Background Talk with Lieutenant General Henry A. Trey Obering III

Berlin, March 6, 2008

Does Europe need an American missile defence system? Against the background of the most recent IAEA Report as well as the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on the Iranian nuclear programme (November 2007), members of the German Bundestag as well as representatives of the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Defence Ministry and selected think tanks held a discussion with Lieutenant General Henry A. Trey Obering III, Director of the Missile Defense Agency of the United States Air Force, concerning potential threats to European and US security from Iran.

In addition, the upcoming NATO Summit in Bucharest and the opportunities for cooperation with Russia in the area of missile defence were put to discussion.

The Political Background Discussion with Lieutenant General Henry A. Trey Obering III continues Körber Foundation’s involvement with the transatlantic dimension of European foreign and security policy. This series has included the Political Background Discussion with Ambassador Daniel Fried , Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs in the U.S. State Department, the Political Breakfast with Kristen Silverberg , Assistant Secretary of State for International Organisation Affairs in the U.S. State Department as well as the 138th Bergedorf Round Table on the topic ‘Can the EU Ensure Europe’s Security?’ (Warsaw 2007).

Körber Foundation regularly invites a small circle of senior Berlin foreign policy professionals to its Background Discussions . As is the case with the Bergedorfer Round Tables, the discussions take place confidentially and away from public attention.