Searches for very rare decays of kaons

The physics motivation for searches for very rare kaon decays, either forbidden or suppressed within the Standard Model, is briefly discussed. Simple arguments conclude that such searches probe possible new forces at a 200 TeV mass scale or constitute a precision test of the electroweak model. The examples of such processes are decays of KLO→μ±eminus-plus, K+→π+μ+e-, KLO→μ-, and K+→π+ν bar ν. We present the current experimental status and describe the new efforts to reach sensitivities down to 1 part in 1012. The discussion is focused on the experimental program at the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where intense beams make such studies possible