U.S. Senate Authorizes Full Funding for European Missile Defense Sites

WASHINGTON, May 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Riki Ellison, President of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org) praised the Senate Armed Services Committee for their authorization on our nation's missile defense with their support on May 1, 2008. Ellison's observations of the vote and support of missile defense are as follows:

The United States Senate Armed Services Committee with the Democratic majority led by the esteemed Senator Carl Levin from Michigan, fully authorized funding for the third site in the Czech Republic and Poland for $712 million, increasing the total amount of funding for Missile Defense by $189 million from last year. This amounts to 2.02% of the Department of Defense budget, with $10.389 billion allocated for missile defense. This is a clear, unequivocal statement by the Democratic controlled United States Senate that reflects endorsement of Missile Defense deployment, development and the third Missile Defense site to be placed in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT), and Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) are to be praised and congratulated for their support and leadership for Missile Defense. Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN), Mark Pryor (D-AK) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) also played key roles in this endorsement and authorization.

The mutual recognition of the current and future threat from Iran's ballistic missiles and the multinational endorsement of the 26 nations of NATO for the American Missile Defense sites in the Czech Republic and Poland were the two driving factors for the Senate Armed Services Committee. The lack of interest or collective movement to slow down missile defense deployment in Europe displayed a turning point in a much debated issue over the past two years. A clear example of this was last year's Senate restriction of limiting the deployment of the 10 ground-based operational interceptors in Poland, which is no longer restricted in this authorization.

Another significant breakthrough is the authorization of a $5 million study conducted by an independent panel to determine if it is technically and financially feasible and advisable to develop missile defense interceptors in space.

There is a net reduction of $411 million from the Administration's budget request for Missile Defense. Concerns raised by Democratic Senators in the earlier hearings this month included insufficient numbers of Sea Based Interceptors, THAAD interceptors, target missiles and testing. However, these concerns were not addressed in the Senate Armed Services Committee Authorization released today.

The Senate endorsement of the third missile defense site in Poland and the Czech Republic sends a positive signal to the Polish Government and the Czech Government that the United States Senate stands behind the State Department and the President in moving forward with deployment of U.S. Missile Defense to protect Europe.

This is a testament to our country's leaders of different political parties that have come together to put forward a solution to make our troops, our country, our allies and our world a safer place.

Riki Ellison is available for on-the-record interviews. Call Mike Terrill at 602 885-1955.

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Source: Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance

CONTACT: Mike Terrill of Missile Defense Advocacy, +1-602-885-1955

Web Site: http://www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org/

2008-05-01 18:04:39 0351077 PRNEWSWIRE