US mulls missile defense shields in Asia, Mideast

The United States is reportedly seeking to expand its missile systems to Asia and the Middle East by building regional shields against ballistic missiles in those regions. Madelyn Creedon, a senior Pentagon official, disclosed on Monday that Washington is engaging in two sets of trilateral dialogues on the issue - one with Japan and Australia and the other with Japan and South Korea. She added that the shields are intended to counter threats posed by Iran and North Korea to the duo’s neighbors and help defend the US from any long-range missiles. She went on to say that the regional shields would be similar to the so-called "phased adaptive approach" for missile defense in Europe which includes interceptor missiles in Poland and Romania, a radar system in Turkey and the Aegis missile interceptors in Spain. Moscow and Beijing have already expressed their opposition to the US new plan, saying the missile systems could undermine their security.