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U.S.-Russia Defense Cooperation Seen
June 20, 2002
By GEORGE GEDDA

WASHINGTON (AP) - A top Defense Department official said Thursday he sees great potential for the United States and Russia to cooperate in the missile defense area despite broad differences on that issue.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, said one potential area of cooperation is a decade-old joint effort to permit early detection of missile launches.

It is known as the Russian-American Observation Satellite (RAMOS) program, which was begun as a confidence building measure under President George H.W. Bush not long after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Satellites and other means of detecting and tracking missiles in flight are crucial to defending against attack. Interceptor rockets cannot work properly if they aren't cued to their target in time.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Bush agreed last month at their summit meeting in Moscow to explore possibilities for cooperation in missile defense despite Russia's well known reservations about the concept.

The Russians have long opposed U.S. plans to erect defenses against long-range missiles, asserting that it would lead to a renewed arms race and potentially undermine the deterrent effect of Russia's offensive nuclear force.

Speaking to a gathering at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative research group, Kadish said, ``I think that there is a great potential for us to move forward in the relationship with Russia, specifically in the missile defense area.''

The experience with the RAMOS program has been good and bad, he said, adding that the historic rivalry between the two countries could impede cooperation on RAMOS and perhaps other areas.

Wade Boese, research director at the Arms Control Association, said he doubts the stated willingness of Moscow and Washington to cooperate will lead to much, saying there has been very little progress on the RAMOS program and he sees little hope for change.

``Military technology is one of the hardest areas to begin cooperation with a former adversary,'' he said.

He added that Pentagon officials are worried about what the Russians will do with sensitive information the American side may pass on during their cooperative effort.

Kadish, commenting on the overall missile defense program, said he is optimistic that the administration goals can be achieved, noting that the success rate of recent tests has been increasing.

``Have there been a lot of failures?'' he asked. ``Yes, but we have learned from those failures. ... Our challenges are great but we are poised to march into those challenges.''

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