Russia, Kazakhstan to set up unified missile defense system

    By Joe Peerson
    Moscow and Astana have reached an agreement to use a Kazakh radio communications center as part of the Kremlin’s early warning system to detect ballistic missiles, national media outlets reported on Saturday, according to Akipress.
    Sergei Koshelev, chief of the Russian Defense Ministry’s International Cooperation Department, said the step was being taken to boost the country’s defense capability and help set up a unified regional air and missile defense system.
    “It will also boost mutually-beneficial defense cooperation between our two countries,” Koshelev noted.
    The Balkhash radio communications facility and Dnepr long-distance radar are vital elements of the Russian ballistic missile early warning system, which is designed to ‘ensure the security of all members of the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization)’. The CSTO’s members are Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Armenia and Tajikistan, according to Silk Road Reporters.