Iran Ballistic Missiles Pose a Direct Threat to Europe

Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (http://missiledefenseadvocacy.org) has analyzed the threat of Iran to the United States and its allies and has gone on record detailing why the United States and the western world should be concerned about the growing ballistic missile threat of Iran. He has also stated that our current projections to deploy a force of ground-based interceptors in Europe are focused on deployment exclusively in Poland, and not in Great Britain.

"Iran has over 20 intermediate range missiles that can reach continental Europe," stated Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. "These 20 BM-25 missiles were purchased from North Korea in 2005 and are a variant of the Soviet SS-N-6 (R-27) submarine-launched ballistic missile. With a range beyond 3,000 kilometers, these missiles pose a direct threat to central Europe." Last week Iran launched a sub-orbit missile that traveled 94 miles into space and declared their intent to launch satellites in the near future. On last week's launch of a sub-orbital missile by Iran, Ellison noted that "Having orbital satellite launch capability, Iran would have access to deliver payloads to anyplace on earth, as was first powerfully demonstrated 50 years ago by the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik in 1957."

With the growing and real threat from Iran, Ellison justified the need for a site in Europe by saying, "A third U.S. missile defense site in Europe is for the primary mission of protecting U.S. interests located there from Middle Eastern, specifically Iranian, missile threats. There are approximately 56,000 Untied States troops in Europe and Kosovo, countless American citizens, as well as billions of dollars of US military assets. From an allied and NATO perspective it is vital for any part of Europe and/or NATO forces not to be held hostage or coerced by Iranian missile threats."

However, Ellison suggested that placing a missile site in Britain is not a viable option. "The United States is not seeking, requesting, or funding additional or substitute missile defense sites in Europe other than the single proposed site in Poland. A missile defense site in Great Britain or outside of central Europe would be unable to protect all U.S. interests in Europe from an intermediate or long-range Iranian missile and thus would not be a viable option. The east coast of the United States is already protected from potential Iranian long range ballistic missiles by the missile defense site in Alaska. A third site in Poland would not serve as the primary protection against missiles directed at the homeland of the United States from the Middle East."

Mr. Ellison finished his statement by encouraging cooperation, saying "It is imperative that we, as a nation and as a world, continue to move ahead with urgency to fund, build, and deploy a ground based missile defense site in Poland and the accompanying radar site in the Czech Republic that will defend and protect Europe. This system poses no offensive threat to any nation, including Russia, as it is purely a defensive system that makes use of no offensive weapons, but makes intercepts in space by colliding into the incoming missile at very high speeds."

Contact: Chris Marks, Communications Officer

Phone: 703-299-0060 Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (http://missiledefenseadvocacy.org) has analyzed the threat of Iran to the United States and its allies and has gone on record detailing why the United States and the western world should be concerned about the growing ballistic missile threat of Iran. He has also stated that our current projections to deploy a force of ground-based interceptors in Europe are focused on deployment exclusively in Poland, and not in Great Britain.

"Iran has over 20 intermediate range missiles that can reach continental Europe," stated Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. "These 20 BM-25 missiles were purchased from North Korea in 2005 and are a variant of the Soviet SS-N-6 (R-27) submarine-launched ballistic missile. With a range beyond 3,000 kilometers, these missiles pose a direct threat to central Europe." Last week Iran launched a sub-orbit missile that traveled 94 miles into space and declared their intent to launch satellites in the near future. On last week's launch of a sub-orbital missile by Iran, Ellison noted that "Having orbital satellite launch capability, Iran would have access to deliver payloads to anyplace on earth, as was first powerfully demonstrated 50 years ago by the Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik in 1957."

With the growing and real threat from Iran, Ellison justified the need for a site in Europe by saying, "A third U.S. missile defense site in Europe is for the primary mission of protecting U.S. interests located there from Middle Eastern, specifically Iranian, missile threats. There are approximately 56,000 Untied States troops in Europe and Kosovo, countless American citizens, as well as billions of dollars of US military assets. From an allied and NATO perspective it is vital for any part of Europe and/or NATO forces not to be held hostage or coerced by Iranian missile threats."

However, Ellison suggested that placing a missile site in Britain is not a viable option. "The United States is not seeking, requesting, or funding additional or substitute missile defense sites in Europe other than the single proposed site in Poland. A missile defense site in Great Britain or outside of central Europe would be unable to protect all U.S. interests in Europe from an intermediate or long-range Iranian missile and thus would not be a viable option. The east coast of the United States is already protected from potential Iranian long range ballistic missiles by the missile defense site in Alaska. A third site in Poland would not serve as the primary protection against missiles directed at the homeland of the United States from the Middle East."

Mr. Ellison finished his statement by encouraging cooperation, saying "It is imperative that we, as a nation and as a world, continue to move ahead with urgency to fund, build, and deploy a ground based missile defense site in Poland and the accompanying radar site in the Czech Republic that will defend and protect Europe. This system poses no offensive threat to any nation, including Russia, as it is purely a defensive system that makes use of no offensive weapons, but makes intercepts in space by colliding into the incoming missile at very high speeds."

Contact: Chris Marks, Communications Officer
Phone: 703-299-0060