VOA标准英语2009-US Official in Poland to Discuss Missiles Th

The top U.S. military officer told Polish officials in Warsaw Monday the Obama Administration has still not decided¹ whether to proceed with the Bush Administration's plan to build a missile defense² installation in Poland and the Czech Republic. But Admiral Mike Mullen says the U.S. government is still concerned about the growing missile threat from Iran, and wants to work with its allies in the region to address it.
　
US Navy Admiral Mike Mullen (File)

At a news conference with his Polish counterpart, General Franciszek Gagor, Admiral Mullen expressed concern about what U.S. officials see as the growing missile threat from Iran, but he said the Obama Administration has not yet decided how to address the threat.

"It is clearly the strategic intent of Iran to continue to develop these missiles. They are now on the edge of being able to project that capability³ to Europe," he said. "And, the longer-term expectation right now, from the United States' perspective, is that eventually that capability will also be projected as far away as the United States. So working with our partners in this regard is very important."

The Bush Administration plan called for the installation of 10 anti-missile missiles in Poland, linked to a sophisticated radar⁴ that would be built in the Czech Republic. Admiral Mullen says just how the new U.S. administration will work with its partners on missile defense is still under review.

"The United States is committed to the relationship with Poland and certainly, supporting modernization⁵ of the Polish military," he added. "And, how missile defense fits in all that, and what the specifics will be in terms of the position of the United States will be very much tied to the results of the current review."

That review appears to be, in part, awaiting the outcome of next week's U.S.-Russian summit in Moscow, where missile defense and strategic arms reductions will be high on the agenda. Russian President Dimitry Medvedev has said there will be no progress on strategic arms unless the United States abandons the European missile defense plan, which Russia sees as a threat. U.S. officials say the program would not threaten Russia and is only designed to address Iran's capabilities⁶.

Admiral Mullen came here to Warsaw from Moscow, where he helped lay the groundwork for the summit. Russia announced during the visit that at the summit an agreement to resume and increase U.S.-Russian military cooperation will be signed. That would officially end the freeze that followed the Russian invasion of Georgia last year. NATO also decided last week to resume its military relationship with Russia.

Poland's chief of General Staff, General Gagor, told American reporters before his meeting with the admiral that Poland understands the need for the resumption of Russo-American military ties. General Gagor says many Poles are concerned about traditional threats to their security, such as Russia, but need to also be concerned about modern threats, such as cyber attacks and terrorism. And he says, whatever the outcome of the Obama Administration's review, Europe needs some sort of missile defense.

"I'd say it's a question of time that this technology will be used at longer ranges. So we have to be prepared. We have to have ways to provide protection for NATO countries," said General Gagor. "And, building missile defense capabilities, in general, is a necessity."

General Gagor says he expects Polish and U.S. officials to reach agreement soon to allow for the deployment⁷ of a Patriot⁸ missile battery in Poland, along with a small number of American military trainers. The Patriot system can defend against short-range missiles, but not against a missile on a high trajectory⁹, which an Iranian launch on Europe would be.

 

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

3 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

4 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

5 modernization   

n.现代化，现代化的事物

参考例句：

• This will help us achieve modernization.这有助于我们实现现代化。
• The Chinese people are sure to realize the modernization of their country.中国人民必将实现国家现代化。

6 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

7 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

8 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

9 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。