Missiles

The United States signed a pact Tuesday to build part of a U.S. missile defense shield in this former Soviet satellite, prompting Russia to warn that it will react with military means if the shield is deployed. The U.S. and Czech foreign ministers toasted with champagne after signing the accord to place a tracking radar southwest of Prague as part of a system to protect against attack from countries such as Iran. But Russia warned the U.S. against deploying the shield.

The U.S. military apparently struck at Islamic militants outside Pakistan's lawless tribal belt for the first time Wednesday, firing a missile that killed six suspected insurgents. The Pakistani government denounced the attack as another "great provocation" amid a series of U.S. military operations in the country that have angered its citizens. The harsh words were a sharp contrast to reports Tuesday by U.S.

Russia said it had sold short-range Tor-M1 air defense missiles to Iran, confirmation that their delivery took place despite U.S. complaints. Defense Minister Sergei B. Ivanov did not specify how many missile systems were delivered, but a Defense Ministry official speaking on condition of anonymity said not all the systems under contract were delivered.

The Chinese military shot down one of its own aging satellites with a ground-based ballistic missile last week, demonstrating a new technological capability at a time of growing Bush administration concern over Beijing's military modernization and its intentions in space. The shoot-down, which U.S. officials said occurred on the evening of Jan. 11, prompted a formal protest from Washington that was joined by allies including Canada and Australia, U.S. officials said Thursday.

Poland and the Czech Republic said Monday that they probably would agree to having parts of a U.S. global missile defense system on their soil, and Moscow warned that the decision could make them targets of a Russian missile strike. Poland would allow a battery of up to 10 ground-based ballistic rockets and the neighboring Czech Republic would be the site for an advanced radar system to track missiles. Both countries are former members of the Soviet bloc that are now part of NATO.

A U.S. proposal to build an antimissile shield in Poland has forced a close ally to reassess Bush administration policies that many officials here say could make their country a target for Russian rockets and Islamic terrorists. Poland has been a steadfast friend to the United States, sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan and emerging as one of the few pro-American voices in Europe.

Thousands of American and Israeli troops conducted an operation to test ways to intercept missiles able to carry nuclear, chemical and biological warheads, American and Israeli military officials said. Israel and the U.S. are concerned that Iran could be developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles that can reach Israel. But both sides said the operation in the Negev desert was unrelated to those fears.

It was the weapon of the century, a rocket that could deliver a nuclear warhead 6,000 miles away in 30 minutes and destroy a city, undeterred by any defensive system. It fundamentally altered war planning and the worldview of two generations, who learned to live with Cold War brinkmanship and the petrifying symmetry of "mutually assured destruction."

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates took the Bush administration's campaign to install a missile defense system in Eastern Europe to the highest levels Monday, meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin, the plan's fiercest opponent.

Russia tested new missiles that First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov boasted could penetrate any defense system. Ivanov said Russia tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple warheads, and successfully conducted a "preliminary" test of a cruise missile with an extended range. The former defense minister is seen as a potential successor to President Vladimir V. Putin. Russia has bristled at U.S.