Shield revealed: US spreads missile defenses East
The United States has made plans to create a missile defense shield in Asia, and is reportedly in talks with Japan about its implementation. Experts warn such a measure may anger China.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the most prominent development would be the installation of a powerful early-warning radar, ‘X-band’, described by its manufacturer, Raytheon Co, as “a large, phased-array fire control sensor, featuring precision discrimination and interceptor support,” designed to counter threats from “rogue states.” It would be installed on an unnamed southern Japanese island.
WSJ has quoted Steven Hildreth, a missile-defense expert with the Congressional Research Service, as saying the U.S. was "laying the foundations" for a region-wide missile defense system that would be constituted by US ballistic missile defenses and those of regional powers, particularly Japan, South Korea and Australia. Although supposedly aimed at containing threats from North Korea, Hildreth also told WSJ "the reality is that we're also looking longer term at the elephant in the room, which is China." The WSJ goes on to say that the X-band arc would allow the US to ‘peer deeper’ into China, as well as North Korea.
Wall Street Journal: U.S. Plans New Asia Missile Defenses