NATO boss ready with missile shield plan

Washington, D.C., United States (4E) – NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Sunday said that the West is determined to go ahead with its plans to build a missile defense system.

In an op-ed piece in The Wall Street Journal, Rasmussen wrote that his alliance would continue to expand the system after the Chicago summit toward full operational capability. He added that the NATO has already developed an initial command-and-control system, which will link the U.S. assets with interceptors and sensors given by European nations.

“I expect more announcements in the months and years ahead,” he added.

Chicago is set to host a summit on May 20-21 where NATO leaders are likely to declare the beginning of an “interim capability” for the missile shield.

Despite NATO’s assurances, Russia has always said that the said missile systems would pose threat to its national security. However, the U.S.-led alliance tries to assure that it is aimed at rogue states like Iran and North Korea.

Last month, Rasmussen revealed that NATO conducted the first test of missile-defense capability during which a series of simulated engagements have been carried out to test the defense alliance’s ability against the potential missile attacks.

Describing the test successful, Rasmussen said, “The test was a clear demonstration of trans-Atlantic solidarity in action. It also shows NATO’s continuing determination to protect our members’ territory and populations from attack and the threat of attack.”

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