embassy events 2007 

U.S. Official Addresses Łodz Students on Missile Defense

13 November 2007 

Mary Curtin address students in Lodz

The U.S. Embassy's Political Counselor Mary Curtin spoke at the Academy of Humanities and Economics in Łódź on November 8 to over 60 students of political science, journalism, mass communication and cultural studies about the U.S.-Polish negotiations on placing a European missile defense site in Poland.  She also addressed the issue of putting an x-band tracking radar in the Czech Republic and discussed U.S. security policy in regard to a potential threat of missile attack by a rogue nation or terrorist group with ballistic missile capabilities.

Ms. Curtin emphasized the continued strong ties between the United States and Poland as allies in international and military relations and security strategies.  She underscored that placing the missile defense site in Poland will further strengthen relations between the two countries and contribute to security worldwide.  She also discussed the U.S. missile defense initiative in the context of current NATO agreements and clarified that the United States continues to cooperate with Russia.

Students of the Academy raised numerous questions related to the proposed missile defense shield and its effectiveness in the face of a real ballistic attack.  They also asked how the U.S. would manage the relationship between U.S. personnel and the local Polish community in the area where the interceptor site would be located.  The students were also interested in Ms. Curtin's perspective on the U.S. intervention in Iraq, on U.S. policy toward the Middle East, and on U.S. national security policy.

This speaking event was the inaugural event for the U.S. Embassy's Speakers Bureau Missile Defense Outreach Program.  This Program aims to explain the policy, technical elements, and goals of the missile defense initiative to Polish students and academia and provides an opportunity for students to discuss these topics with American experts.  You can find more information on the Embassy Speakers Bureau here.  To inquire about scheduling a speaker, please contact Malgorzata Dzielak at dzielakmk@state.gov.