sunb!
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Our defense minister go on yet another blunder - yet we all knew what the radar was ment to do never the less.
Vardø radar tied to US defense
Aftenposten English Web Desk
A controversial radar installation in the northern Norwegian town of Vardø is actually part of the US rocket defense system. Norwegian officials have long denied its use by the Americans
Outgoing Defense Minister Kristin Krohn Devold earlier denied that the radar system has any ties to the American rocket defense system, as have her predecessors. The radar, they've claimed, is meant to keep track of satellites and to strengthen security in Norway's northern region.
A former US defense department worker and a rocket expert at prestigious Cornell University in New York now claim otherwise.
Philip E Coyle, who formerly evaluated weapons systems at the Pentagon, told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Tuesday that the Vardø radar can gather important information about either a Russian or a Chinese rocket attack against the US over the North Pole.
"The Vardø radar is very important for the American rocket defense program," Coyle said.
Senior researcher George N Lewis at Cornell has no doubts about it, either. "The Vardø radar absolutely plays a role in the American rocket defense," he said.
The supplier of the radar, US firm Raytheon, also describes it as part of the company's jobs for the US rocket defense system, even long after the radar was moved to Norway.
Russia has complained about the installation and claimed repeatedly that it's part of the US defense system, and therefore violates international agreements.