US Senators Want NATO Missile Defense Radar in Georgia, Not Turkey

Georgia rather than Turkey must host the radar for the US/NATO missile defense system in Europe, according to four US Republican Party Senators.

"We believe that the Republic of Georgia's geographic location would make it an ideal site for a missile defense radar aimed at Iran, and would offer clear advantages for the protection of the United States from a long-range missile as compared to Turkey," Republican Senators Jon Kyl (Ariz.), James Risch (Idaho), Mark Kirk (Ill.) and James Inhofe (Okla.) stated in a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

The Obama Administration plans a European missile shield that would feature sea- and land-based Standard Missile 3 interceptors as a hedge against medium- and short-range missile attacks from the Middle East. The system would contribute to a broader shield involving NATO states. Washington is still in negotiations with Turkey to establish a radar station on its territory, the Global Security Newswires reports.  

Though Iran is widely assumed to be the chief threat necessitating the missile shield, a November alliance summit in Lisbon did not single out Tehran as a missile danger. This was reportedly done as a nod to member state Turkey, whose support was needed in adopting a new mission statement that included missile defense as a core NATO goal.

The Republic Senator's letter in favor of placing the radar in Georgia was in reaction to an October report that US negotiators had promised Turkish officials that data gained from the radar state would not be shared with non-NATO members such as Israel.

There have been statements from the Turkish government that it would only agree to host the new radar, known as TPY-2, if the United States agrees not to share with Israel any of the information gathered by the radar site, which is part of a NATO system discussed at the recent Lisbon summit. Turkey also wants command and control over the radar and wants NATO to remove any references to Iran as the threat targeted by the missile shield. For all these reasons, the senators think Georgia would be a better option.

The senators asked Gates to tell them if Georgia was under consideration as a possible host for the radar site and, if not, what other alternatives the Pentagon is considering.

The prospects of NATO or the Obama administration actually placing a missile defense radar site in Georgia are slim, considering that Georgia is not in NATO and that the consequences for U.S. -Russia and NATO-Russia relations could be devastating.

The Foreign Policy magazine has viewed the Republic Senator's letter as a sure sign that the new Congress is prepared to ramp up its advocacy of restoring defense cooperation with Georgia, which has slowed to a crawl since the 2008 Russian invasion. Other senators who are calling for more military support and cooperation for Georgia include John McCain (R-AZ), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Richard Lugar (R-IN), the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

As the Obama Administration modified subsequently the original Bush Administration plan for a US missile defense system in Europe – to shift its location from Central Europe to the Balkans – there have been reports that Bulgaria might be asked to host some of its elements. While various options appear to have been discussed in diplomatic conversations, the USA has not asked Bulgaria formally to host elements of the missile shield, US Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher revealed in May.

Bulgaria has supported in principle the establishing of a missile shield in Europe, advertised as a protection from missiles fired from Iran or elsewhere in the Middle East, which, during the NATO Summit in Lisbon in November was adopted as a NATO-wide project. While for the time being, Romania and Poland are expected to host interceptor missiles and Turkey – to host the radar, Bulgaria could end up as a reserve radar location if Turkey eventually decides not to participate.

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