A US military base to coordinate Europe’s anti-missile defense against possible threats from Russia or Iran began operating in Poland on Friday, the Ministry of Defense in Warsaw reported.

Anti-missile shield Redzikovo, PolandPhoto: Adam Warzawa / PAP / Profimedia

The facilities, located in Redzikovo, about 30 kilometers from Warsaw, are the only ones of their kind in Europe, together with the installations in Deveselu, about 150 kilometers from Bucharest, and will be integrated into the anti-missile defense system of the Atlantic Alliance (NATO) with the mission of intercepting ballistic missiles launched from Iran or Russia, the EFE agency, quoted by Agerpres, notes.

Recently, the Kremlin opposed this development and called it a “security threat.”

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 early warning and air defense equipment.

The grand opening of the base, which has been operating since Friday in Poland, was originally planned for 2018, but only the beginning of the war in Ukraine and the placement of the headquarters of the 5th US Army Corps on the territory of Poland contributed to the impetus of the project, he notes. EFE.

As Evelina Kaczmarek, a military expert at the Krakow-based think tank War and Politics (WiP), explained to EFE by phone: “AAMDS is not capable of intercepting cruise missiles, but its high effectiveness against ballistic missiles made this system the best. also deployed as part of US fleets patrolling the waters of Japan and Korea.”

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 only began a few weeks ago.

The United States has four military installations in Poland with a total of 10,000 troops, as well as several aviation units, including six F-22 Raptors, as part of NATO’s “air shield.”

The current US military presence in Poland is doubled compared to 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine.