World Tribune.com

U.S. reveals missile defense system deployed in Qatar

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, July 4, 2006

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army deployed an advanced Patriot missile defense system in Qatar.

Officials said the Patriot, with PAC-3 configuration, was deployed during the U.S.-led war in Iraq and enhanced amid the emerging missile and nuclear threat from Iran. They said the system was meant to protect U.S. military assets in the Gulf emirate, located about 250 kilometers from Iran.

The stationing of the Patriot was disclosed in a June 30 announcement by the Defense Department. The Pentagon awarded a $7.6 million contract to repair the Patriot system in Qatar and other army bases abroad as well as in the United States.

Under the contract, Raytheon would develop on-site depot level diagnostic, fault isolation, clean-up, and repair capability for the Patriot. The Pentagon said 9.79 percent of the contract would take place in Qatar.

Qatar has hosted the U.S. Army at A-Sayliyah as well as the U.S. Air Force at Al Udeid. Al Udeid contained the air operations command of Central Command, responsible for the Middle East and Central Asia.

The Raytheon contract was expected to be completed by 2010. Officials said this was a sole source contract launched on Dec. 15, 2005, and contract funds would not expire at the end of fiscal 2006.

The army has also deployed PAC-3 in Iraq and Kuwait. The U.S. military has also been enhancing the older PAC-2 with an improved interceptor.

The Bush administration has urged Qatar and the other five Gulf Cooperation Council states to purchase the PAC-3 for both national and regional missile defense. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have been examining the prospect of either procuring new systems or upgrading their PAC-2 batteries to PAC-3 configuration.


Copyright © 2006 East West Services, Inc.

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