Euro Defence Plan Quietly Shelved

Considering that it has caused much heated debate over the past few years, the fact that America is abandoning the Eastern European missile defence plan hasn't made many headlines here.
Secretary of Defence, Chuck Hagel, announced that due to development problems and lack of funding, plans to scrap interceptor missiles in Poland and Romania have been shelved and the focus will be shifted to adding 14 new interceptors to the 26 existing ones in Alaska designed to counter perceived threats from North Korea.
Washington claimed that its decision was prompted by the recent belligerence emanating from North
Korea's the Asian countries quicker than expected progress in nuclear weapons development. The changes to the program will free up the money to do so, Hagel said.
Explaining the rationale behind the shift, Hagel said, 'The time line for deploying this program had been delayed to at least 2022 due to cuts in Congressional funding'.
The Kremlin has long argued that the American system was aimed at countering Russian missiles and undermining its nuclear deterrent and the missile shield faced strong opposition in Poland and Romania.
I have never really understood why we needed a missile defence system in Europe, especially from Iran who was often mentioned, when Iran isn't threatening anyone and doesn't have any missiles that can attack us and isn't building any either but Hagel stressed that Washington's commitment in Europe 'remains ironclad'.
Cheers Chucky but you can keep your defence systems over there, we will take our chances thanks but it is nice to see that despite despite the budget cuts there, you are not using the $1 bn savings from not going through with the Eastern Europe defence missiles to build any more schools or hospitals there but are instead handing it to the Defence department to build missiles anyway.
Those budget cuts to the Defence department won't last long i suspect.