Work on US missile shield base underway
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
16.05.2016 15:42
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Work on US missile shield base underway
The construction of a US missile shield base at Redzikowo in northern Poland officially started on Friday, 13 May.
Photo: U.S. Missile Defense Agency/Flickr.com
Under a deal signed in 2010, the US will station SM-3 missile interceptors in the village of Redzikowo, with the aim of protecting NATO countries from the potential threat of ballistic missiles launched from "rogue states”.
The SM-3 missile plan replaced a Bush administration proposal to develop a fully land-based missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic, which was cancelled by President Obama in September 2009.
“This is a very important day for Poland, for NATO and for Europe, it is an important day for peace in Europe and the world,” said Poland’s Minister of Defence Antoni Macierewicz during an inauguration ceremony in Redzikowo on Friday.
The base in Redzikowo is set to be ready for operation in 2018. It is the second such ground interceptor facility, following the Deveselu base in Romania, launched on 12 May.
The bases in Poland and Romania are part of a US anti-missile defense system deployed in several allied states.
The system includes ground radar in Turkey, four US Navy battleships fitted with anti-missile systems in Spain, and a military command hub at the Ramstein air base in Germany.