WWIII

NATO declares US ballistic missile defence base in Poland mission ready

Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference, during Nato's 75th anniversary summit, in Washington, US, July 10, 2024.

Reuters
PUBLISHED ONJULY 10, 2024

WASHINGTON — A new US air defence base in northern Poland, designed to detect and intercept ballistic missile attacks as part of a broader Nato missile shield, is mission ready, the western military alliance announced on Wednesday (July 10).

Speaking on the sidelines of a Nato summit in Washington, the alliance's chief Jens Stoltenberg said the readiness of the base was an important step for transatlantic security in the face of a growing threat posed by ballistic missiles.

"As a defencive alliance we cannot ignore that threat. Missile defence is an essential element for NATO's core task of collective defence," he added, noting ballistic missiles had been widely used in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.


The system, dubbed Aegis Ashore, is based at the northern Polish town of Redzikowo and capable of intercepting short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles, according to NATO.

The allied missile defence shield is meant to protect European citizens, territory and forces against ballistic missile attacks.

Other key elements of the shield include a second Aegis Ashore site in Romania, along with US navy destroyers based in the Spanish port of Rota and an early-warning radar situated in the Turkish town of Kurecik.

Nato says Aegis Ashore is purely defencive. About 200 military personnel are stationed at the two interceptor sites in Poland and Romania, with the base in the Romanian town of Deveselu operational since 2016.