The United States opened a missile defense base in Poland on November 13.
The US facility, integrated into the NATO defense system, houses the US Navy’s Aegis Ashore system, which is capable of detecting, tracking and destroying ballistic missiles in their early stages of flight.
Russia, which has long protested against it as a threat to its own security, said on November 13 that opening the base would require appropriate measures “to ensure parity.”
The US missile base is located in the city of Redzikovo, just 230 km from the border with the Russian Kaliningrad region.
At the ceremony, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak Kamysz said the event was of “historic significance for the security of Poland, the United States and NATO.”
Current conflicts, for example in Ukraine or the Middle East, show us how important air and missile defense is,” Kosiniak-Kamysh said.
According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the base “significantly strengthens the alliance’s ability to defend against the growing threat of ballistic missiles from outside the Euro-Atlantic space.”
Polish President Andrzej Duda emphasized that “the United States remains the guarantor of Poland’s security.” The Kremlin, for its part, noted that the base poses a threat to Moscow and is “an attempt to contain Russian military potential.”
The Redzikowo base is an important element of NATO’s defense system in Europe, aimed at countering threats, in particular from Iran. But it is not for protection from Russia. It was developed ten years ago for protection against Iran. However, as Wiadomosci writes, this base, unfortunately, is not capable of protecting against threats from Russia.
Air defense systems are capable of intercepting a small number of medium-range missiles (1-5 thousand km) from the Middle East. To meet modern challenges, it is necessary to modernize the base.
Source: Racurs
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