New US base in Poland aims to intercept short- and medium-range ballistic missiles

By Global Watch and AFP | 2024-11-14

Polish and American officials on November 13 opened a US missile base in northern Poland.

The Redzikowo base, 230km from the Russian border, has been operational since July but was officially inaugurated only November 13.

"A US destroyer on Polish soil has become a fact," Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, describing it as "of historical importance for the security of Poland, the United States and NATO."

"Through the conflicts which are ongoing right now, the conflict in Ukraine or in the Middle East, we can see how important air defense and missile defense is," he added.

NATO chief Mark Rutte told reporters in Warsaw the base "significantly enhances our ability to defend against the growing threat of ballistic missiles from outside the Euro-Atlantic area".

On November 12, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski welcomed the project in a post on social media as "proof of the geostrategic consistency of the United States."

The base is part of a broader NATO missile shield -- dubbed "Aegis Ashore" -- which includes a system of radars that could intercept short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.

In addition to the interceptor site in Poland, the missile shield includes another site in Romania along with US Navy destroyers based out of Rota, Spain, and an early-warning radar in Kurecik, Türkiye. The base is purely defensive, NATO says.

Some 200 military personnel are stationed at the two interceptor sites in Poland and Romania.

Aegis Ashore is the land-based variant of the US Navy's Aegis Weapons System, which is commonly used on its destroyers and cruisers, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

It comprises land-based versions of the various components used on Aegis ships, including the deckhouse, AN/SPY-1 radar, the Mk 41 Vertical Launching System (VLS) and Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptors.

'Vitally important'

Adm. Stuart Munsch, commander of the US naval forces in Europe and Africa, said "building our defenses now is vitally important."

"Global adversaries are becoming ever more aggressive, challenging the international order," he said at the ceremony.

"While the threat of ballistic missiles is concerning, the technology and the highly skilled operators of this Aegis Ashore site give us confidence in our defense."

Polish Gen. Mieczyslaw Bieniek, a former high-ranking NATO official, told the Polish news agency PAP there was potential to further develop the base's capabilities.

"There is technological potential for this system to also be equipped with missiles of a different type that could counter cruise missiles, which would further reinforce our security," he said.

NATO chief Rutte called the base's opening "an important milestone" but said the alliance would work towards "the full development of a NATO ballistic missile defense."

"NATO must have the means to address threats from any direction... So we will work on this, step by step," he told reporters after talks with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw late November 13.

More than 10,000 US troops are stationed in Poland, one of the staunchest supporters of neighboring Ukraine, which has been battling a Russian invasion since 2022.