Financial crisis should not delay US missile shield

The global economic downturn and a potential Democratic win in US elections should not delay plans to build parts of a missile shield in Europe, the head of the US Missile Defence Agency, general Henry Obering, has said.

"If you don't have national security it won't matter what your economy is doing because you won't be able to protect your citizens and their jobs," he said in an interview with EUobserver on Tuesday (28 October).

Speaking hours before a trip to Poland and the Czech Republic - where the US missile shield components are to be placed - the general described the project as "a prudent investment in security," which remains necessary to counter the continuing proliferation of a ballistic missile threat around the world.

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