Missile Defense

On July 9, 2008, GOP presidential candidate John McCain said that a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic was needed to protect Israel against attack by Iran. Democratic candidate Barack Obama disagreed, saying that Iran should be contained through sanctions.

In September 2009, The New York Times reported that President Obama scrapped the missile defense shield program and ordered development of a new system to meet a changing threat from Iran. “This new approach will provide capabilities sooner, build on proven systems and offer greater defenses against the threat of missile attack than the 2007 European missile defense program,” the president said.