Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases

RIA Novosti
October 21

Prague expects the U.S. to present new specific U.S. missile defense proposals, Czech Deputy Foreign Minister Tomas Pojar has told RIA Novosti.

U.S. President Barack Obama announced in September that Washington was scrapping the Bush administration’s plans for a missile shield in Central Europe due to a re-assessment of the threat from Iran. The missile shield would have seen the deployment of a radar in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland. Russia had fiercely opposed the plans as a national security threat.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is expected to present the Obama administration’s new missile defense proposals to Czech Republic during his visit to the country later this week.

“The U.S. delegation has already presented new modified missile defense architecture on September 17 in Prague. We said we were ready to further negotiate on the issue and are ready to take part in establishing a new modified missile defense system,” Pojar said.

The Czech leadership “expects the U.S. to put forward specific proposals: we expect the Americans to give us their own perspective of further cooperation with Prague,” he said.

“As soon as the Czech Republic receives these proposals, we would undoubtedly begin studying them. We have not yet received… such specific proposals from Washington,” the diplomat went on.

He added that his country was in favor of close cooperation with Russia on missile defense.

http://en.rian.ru/world/20091021/156536893.html

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American Forces Press Service
By Donna Miles
October 19, 2009

As Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates travels this week to Japan and South Korea before heading to a NATO defense ministers conference in Bratislava, Slovakia, he’s expected to ensure the issue of support for Afghanistan remains solidly on front burner.

In a break from the frequent national defense team sessions President Barack Obama has called in recent weeks as he reevaluates the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, Gates will be on the road this week, shoring up long-standing alliances.

But senior defense officials traveling with him confirm that he’ll also press for more coalition support at every stop along the way.

In Tokyo, the secretary will get his first challenge in that regard as he becomes the first U.S. Cabinet member to meet with the newly installed Japanese Democratic Party government. Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama announced last week that Japan’s naval refueling mission that supports the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan will end in January.

Japan’s Maritime Defense Force has been deploying a supply ship and destroyer to provide fuel and water to U.S. and British naval ships in the Indian Ocean since 2001. The mission will end after the agreement, which has been renewed annually for the past eight years, expires.

“The refueling operation has been of great value to the coalition in support of operations in the Indian Ocean,” a senior defense official traveling with the secretary told reporters. Should Japan go ahead with plans to end this support, he said, the United States “would certainly support their contributions in any other way if they can’t continue the refueling operation.”

Another defense official offered a stronger assessment of U.S. expectations. “Whether it’s refueling or anything else,” he said, “we would hope and expect that Japan makes a significant contribution that’s commensurate with its role in global affairs.”

Gates has no plans to take a specific list of alternatives, and recognizes that nonmilitary contributions can be extremely important, the official said.

In addition to the refueling operation, Japan is one of the biggest donors to the efforts in Afghanistan – pledging $2 billion for the cause since 2001, of which $1.79 billion has been implemented, Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said. Those funds have supported reconstruction, humanitarian assistance, governance and security efforts. Japan paid $125 million that covered all Afghan National Police salaries for six months, he added.

Of $500 million Japan pledged at the Paris donor’s conference in June 2008, $300 million supported Afghanistan’s August elections, he said.

Japan also contributes to police training. …

www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=56273

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Digital Journal
by Andrew Moran
October 19, 2009

The United States government is forking over $100 million to build new military bases in Bulgaria and Romania. Last month, the Obama administration ended plans to construct missile-defense shields in other parts of eastern Europe.
In September, the Obama administration stated they would cease any construction of a missile-defense shield and troops in Czech Republic and Poland, however, the Pentagon is planning to spend more than $100 million to build new military bases in Bulgaria and Romania …

More than 2,000 soldiers are taking part in exercises near the two eastern European nations.
This latest commitment by the Pentagon consists of a $50 million military base in Romania, which will house 1,600 US troops and a $60 million base in Bulgaria to house 2,500 soldiers. …

www.digitaljournal.com/article/280671

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