Columbus Dispatch:
Rep. Mike Turner, who spent part of last week in Israel, said even as the U.S. works to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, it is failing to work sufficiently to protect from that country’s missile program.
The Dayton Republican, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, led a bipartisan delegation trip to Romania and Israel last week.
The trip was well-timed; Turner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the week that the U.S. was hitting a deadline on negotiations with Iran on their nuclear program.
It also came the same week that House Speaker John Boehner, on a separate international trip, met with Netanyahu.
In Israel, Turner heard a familiar concern from Netanyahu: That Iran’s efforts to destabilize the Middle East “have not ceased.”
But Turner’s trip was focused on missile defense. He chairs the Armed Services subcommittee that authorizes procurement and research and development. In Romania, he checked on the progress of a new missile defense base that he has argued the U.S. needs to adequately defend itself. A second site, in Poland, will be operational by 2018. Russia opposes the new site, which is aimed at shielding the U.S. and European allies from short and intermediate-range ballistic missiles from Iran and other rogue states.
Last year, Turner fought for $20 million for the development of the missile defense system, and cited Russia as a reason to expedite the development of the missile defense system.
He said other missile defense sites have worked – and rogue states who seek to threaten with missiles know it.
“The ballistic missile threat is evolving,” he said. “It’s becoming more sophisticated. The problem with missile defense is now that it’s proven its worth, people are actively working to circumvent it.”
But also of concern to Turner was that the talks with Iran weren’t focused as well on the missile threat.
“The president entered into negotiations with Iran on their nuclear weapons program and has not sought at all to limit their missile program,” Turner said, adding that Iran is currently developing an intercontinental ballistic missile to reach the United States. “The fact that we could be facing relatively soon an ICBM-equipped Iran without any intervention from the administration is a concern.”
