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UPDATE: Polish missile defence site set to open on Wednesday

13.11.2024 00:30
The Polish section of a US missile defence shield over Europe has been completed after years of delays and is set to be officially launched on Wednesday, according to an announcement.
The US Naval Support Facility in Redzikowo, northern Poland.
The US Naval Support Facility in Redzikowo, northern Poland. Photo: Navy Lt. Amy Forsythe, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The opening follows the US Navy's completion of work on the missile defence site in Redzikowo, northern Poland, a project expected to bolster NATO's defences against potential threats from Iran, military authorities said.

"On November 13, we will be opening the missile defence base in Redzikowo," the Polish foreign ministry said in an X post on Tuesday.

It added that "Poland’s political elites remain united" on matters of national security and foreign policy.

"The Poland-US alliance is strong, regardless of who governs in Warsaw and Washington," the Polish foreign ministry also said.

Poland's top diplomat Radosław Sikorski described the Redzikowo site as "the first permanent US military installation on Polish soil."

He said in a video message that the project was initiated by Republican President George W. Bush, commenced under Democrat Barack Obama, continued by Republican Donald Trump, and ultimately completed during the presidency of Democrat Joe Biden.

"It took some time, but the project is proof of the geostrategic consistency of the United States," Sikorski said.

The US Navy said at the end of last year that the Redzikowo site in Poland, "in conjunction with NSF Deveselu, Romania and the US Navy destroyers forward deployed in Naval Station, Rota, Spain, expands a defensive capability that protects NATO European territories, populations and forces against ballistic missiles launched from outside the Euro-Atlantic region."

Andrew Michta, an expert with the Atlantic Council, a US think tank, said at the time that extending the US missile defence shield to Poland "signals America's lasting commitment to defending Europe" and "boosts Poland's national security," according to a report by Polish state news agency PAP.

Marcin Piotrowski, an analyst at the state-run Polish Institute for International Affairs (PISM), said that the Redzikowo shield would be intercept ballistic missiles launched from Iran, and could be adapted to strengthen defences against Russia. 

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP