"The United States will take every necessary measure to protect our citizens against what is perhaps the greatest danger of all: The catastrophic harm that may result from hostile states or terrorist groups armed with weapons of mass destruction and themeans to deliver them," Bush said in a statement read by White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

"Today, I am pleased to announce that we will take another important step in countering these threats by beginning to field missile defense capabilities to protect the United States as well as our friends and allies," the statement said.

"While modest, these capabilities will add to America's security and serve as a starting point for improved and expanded capabilities later as further progress is made in researching and developing missile defense technologies and in light of changes in the threat," said Bush.

The Washington Times first reported Tuesday that Bush has decided to begin deploying the nationwide defense system against ballistic missiles by 2004. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other defense officials are expected to explain the details of the deployment plan later on Tuesday.

The plan calls for 10 ground-based interceptor missiles at Fort Greeley, Alaska, by 2004 and an additional 10 interceptors by 2005or 2006, senior defense officials were quoted as saying.

The interceptors will be guided to targets by a global network of radars and sensors that will identify and track long-range missiles. To deal with short-range and medium-range missiles, the Pentagon plans to deploy an updated version of the Navy's StandardMissile-3 on ships equipped with the Aegis battle management system.

Preparatory construction at the first missile-defense site at Fort Greeley began in June, and other elements of the missile-defense test site will be built beginning in 2003.

Washington has been aggressively developing a missile defense system since President Bush came to power last year. To clear the way for the research and development of the system, Bush withdrew the United States from the 1972 anti-ballistic missile treaty between Moscow and Washington in June this year.

In an Oct. 24 speech, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said that "moving forward on missile defense, particularly by taking advantage of new technological opportunities, is an essential part of a strategy to provide the range of capabilities necessary to defend against the broad spectrum of new threats and challenges that we will confront in the 21st century."

Bush's missile defense plan was widely criticized by the international community. Russia, China and some other countries have expressed their concerns that the program could lead to a renewed arms race in the world. Opponents at home also argued that the missile defense system is too expensive and unrealistic.

The US military has conducted eight missile defense tests so far, five of them successful. A recent test failed on Dec. 11, when an interceptor rocket failed to separate from its booster.

Bush decides to deploy missile defense in 2004

US President George W. Bush has decided to begin deploying a nationwide defense system against ballistic missiles by 2004, the Washington Times reported on Tuesday.

Bush is expected to announce the decision later on Tuesday, and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and other defense officials will describe the details of the deployment plan, the report said.

The plan calls for 10 ground-based interceptor missiles at Fort Greeley, Alaska, by 2004 and an additional 10 interceptors by 2005 or 2006, senior defense officials were quoted as saying.

The interceptors will be guided to targets by a global network of radars and sensors that will identify and track long-range missiles. To deal with short-range and medium-range missiles, the Pentagon plans to deploy an updated version of the Navy's Standard Missile-3 on ships equipped with the Aegis battle management system.

Preparatory construction at the first missile-defense site at Fort Greeley began in June, and other elements of the missile-defense test site will be built beginning in 2003.

The deployment decision comes a year after the United States withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

Bush's missile defense plan has been widely criticized by the international community. Russia, China and some other countries have expressed their concerns that the program could lead to a renewed arms race in the world. Opponents at home also argued that the missile defense system is too expensive and unrealistic.

The US military has conducted eight missile defense tests so far, five of them successful. A recent test failed on Dec. 11, when an interceptor rocket failed to separate from its booster.

(Xinhua News Agency December 18, 2002)