The US Navy is set to begin a final overhaul of the Redzikowo site's computer networks and systems before unveiling the base in 2024, Polish state news agency PAP reported on Friday.
The US Naval Support Facility in northern Poland is expected to achieve full operational readiness by the summer of 2024, when it will be taken over by NATO, private broadcaster RMF FM reported.
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," the US Navy said.
Andrew Michta, an expert with the Atlantic Council, a US think tank, said that extending the US missile defence shield to Poland "signals America's lasting commitment to defending Europe" and "boosts Poland's national security," the PAP news agency reported.
Marcin Piotrowski, an analyst at the state-run Polish Institute for International Affairs (PISM), said that developments in the Middle East showed a missile defence shield over Europe, including the Redzikowo base, "is necessary."
He added that the shield can intercept ballistic missiles launched from Iran, and could be adapted to strengthen defences against Russia.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, RMF FM, Defence24