WASHINGTON (June 6, 2007) – In the days running up to the G-8 Summit in Germany this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been denouncing U.S. plans to build a missile defense system in Central Europe. According to the top U.S. science-based nonprofit advocacy organization, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), President Putin has nothing to worry about. The system won't work.

Below is a statement by Dr. David Wright, a physicist and co-director of UCS's Global Security Program:

"President Putin's reaction to U.S. plans to field a missile defense site in Europe exposes the dangerous contradictions of missile defense.

"In fact, President Putin has nothing to worry about. The defense system couldn't stop a Russian nuclear attack on the United States. It could be easily overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Russian nuclear arsenal, destroyed by an attack on the system at the same time Russia launched its own missiles, or foiled by decoys and other countermeasures.

"Because the system is vulnerable to decoys, it also wouldn't stop a missile attack from the Middle East. If Iran or other states in the region develop long-range missiles and deliverable nuclear warheads, they would certainly equip those missiles with countermeasures that could render U.S. defenses ineffective.

"So while Russia's reaction may seem nonsensical, so does the U.S. decision to invite such a reaction by planning to field a system that won't work.

"Moreover, as long as the United States maintains a nuclear warfighting posture—keeping thousands of nuclear warheads ready to be launched within minutes at Russia's nuclear forces—Russia will find such defenses threatening, despite evidence they won't work.

"The best way to increase U.S. security would be to take steps to dramatically cut U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals and reduce the chance they would be used. Instead, the proposed European missile defense site, by inflaming passions and strengthening hard-line Russian thinking, worsens a real threat while offering a false promise against a possible future one."

For more information about UCS's analysis on missile defense, go to www.ucsusa.org/global_security/missile_defense.