Rumsfeld defends missile plan

ATLANTA (CNN) -- Noting the proliferation of ballistic missiles around the globe, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended the Bush administration's missile defense plan Friday.

"I don't think vulnerability is a policy," Rumsfeld told journalists at CNN's World Report conference. "I think to the extent these weapons are proliferating that the president has a responsibility to address that and ask how can we in fact continue to be able to contribute to peace and stability in the world. And the answer is, you simply do need some way to deal with the kinds of capabilities that are proliferating."

Despite objections from allies and the rejection of the plan earlier this week by NATO, Rumsfeld remains optimistic that the Bush administration will win eventual European and Russian backing to deploy the system, often called a "missile shield," and replace the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

"It isn't a shield. These are very limited capabilities to deal with handfuls of things. The idea that it would in any way change the dynamic between the United States and Russia is just utterly wrong," Rumsfeld said. "I mean, they have thousands of weapons not handfuls of these things. Thousands. They know that."

Rumsfeld will meet with Russia's defense minister next week while he's in Brussels to attend the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting.

They will discuss the missile defense system as well as ways that the United States can reduce its ballistic missile stockpiles, Rumsfeld said.

In a speech at the conference earlier in the week, former President Jimmy Carter called Bush's missile defense plan "a terrible waste of money" that could precipitate a new arms race.

He said the plan has aroused "legitimate concern" in China and elsewhere that will prove divisive and could re-ignite the arms race.

Bush has said the plan would protect the United States and other countries from attacks by "rogue" nations.