear. I know Poles, and I do actually like their temperament otherwise. I speak almost perfect Polish although my writing isn't there...
Historically we have much more of a reason to hate and distrust the Turks and yet we are in the same security organization with them - NATO.
The Poles need to get over that.
The US is using them for their own ends and they are not beneficial for the region.
Again, [...]
Read the full comment I am not blindly anti-American but I see the American role as negative. They are bent on intimidating the Russians when we need to incorporate Russia in the EU structures, not frighten them.
The Americans are perpetuation distrust and are creating it themselves.
It's all about missiles and wars - just read the news...
Epaminondas.
Morgan le Fay known as Morgana, she was King Arthur's half sister. She was a dark sorceress, Merlin's enemy and she affected many events during her time. She was the queen of the island of Avalon, and she had great skillas a healer.
Set Kaliningrad as Avalon and it fitsa in quiet nicely
By he way Morag is close To Morgana
f
Hey Valeri,
Do you think though that the Poles have a good reason to not like the Russians? Their fear and hatred do come from previous experience. Not necessarily a justification, just saying.
"Morag" is such an unlikely Polish name (it sounds much more Celtic and like an Irish or Welsh woman's name often given to a local witch), that I looked it up on the map.
It should have the Polish "nasal" accent added underneath it, and it then becomes "Morang", or Mohrungen in its previous Prussian German existence: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mor%C4%85g
Now all becomes rather clearer !
Witches of Ireland and Wales, relax - this ain't on your patch !
That's exactly what we need in the EU - more American missiles directed against Russia, which is getting more and more involved in European common anti crime and terrorism structures.
What are the Americans thinking with?
Listening to Polish people - all due respect, but they are schizophrenically anti-Russian - we want to base all of our security on that premises - one of irrational basically ethnic hatred?