Prospects for Russian–American Missile Defence Cooperation: Lessons from RAMOS and JDEC

Abstract

American officials have long proclaimed the importance of missile defence cooperation with Russia, and bilateral cooperation on the issue is an obvious solution to missile defence security dilemmas. What are the prospects for bilateral cooperation on missile defence? The year 2007 witnessed an unprecedented missile defence controversy, arising from American plans to base new defence installations in Europe, ostensibly to counter the threat of long-range missiles from Iran. Russian leaders, most prominently President Vladimir Putin, harshly criticized these plans for undermining Russian security and demanded the United States drop its proposal. Instead, Putin offered use of a Russian radar in Azerbaijan to detect missiles from Iran. This article reviews two earlier attempts at bilateral cooperation: the Russian–American Observation Satellite (RAMOS) and the Joint Data Exchange Center (JDEC). One was cancelled. The other has been stalled in endless negotiation. Neither example bodes well for future missile defence cooperation. The technical and logistical difficulties of creating and operating bilateral Russian–American security programs, when combined with residue of Cold War mistrust, make intensive Russian–American missile defence cooperation extremely unlikely.