A top Russian military official this week expressed hope that U.S. President Barack Obama would halt any consideration of fielding space-based weaponry, Reuters reported (see GSN, June 11).
U.S. lawmakers in October signed off on spending $5 million for a study on placing missile defense technology in space, which would add to the more than $100 billion spent to date on land-, sea- and air-based systems.
The Obama administration, though, has moved more cautiously on missile defenses than its predecessor. The proposed fiscal 2010 budget cuts funding in the sector by $1.2 billion, and the White House has not formally declared whether it would pursue the Bush administration's plan for a European missile shield.
"As far as I know, today's U.S. administration has somewhat different plans," Russian Deputy Defense Minister Vladimir Popovkin told reporters on Wednesday. "They have become more down to earth and more realistic."
Moscow thinks the United States might be tempted to deploy a space-based system to defend certain satellites that are crucial to strategic military communications.
Russia has pressed to include a prohibition on space-based weapons in a new nuclear arms control deal being negotiated with the United States (see GSN, June 18). Popovkin suggested that his nation's military might be willing to take a firmer hand in the matter, Reuters reported.
"There is a more adequate response, and for this there is no need to put weapons in space," he said. "It is not a big deal to shoot down a space satellite, and the Chinese have proven this by conducting a relevant experiment" (see GSN, Jan. 19, 2007; Dmitry Solovyov, Reuters, June 17).
Popovkin added that Russia is moving to update the aging system shielding Moscow from missile strikes, Interfax reported.
"We are not going to abandon the city of Moscow's missile defense shield," he said.
Interfax reported this week that a retired Russian general had questioned the viability of the system (see GSN, June 16).
"Interceptor missiles are being upgraded today," Popovkin said. "They are being adapted for the use by a new air defense system, which is being created today and should replace the S-400 system."
He added: "It will be a kind of universal antimissile that will be used by the city of Moscow's missile defense shield, as well as by other air defense and missile defense systems" (Interfax I, June 17).
At the same time, Popovkin said, no missile shield can ensure absolute protection.
"There will never be an absolute missile defense system, or an absolute missile shield," he said. "An enormous number of antimissiles and warheads ... it is impossible to shoot down all of them" (Interfax II, June 17).