Missile Shield Maybe, Patriot Missiles Definitely
A senior Polish official has told The Financial Times that a U.S. Patriot Missile unit will be up and running in Poland by the end of the year.
The announcement comes after months of uncertainty regarding the much grander project of the American anti-missile shield, which was also due to stand on Polish soil. The latter concept - which was technically approved by the Bush government - caused much bad blood in both Polish-Russian and Russian-American relations.
Since coming to power, President Barack Obama has evinced a less gung-ho attitude concerning the missile shield, a structure that is allegedly intended to counter threats from Iran. Some pundits have claimed that the U.S president was considering scrapping the project altogether.
The Patriot Missile Unit, requested by the Poles as a part of the overall deal, would have a relatively short range. However, it is unlikely the Russians will be applauding the deployment of US troops on Eastern European territory. 100 soldiers are expected by the end of the year, with a more permanent arrangement in place by 2012.