Romanian Proposal to Host U.S. Missile Defense System Similar to Failed Courtships by Poland and the Czech Republic

WASHINGTON, February 9 - Riki Ellison, Chairman and Founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy
Alliance (MDAA), www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org, has released a
statement today regarding the recent announcement by the president of Romania
about being interested in starting negotiations to host a U.S. missile
defense system. Riki Ellison is one of the top lay experts in the field of
missile defense in the world. Ellison's comments are below:

The President of Romania, Mr. Traian Basescu, announced his willingness
to negotiate terms with the United States to host a U.S. Land-based Aegis
Ashore Missile Defense system last week. Basescu stated that the proposed
system could be in place by 2015. The formal invitation for cooperation came
directly from President Barack Obama and was initiated by Vice President Joe
Biden's visit to Romania in October 2009. The potential addition of another
international partner in missile defense is a welcome movement towards a
global missile defense community. There are now 40 countries participating,
including Romania, with the United States on missile defense.

This Romanian proposal does have serious challenges, both politically and
technically, to be a sound investment of United States tax dollars and in its
alignment with the President's Missile Defense plan.

The President's Plan calls for sea- and land-based Missile Defense assets
to collectively protect Europe in a phased adaptive approach that could cost
of upwards of US$9 Billion or more. Financial participation by NATO and
European countries towards this plan that protects Europe from Iran is
non-existent. Under the previous Administration's plans, short- and
medium-range ballistic missile defense of Europe had financial contributions
from NATO members. The United States was supporting those efforts and focused
on solely financing the proposed long-range ballistic missile protection in
Poland and the Czech Republic which would have protected the U.S. Homeland
and Northern Europe. It would be a mistake not to have European participation
in financing the President's plan and to rely completely on US tax dollars
from the American Public on a system that protects Europe but not the United
States.

Placing the proposed capability by 2015 in Romania with the current sea
-based defensive missiles (SM3 Block 1A) and a future proposed (SM3 Block 1B)
which has yet to be tested, can only technically provide fixed protection of
a few nearby countries from an Iranian ballistic missile threat. Iran's
intermediate-range missile system currently in development, the Shahab-3
(with a 1200 mile range), will severely challenge the system in Romania as
projected. This is due to the narrow defended area that its capability can
provide. Requirements for the proposed site in Romania and the Land -based
Aegis Ashore system have not been set. More importantly the entire test
platform that will be required to prove out the system and prior to
deployment in Romania has not begun construction; it is designated to be
built at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii.

Sensitive issues will remain with the Romanian Proposal as future
adoption and integration of remote sensors coupled with the future
capabilities of faster and more adept interceptors could lead to a much more
enhanced site. This could lead to a system with the potential to have more
capability than the canceled site in Poland or the current capabilities our
country now has in place. Because of time and development this would most
likely be a decision made by the next Administration.

Romania as well as the United States will have to question the proposal
thoroughly or Romania will be jilted at the altar to the appeasement of
Russia; alongside former suitors, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Riki Ellison is available for on the record interviews. Contact Barbara
Maxwell at +1-703-299-0060 to schedule.

Barbara Maxwell of Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, +1-703-299-0060