U.S. Army Formally Stands Up First Antimissile Command in Europe

The U.S. Army has established what it says is its first command-level air and missile defense unit based in Europe.

Source / Alternative source

Washington intends through 2020 to gradually deploy increasingly sophisticated land- and sea-based missile interceptors and associated assets around Europe as a stated hedge against feared ballistic missile strikes from the Middle East. Deals have already been struck with NATO members Poland, Spain and Romania to host U.S. interceptors and Turkey has agreed to allow a long-range radar unit on its soil. The U.S. effort is to form the core of a broader NATO initiative to integrate and enhance individual member nations' antimissile programs.

European States Slowly Enhancing Antimisssile Capabilities

Fact Sheet on US Missile Defense Policy

Panneta to Travel to Turkey for Missile Shield Talks

Iranian Government Discounts Threats of Attacks on Radar Station in Turkey

Turkey assures Iran radar no threat to Tehran

reply to post by Daedal


Could you imagine the reaction if China or Russia set up similar commands in say...Canada or mexico?

What makes us so special????

Originally posted by westcoast
reply to post by Daedal

 

Could you imagine the reaction if China or Russia set up similar commands in say...Canada or mexico?

What makes us so special????

edit on 6-1-2012 by westcoast because: (no reason given)

That's a good question...the U.N is the arm of America that reaches these countries.

reply to post by Daedal


Since Spain just got an ultimatum to pass a SOPA style internet clampdown - which they did, it's not surprising that - now - Spain is suddenly hosting our Interceptors.

Heads up!

Spain's Very Own SOPA

reply to post by Daedal


And yet I wonder... Why are we protecting Europeans? Are they children that need America to watch over them, protect them, foot the bill for their defense?

We should tell our European friends: Hey the Middle East might want to bomb you .. you know .. from all that exploitation of their natural resources we do and hostile invasions, puppet regimes, you get the picture. Better do something about it.

But WE .. we Americans .. we owe Europe nothing. I cannot think of a single reason as to why we should be the ones defending them against anything, let alone supposed missiles from the Middle East.

reply to post by Rockpuck


That's right! You don't owe us anything. In fact, I for one would love the U.S government to stick to it's own borders and enforce THEIR laws on THEIR land - not ours!....(Not trying to flame or anything)

But since the U.S.A thinks of itself as being the only superpower here in the world, it's only naturally that they try to keep the status quo with their former enemy Russia

Things are getting really out of hand. Have these leaders never heard of diplomacy?

Originally posted by Rockpuck
reply to post by Daedal

 

And yet I wonder... Why are we protecting Europeans? Are they children that need America to watch over them, protect them, foot the bill for their defense?

We should tell our European friends: Hey the Middle East might want to bomb you .. you know .. from all that exploitation of their natural resources we do and hostile invasions, puppet regimes, you get the picture. Better do something about it.

But WE .. we Americans .. we owe Europe nothing. I cannot think of a single reason as to why we should be the ones defending them against anything, let alone supposed missiles from the Middle East.

No, me neither. . But i can think of a hundred reasons as of why European countries would be force fed this military movement/monopoly.

People are getting mixed up with want and force fed. Who do Spain, Romania, Turkey or Poland have to defend them selves against? The only empire i can think of is the people establishing a military base there - America

reply to post by VikingDude


I wouldn't doubt that European Citizens don't want the USA there. And I'm certain the majority of American Citizens don't have a clue as to why we are even in Europe anymore..

Yet it's quite obvious European governments enjoy our presence, and the American government is insistent on coddling the European governments. It used to be the Soviet Boogyman was going to crush Europe without our presence (which was bs but whatever) and now apparently you guys are supposed to afraid of the Middle East. I mean they could suggest any number of boogmen for you to fear, but like us they decided not even to have the decency to give us a worthy adversary.

But the citizens can agree.. we don't want to be there, and you don't want (or need) us there. Politicians suck.

And when it's in place and the missile shield gets more and more advanced, with thousands of interceptors, then the nutjobs running the western countries will be able to attack anyone (Russia/China) without fear of retaliation.

This ain't aimed at Iran. Iran is about to be attacked and even if they weren't, Iran's missiles are a joke.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
reply to post by Daedal

 

And yet I wonder... Why are we protecting Europeans? Are they children that need America to watch over them, protect them, foot the bill for their defense?

We should tell our European friends: Hey the Middle East might want to bomb you .. you know .. from all that exploitation of their natural resources we do and hostile invasions, puppet regimes, you get the picture. Better do something about it.

But WE .. we Americans .. we owe Europe nothing. I cannot think of a single reason as to why we should be the ones defending them against anything, let alone supposed missiles from the Middle East.

Because WW2 taught the US to fight small threats early somewhere else instead large threats later on its own door step.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
But the citizens can agree.. we don't want to be there, and you don't want (or need) us there. Politicians suck.

That is so true.... But I don't think that our governments enjoy the USA being here... I think the USA is putting on a lot of pressure on the European governments, especially the less willingly ones, to be able to maintain a presence here in Europe... ''Allow us to build a missile site here and here or we will cancel certain agreements'' - all the usual yada yada BS

The USA is simply trying to protect its allies (or puppies as I would call us) and in return impose its will on our governments

reply to post by westcoast

(semi rant warning sorry)
geographically diverse friends,allies,territories and money,treasure,stolen treasure?

we do tend to have lots of allies around the globe for a reason and our special location on the globe (oceans for shields and friendly Canada to the north and relatively peaceful but chaotic Mexico to the south ) politicaly us and Canada are not too different countries and there sort of controlled by the UK and they are one of our best allies if not THE best allies we have as a country, Mexico while not exactly in the same level of friendship that we have with the UK has a great deal of nationalism and pride in the independence of there nation(something they would most likely loose in the event of them helping a foreign power) and quite frankly i doubt any other government besides the united states would tolerate the cartel's sheniagans as well as the pittifull efforts that we put into our own border security make us just a better "boss" if you will forgive the term(china for example executes drug dealers and corrupt politicians something mexico has lots of ) so that pretty much secures most of north America as American friendly territory.

the Caribbean is mostly the same with the exception of cuba most nations there do not have the infrastructure or the size to hold invasion forces(and are mostly friendly) and with cuba having a US naval base in their country that would be kinda hard for a secret build up.south America (covered by the Monroe doctrine still i believe)
while containing the size needed for a land invasion of north America are still relatively not on the same page politically and socially :examples Venezuela does not like us but alot of their neighbors have problems with them. Argentina while wanting the Falkland islands from the uk still have local neighbors to worry about.Brazil while large seems to be much more pro us then anti us over all but they are a wild card and the definite regional power(a good friend to have) and with the usa pretty much saying if any one tries to disrupt the panama canal it iwll mean war and the Monroe doctrine pretty much saying the south American area is our area stay out that rules out the two closest areas to take to invade the USA

europe(mostly) is at least at this time far more pro usa then anti usa (that whole nato thing) and the EU dosent seem to be hostile to the united states at this time or for the forseeable future

asia is a whole other ball game with china russia and india pretty much being basically on par with eachother(roughly mind you) with their various allies in the region but each (for the time being) have own agendas and goals for what they want in the future(not a unified view) and defiantly not a unified religion
(orthadox,hindi,atheist) mix that with china having a problem with extremisim in the western regions,india has pakistan ,and russia is rebuilding old frendships and playing the same old cold war games it used to with the usa and nato(point being they have their own concerns at the moment) australia seems to fight with the uk so they are allied as usual and even have a few bases there

africa well we all know how africa has been for years and they are more of a threat to them selves then the rest of the world sadly(been getting screwed with for far too long)

middle east is really to hard to call at any given point which again getting back to the topic at hand is problay why we have alot of our over seas bases located in that region well that and to support our main ally in the region Israel (higher risk area=more concentration of US military bases)

(sorry for rant) so more on topic the reason we have more bases around the world is to facilitace the level of alliances that the usa almost exclusively employs around the globe come from a combination of our special location in the world mixed with our large ammount of allies that let us put bases places enable not only us to have a larger global reach but by default deny it to so called "hostile" nations where as we either offer them better deals then our foes or in some cases they are more afraid of our enemy then they are of us so choose the lesser of two evils and side with us for protection that and we tend to throw more money at other countries then our competing nations to to grease the wheels so to speak sorry if i drifted too far off topic but i figured id at least try to explain my rationale and that i think we have these bases because of parinoia and overall goal of defending the "homeland" so to speak at the expence of foregn bases or territorys so that war stays way from North america as long as possible and maintain the ability to strike back from as many places as possible if need be