Dear Members and Friends,

The Democratic National Convention kicks off today to officially nominate President Barack Obama as the Democratic Presidential Candidate who will run against the Republican candidate, Governor Mitt Romney, during the upcoming Presidential Election on November 6th. The Democratic Party has put forward the 2012 Democratic National Platform that distinguishes itself from the Republican platform of Governor Mitt Romney from which the Democrats will campaign on from now and until the election.

The 2012 Democratic National Platform has listed missile defense as a topic under the headline, “Strengthening Alliances, Expanding Partnerships, and Reinvigorating International Institutions.” The statements from The 2012 Democratic National Platform titled, “Moving America Forward” regarding missile defense are as follows:

Europe

Meanwhile, even as the presence of U.S. forces in Europe necessarily evolves, the United States will maintain its Article 5 collective security commitments to NATO and will continue to leverage America’s comparative advantage in high-end military capabilities to ensure the defense of our allies. For example, the President is moving forward with a “phased adaptive approach” to European ballistic-missile defense that will protect both Europe and the United States from missile threats emanating from Iran and elsewhere. We believe that the United States and Russia can cooperate on missile defense, but we have also made clear that we will move forward with our system, beginning with the steps we have taken to deploy it in Poland, Turkey, and Romania.

Middle East

The administration has also worked to ensure Israel’s qualitative military edge in the region. And we have deepened defense cooperation – including funding the Iron Dome system – to help Israel address its most pressing threats, including the growing danger posed by rockets and missiles emanating from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.

Elsewhere in the region, President Obama is committed to maintaining robust security cooperation with Gulf Cooperation Council states and our other partners aimed at deterring aggression, checking Iran’s destabilizing activities, ensuring the free flow of commerce essential to the global economy, and building a regional security architecture to counter terrorism, proliferation, ballistic missiles, piracy, and other common threats.

Though there are no specific plans or promises, this platform position would imply a focus on U.S. missile defense assets in Europe and the Middle East by continuing funding for the European Phased Adaptive Approach that projects additional capability, post 2020, for U.S. Homeland Defense and support for Israel’s missile defense needs as well as seeking more cooperation with the Middle East Gulf States against ballistic missile threats from Iran.