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Ballistic missiles continue to pose a potential threat to the security of Europe. This fact was endorsed by NATO at the Bucharest Summit in April 2008. NATO?s 60th anniversary summit on 3/4 April 2009, jointly hosted by France and Germany in Strasbourg-Kehl, is expected to take further the idea of a defence against ballistic missiles for the whole of NATO. The issue of missile defence in Europe is challenging both technically and politically, involving the complexities of integrating global defence assets as well as the difficulties of achieving political agreement.
The bilateral agreements that the US is undertaking with Poland, to base 10 interceptors, and with the Czech Republic, to base a radar, remain to be ratified and implemented. The political and security implications of the so-called Third Site will remain unclear for some time. A major issue is command and control. Integration of a NATO system with the US Ground Based Missile Defence System which incorporates the Third Site is expected to be a significant outcome of the 2009 NATO Summit.
Europe is already involved in the development of defences against short to medium range ballistic missiles, but the US has a technical and programmatic lead in all aspects of BMD. One of Europe?s challenges is to become more fully committed to the project of a continental defence, thereby allowing Europe?s industry to play a bigger part. The current financial climate is not conducive to establishing major new defence programmes, so the issue of affordability ? how to fund and procure what many regard as an essential system of defence in Europe ? is another crucial challenge.
Finally, there will remain some uncertainty about US missile defence policy for some time following the election of President Obama. In the months before the Lisbon Conference, there are likely to be many developments which affect missile defence in Europe.
All these issues combine to underline the significance of the 2010 3AF Conference in Lisbon, which will address the technical, the system, the programme and the political issues. In an open, unclassified forum, which focuses uniquely on Europe, it provides an opportunity for leaders and engineers within Europe to mingle, to discuss and to learn. It offers a mix of technical and non-technical, contributed and invited papers. The many successful BMD programmes will be described, and new work will be presented.
Sponsored by industry, the conference includes an exhibition where companies will showcase their systems and technologies. It is an unrivalled opportunity to meet customers, suppliers and decision makers, to exchange facts and opinions, and to listen to papers presented by world experts in missile defence.
We look forward to meeting you in Lisbon next February and will appreciate your contribution to our dialogue on ?Challenges in Europe?
Yours Faithfully,
François DENEU and Luc DINI
6th International Conference on Missile Defence ?Challenges in Europe? Programme Committee Co-Chairmen
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