Speaking to Polsat News, Siewiera noted the significance of the timing, close to Poland’s Independence Day celebrations.
Following state ceremonies, President Andrzej Duda will travel from Gdańsk to Redzikowo for the base’s opening, accompanied by top officials, including Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz and representatives from NATO.
“This is a U.S. Navy base, but it is uniquely assigned to NATO’s command structure under EUCOM [United States European Command],” Siewiera explained. The base’s role within the American European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) is to enhance NATO’s air and missile defense system, providing transatlantic protection by intercepting ballistic and airborne threats from regions beyond the Euro-Atlantic area.
In July, NATO declared the Redzikowo base operational at its summit in Washington. Jens Stoltenberg, then NATO Secretary-General, confirmed the base’s readiness to assume its role within NATO’s integrated missile defense shield, marking a milestone in U.S.-NATO defense cooperation.
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Source: IAR