Plan B

Vice President Biden is in Eastern Europe this week, and one of the discussion topics with Polish and Czech leaders is the Obama administration's policy shift to sea- and land-based Standard Missile-3s to protect the region from the Iranian ballistic missile threat.

According to a just-released White House transcript of Biden's remarks today at the Polish prime minister's chancery in Warsaw, the vice president said:

As one who championed the admission of Poland into NATO, I would also point out that we take not only our mutual commitments seriously, but I take it very, very seriously. President Obama and I consider this to be a solemn obligation. President Obama has said, and this is a promise he said not only for our time, but for all time. We appreciate Poland has stepped up and agreed to host an element of the previous missile defense plan.

And we now appreciate that Poland's government agrees with us that there is now a better way, a better way -- with new technology and new information -- to defend against the emerging ballistic missile threats. Our new phased adaptive approach to missile defense is designed to meet a growing threat not only to the United States, but first and foremost to Europe. It's going to meet it with proven technology that will cover more of Europe, including Poland, and will do it more efficiently than the previous system could have, or did. It strengthens missile defense for Europe, it strengthens Article 5, and it strengthens the alliance’s deterrent capability. Mr. Prime Minister, we have -- we have a lot to do. Simply put, our missile plan is better security for NATO, and is better security for Poland, and ultimately better security for the United States of America.

Mr. Prime Minister, you and I affirmed our commitment to the declaration on strategic cooperation in 2008. And we discussed additional practical opportunities to strengthen our bilateral security cooperation beyond what we already have done. I welcome the Prime Minister's affirmation that Poland stands ready to host future elements of proposed missile defense.

But as Inside Missile Defense reports today, missile defense is only one of a myriad of issues Biden will cover during his trip, according to Tony Blinken, the vice president 's national security adviser:

"In terms of missile defense, I think it’s going to be an important item on the agenda in all of the meetings that we have in all three countries," Blinken said in an Oct. 19 conference call briefing. "But the agenda is much bigger than missile defense. And I touched on a number of the issues, whether it’s what we’re doing together in Afghanistan; whether it's the work we’re doing together actually to reform NATO, going forward with a new strategic concept; energy security, climate change, the economies in all these countries. There is a very full and broad agenda -- the advancement of democracy. And so missile defense will be part of it, but the trip is not focused on missile defense per se."