VOA标准英语2009年-At Summit, US Moves on Strategic Priority:

When U.S. President Barack Obama travels to Moscow next week for a summit with Russian President Dimitry Medvedev he will take the somewhat unusual step of taking the top U.S. military officer with him. Admiral Mike Mullen's presence is partly related to the key summit issue of further strategic-arms reductions. But it will also emphasize the importance the new U.S. administration puts on renewing a broad range of relations with Russia.
　
Admiral Michael Mullen, head of US Joint¹ Chiefs of Staff and Gen. Nikolai Makarov, chief of Russia's General Staff in Moscow, 26 Jun 2009

Admiral Mike Mullen ended his first ever visit to Moscow on Sunday, and he will be back there by next Monday. The quick turnaround is a sort of symbol of the turnaround President Obama wants to see in U.S. relations with Russia.

The president has pledged to "reset²" the relationship, which suffered after the Russian invasion of Georgia last year. Disagreements over the status of two breakaway regions and NATO military aid to Georgia continue, as do disputes over the U.S. desire to build a missile-defense³ system in Europe.

But Monday in Moscow, Admiral Mullen will sign a new military cooperation agreement with his Russian counterpart, General Nikolai Makarov, designed to renew and broaden U.S.-Russian military relations. During his recent trip, the admiral was clear about where U.S. strategic priorities lie.
　
Admiral Mullen lays a wreath at Russia's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (File)

"I think the strategic priority is to renew the military to military part of the relationship. Certainly, the summit is focused on a renewed relationship, as was the meeting that President Medvedev and President Obama had in London," said Mullen.

The new U.S. policy makers⁴, and their top advisers⁶ like Admiral Mullen, appear to have concluded they can not afford to allow other issues to interfere⁷ with rebuilding relations with Russia, including military relations. And they are not the only ones.

Even as Russian troops conducted a war game near the Georgian border at the end of June, the NATO alliance restored its military ties to Russia, and invited Russian forces to two joint naval⁸ exercises in the coming months.

One is off East Africa to practice combating piracy⁹ and the other is in the Mediterranean¹⁰ to practice counter-terrorism techniques. Russia was specifically excluded from that exercise last year because of the invasion of Georgia.
　
Russian and Chinese troops storm a mock up hospital 'seized' by terrorists at Chebarkul testing range (File)

In addition, China is seeking better military relations with its sometime-friend, sometime-rival Russia. The two countries have announced a large joint exercise this month, involving 1,300 ground troops from each side and 20 Russian warplanes.

"It is very clear from Russia's investment in their military, the number of exercises they do each year, they have continued to evolve and modernize¹¹. And I think the exercises that you see are a reflection of that," he said.

At the same time, the United States is seeking Russian help in continuing to allow supplies to cross its territory for troops in Afghanistan, and in trying to convince Iran and North Korea to abandon their nuclear and missile programs, as well as in general counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics efforts. Admiral Mullen says there is general agreement on those issues.

But Russia strongly opposes the European missile-defense system the previous U.S. administration negotiated to build in Poland and the Czech Republic. Russia's President Medvedev has said there will be no progress on one of the summit's main topics, further reductions in strategic long-range nuclear missiles, unless President Obama abandons the plan.

Russia says the system threatens its security. The United States says the system is purely¹² defensive¹³ and is designed to counter the missile threat Iran poses to Europe, and could one day soon pose to the United States.
　
President Barack Obama (file photo)

President Obama ordered a formal review of the program, which has been going on for months. Admiral Mullen says it may take months more, and he acknowledges the review is related to broader European security issues.

"As with all strategies [the question is] how do the other pieces fit in? And certainly I think a question to be answered is, 'How does missile defense fit into that?' And then, what are the decisions with respect to missile defense," said Mullen.

While those questions are asked and slowly answered in Washington, Polish and Czech officials must wait to see whether agreements they signed last year are implemented¹⁴.

During Admiral Mullen's visit to Warsaw this week, Poland's National Security Adviser⁵, Aleksander Szczyglo, said canceling the missile-defense system to placate¹⁵ Russia would be a mistake.

The Polish official said an angry Russia may seem dangerous to some Americans, but he said he believes the missile threat from Iran, and its "unpredictability," are much more urgent.
　
Admiral Mullen and his Polish counterpart General Franciszek Gagor and their wives (File)

At the same time Poland and other Central and Eastern European countries are concerned about any western action, like resuming military relations or cancelling the missile-defense program, which may be seen as legitimizing Russia's use of force against former Soviet¹⁶ satellite countries. Szczyglo would prefer that the United States defy Russia and proceed with the missile-defense system.

He said it is "high time" to establish a permanent NATO or U.S. military presence in Poland, such as the stationing of even a small number of U.S. troops to handle the missile-defense system. Such a move would counter the Iranian threat and also give the 10-year NATO member a greater sense of security in the wake of the Georgia invasion.

Admiral Mullen said he understands that.

And he said the Obama administration is committed to deploying¹⁷ one Patriot¹⁸ mobile short-range air defense system in Poland. The system would initially¹⁹ be for training purposes, and would be accompanied by a small contingent²⁰ of U.S. troops. It is to be deployed²¹ as soon as a fairly standard Status of Forces agreement is signed, which is expected soon.

But the admiral said he can not predict the fate of the missile-defense system.

"How that is going to come out, I just do not know. And I think that is part of what will clearly be finalized²² in the next few days. And it is for the two presidents to really both decide that and, I think, announce it," he said.

So as President Obama's top military adviser, Admiral Mullen will head back to Moscow to sign the military cooperation agreement, and to be on hand for the final stages of the negotiations²³.

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 reset   

v.重新安排，复位；n.重新放置；重放之物

参考例句：

• As soon as you arrive at your destination,step out of the aircraft and reset your wristwatch.你一到达目的地，就走出飞机并重新设置手表时间。
• He is recovering from an operation to reset his arm.他做了一个手臂复位手术，正在恢复。

3 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

4 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

6 advisers   

顾问，劝告者( adviser的名词复数 )； （指导大学新生学科问题等的）指导教授

参考例句：

• a member of the President's favoured circle of advisers 总统宠爱的顾问班子中的一员
• She withdrew to confer with her advisers before announcing a decision. 她先去请教顾问然后再宣布决定。

7 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

8 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

9 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

10 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

11 modernize   

vt.使现代化，使适应现代的需要

参考例句：

• It was their manifest failure to modernize the country's industries.他们使国家进行工业现代化，明显失败了。
• There is a pressing need to modernise our electoral system.我们的选举制度迫切需要现代化。

12 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

13 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

14 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

15 placate   

v.抚慰，平息(愤怒)

参考例句：

• He never attempts to placate his enemy.他从不企图与敌人和解。
• Even a written apology failed to placate the indignant hostess.甚至一纸书面道歉都没能安抚这个怒气冲冲的女主人。

16 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

17 deploying   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的现在分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Provides support for developing and deploying distributed, component-based applications. 为开发和部署基于组件的分布式应用程序提供支持。
• Advertisement, publishing, repair, and install-on-demand are all available when deploying your application. 在部署应用程序时提供公布、发布、修复和即需即装功能。

18 patriot   

n.爱国者，爱国主义者

参考例句：

• He avowed himself a patriot.他自称自己是爱国者。
• He is a patriot who has won the admiration of the French already.他是一个已经赢得法国人敬仰的爱国者。

19 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

20 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

21 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

22 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

23 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。