Gates Urges Full Funding For European Missile Defenses

Tue. May 6, 2008


Defense Secretary Gates is urging key House lawmakers to back without restriction the Bush administration's full FY09 request for the proposed European missile defense site, arguing that doing so would send a strong message of congressional support at a critical time for the program. In a letter sent last Wednesday to House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton and ranking member Duncan Hunter, Gates emphasized that the administration has made progress in gaining NATO support for the so-called third site, as Congress has encouraged the White House to do. "I urge you to support full funding of $712 million, without restriction, for this purpose," Gates wrote. "Full funding is vital to the conclusion and implementation this year of the bilateral missile defense agreements necessary to allow the United States to begin to deploy capabilities critical to the defense of the homeland and U.S. allies."

Gates also said that fully funding the site, which would complement missile defense sites in Alaska and California, could spur the Czech Republic and Poland to ratify the proposal. The Czech Republic, which would house the radar site to track missile launches, is reportedly close to ratifying the agreement. But there is more resistance in Poland, where the United States wants to erect a launch site for missile interceptors. "Full funding without restrictions would signal to Poland and the Czech Republic that congressional support for the U.S. proposal is strong, and would give added impetus to their efforts to conclude and implement the necessary bilateral missile defense agreements," Gates said, adding that Congress' approval of the $712 million request would also send a "strong message" to Iran that the United States and NATO are serious about developing effective missile defenses. In addition, he said, it would demonstrate to Russia, which has opposed the site because of security concerns, that there is bipartisan support for moving ahead with the effort "with or without Moscow's cooperation."

The letter comes just as the House Armed Services Committee begins its negotiations on the FY09 defense authorization bill. As she did last year, Strategic Forces Subcommittee Chairwoman Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif., has said she will seek to restrict funding for building or activating the site until Poland and the Czech Republic ratify proposals to have them host the key facilities. Strategic Forces ranking member Terry Everett, R-Ala., recently said he would likely agree to the same types of strings in last year's bill, but suggested he may try to tweak the language a bit. Tauscher's subcommittee will mark up its portion of the authorization bill, which sets Pentagon policy and prescribes funding levels, Wednesday. In its markup of the authorization measure last week, the Senate Armed Services Committee fully funded the administration's request. But some of that funding is contingent on certain conditions being met, including ratification from the Czech Republic and Poland.

by Megan Scully