Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to President Bush June 30 urging him to establish a new missile defense interceptor facility in Europe to enhance defenses against the “long range missile threat posed by Iran.” Frist noted that the Senate voted 98-0 to increase spending on missile defense above the requested level, and Frist urges the President to deploy interceptors at a site in Europe to counter the continuing development of Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities while it’s nuclear program moves forward. Ensuring protection of NATO allies assures that “disparities in protection do not weaken the cohesion of the NATO alliance,” he states.
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
