The most significant diplomatic barrier to the development of a robust U.S. and NATO ballistic missile defense (BMD) systems has been Russian objections to those systems. For years, Russian government officials and public military doctrines have singled out U.S. and NATO missile defense as a top threat to Russia, and a destabilizing influence in Russian-Western relations for their own domestic purposes.

“Russian’s main external military dangers (include) the creation and deployment of strategic missile defense systems that undermine global stability and violate the balance of forces in the nuclear-missile sphere.” – Russia’s Revised Military Doctrine (2015)

“This missile defense concept is global and mobile, and it creates unpredictability….The radius of use of these weapons makes them a real threat to us.” – Russian Deputy Prime Minister Rogozin, October 2012.

“And if anti-missile and radar systems are set up near our border, even in 2015, they will undermine our nuclear capabilities. So it’s only natural that we are alarmed by the prospect. And we are obligated to take some measures in response. – Russian President Vladimir Putin, 2010.

Russia’s foreign policy efforts and our current Administration’s receptiveness to “reset” Russian relations by limiting U.S. BMD has taken its toll, exacting concessions in the cancellation of a third Ground Based Interceptor site in Poland in 2009, cancellation of modernization programs, the atrophy to the GMD Homeland Defense system, and the cancellation of Phase 4 of the European Phased Adaptive Approach in 2013. The United States has made genuine and repeated efforts to address Russian concerns over missile defenses, clearly communicating that the BMD systems deployed do not have the capacity or capability to strike down the sophisticated Russian ICBMs, and are aimed at unsophisticated rogue state missile threats from North Korea and Iran.

“And let me be clear once again, it is not the policy of the United States to build a ballistic missile defense system to counter Russian ballistic missiles.” – ADM James Winnefeld, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, May 2014.

Russia’s objections to U.S. and NATO BMD deployments are disingenuous, and exaggerated to gain concessions fom the United States, NATO and to stir up domestic political support for Putin’s agenda of military investments in the face of Russia’s economic crisis. A recent NATO publication states that “…BMD has become a political, rather than military, tool for distraction that helps to convince the Russian population of the need to focus on protecting the Russian state, rather than their economic livelihoods.”

Candid comments made last week by Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Rozogon continue to confirm this assessment.

“We will not disclose those technical details to anybody…. but I can tell you one thing: The work conducted today on combat missile technologies … shows that neither the current, nor even the projected American missile defense system could stop or cast doubt on Russia’s strategic missile potential.”– Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Rozogon, January 25, 2015.

This is not about Russia, this is about our national security, all about our capability to project power in the defense of our people, our homes and our country from current and future threats. Our nation and its leaders must have the courage to show persistent resolve to modernize our GMD and regional BMD systems to be as effective as they can be against modern day threats, and disregard Russia’s diplomatic theatre of politicalized and self-serving agenda regarding U.S. missile defense deployments.