The installations at the US military base will be integrated into the NATO missile defense system with the mission of intercepting ballistic missiles launched from Iran or Russia.
On Friday, December 15, an American military base for coordinating European missile defense against possible threats from Russia or Iran began operating in Poland. NATO will officially control this base in the spring or summer of 2024.
This is reported by the Polish publication RMF24.
The installations, located in Redzikowo, approximately 30 kilometers from Warsaw, are unique in Europe. Together with installations at the Romanian Devesela base, as well as an early warning radar in Kurecik (Turkey) and a command center in Ramstein (Germany), they will be integrated into the North Atlantic Alliance missile defense system with the mission of intercepting ballistic missiles launched from Iran or Russia.< /p>
The Aegis Ground-Based Air Defense System (AAMDS) is capable of detecting, identifying, tracking and destroying medium- and long-range ballistic missiles in coordination with a network of satellites and fixed or ship-mounted radars, and is considered one of the best for early warning and air defense.
The base's grand opening was originally planned for 2018, but it was only the outbreak of the war in Ukraine and the location of the U.S. Army's V Corps headquarters in Poland that helped spur the project. Much of the material installed on the base has been stored in Polish military warehouses since the summer of 2022, but due to security reasons, installation of the system began only a few weeks ago.
According to the Pentagon, computer systems and networks at the base in Poland have yet to be upgraded – this will take several months.
“Upon completion of AAMDS, Poland will be a fully integrated and proven element of the US ballistic defense system, prepared for operations under NATO command and control,” said US Naval Forces Europe and Africa Command in Naples.
Official handover of the completed installation to NATO is scheduled for spring or summer 2024.
Military cooperation between the USA and Poland
In total, the United States maintains four military installations in Poland with a total of 10,000 troops, as well as several air units, including six F-22 Raptor aircraft, as part of NATO's air shield.
The current US military presence in Poland has doubled since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.
The Kremlin recently spoke out against this development, calling it a “security threat.”
Recall that the Secretary of State of the Office of the President of Poland and the head of the National Security Bureau, Jacek Severa, believes that countries on the eastern flank of NATO must prepare for aggression by the Russian Federation within three years.
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