 |
|
|
08 March 2001
"National, Theater" Missile Defense Not Useful Terms, Rumsfeld Says
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters at the Pentagon March 8 that the terms "National" Missile Defense and "Theater" Missile Defense are not useful from his perspective because "What's 'national' ... and what's 'theater' depends on where you live." Rumsfeld, who discussed missile defense during his March 8 meetings at the Defense Department with German Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping and NATO Secretary General George Robertson, was asked about missile defenses at a press conference with the NATO official and again at an impromptu media availability with the German minister. "I don't really use the word 'national' missile defense," Rumsfeld said. "What we have is a world where the proliferation of these ... weapons of mass destruction and the ability to deliver them is pervasive ...." These asymmetrical threats, he said, really constitute "more significant threats today than the risk of a major land, sea or air war, where some country decides to threaten Western armies and navies and air forces." Threats from ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as from terrorism and information warfare, require attention, the secretary said. Rumsfeld said he is interested in finding ways to develop defenses against ballistic missiles in regions where the United States has interests, such as the Middle East and Europe. He also pointed to North Korea's "considerable appetite for ballistic missiles of various ranges," adding, "they have also been a significant proliferator of those capabilities throughout a good many countries across the globe, and they still are." The secretary said Defense Department officials have been reviewing missile defense options "and have begun to develop some political rethinking" about the subject. Soon, he predicted, he and his advisers will visit the National Security Council for further discussions, guidance, refinement "and ultimately decisions from the president as to how to proceed." That process would likely be followed by discussions about missile defense with members of Congress, according to Rumsfeld. "We then, of course, would consult closely with our allies," he added.
Return to the Washington File |
