Col. Stanislav Lunev
Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2001

According to their point of view, the U.S. could build the National Missile Defense (NMD) system without pulling out of the treaty, which they say has helped keep the peace for the last 30 years.

Immediately after President Bush's announcement, liberal politicians in Washington said that his decision to withdraw from the treaty was "disguised and poorly timed." Russia's President Putin characterized the U.S. decision as "mistaken" and repeated Moscow's often-stated position that the ABM Treaty is a cornerstone of world stability.

Russia's state-run media was more aggressive in criticizing the U.S. decision, alleging that now that the war against the Taliban and the al-Qaeda terrorist organization seems to have been won and U.S. forces have established bases inside Afghanistan, Russian aid in securing bases in Central Asia is no longer essential and America no longer needs Russia's help.

According to the Moscow press, Moscow told its American counterpart that the existing ABM Treaty allows the U.S. to continue its missile defense testing program for five to seven years and that Moscow is ready to discuss how to change the treaty.

The Kremlin also promised to close its eyes to possible violations of the treaty if the U.S. wants to go ahead with its plans.

Russia's government-controlled press called the U.S. decision a "deliberate slap in Putin's face" and a "public humiliation" of Moscow's intentions to establish closer ties with the West.

It's difficult to agree with that point of view and impossible to accept the idea that the U.S. could build its NMD without withdrawing from the ABM Treaty, because the U.S. simply could not create an effective anti-missile defense shield for America, and its friends and allies, within the limits established by that treaty.

The ABM Treaty prohibited all work related to the creation of an NMD, including sea-, air- and space-based elements of the system.

For example, the treaty's Article 1 prohibited the deployment of any territorial defense against strategic ballistic missiles. Article 5 prohibited the development of the most efficient approaches to defending against long-range missiles.

Other articles prohibited research and development of technologies that could be deployed in space, techniques that could be used to circumvent the treaty, including cooperation with allies.

Of course, all these limitations did not keep the former USSR and Russia, as its major successor, from violating the treaty and putting into place a territorial anti-missile system, which was illegally developed into a nationwide missile defense.

However, Moscow's advice to the U.S. to follow its example and to build its NMD illegally (or with Moscow's silent approval) is not acceptable for the U.S., which for about 30 years was the only party of the ABM Treaty that followed its provisions and accepted its obligations.

Today's world is very different from that of 1972, when the ABM Treaty was signed. The global superpower that was the other party of the treaty, the former USSR, committed suicide in 1991 and has been out of business for the past decade.

Currently, our world is a place with practically uncontrolled proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and with rogue nations seeking delivery systems that could fire these weapons at the U.S. and its friends and allies.

Also there is a permanent risk of an accidental missile launch from the so-called traditional members of the "nuclear missile club," where almost everything is for sale but where there are no funds for the proper maintenance and security of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.

The American people deserve the right to be protected from this danger and need to have an NMD system at the earliest possible date. However, we need to build this system legally and without the fabrications, falsifications and other lies used by Moscow in assembling an illegal nationwide missile defense system.

Last week President Bush exercised the U.S. treaty-sanctioned right, pursuant to the ABM Treaty's Article 15, to declare that this document jeopardizes American interests.

He was absolutely correct in his decision, and six months after his announcement, America will be free to develop and deploy a defense system that could protect us against missile attack.

Get NewsMax's exclusive interview with Col. Stanislav Lunev: CIA Files: Defector Reveals Russia's Secret Plans

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