As part of a wider NATO missile shield in northern Poland, a new US air defense base is ready for use.
This information was reported by Reuters, URA-Inform reports.
Reuters journalists noted that the system, called Aegis Ashore, is based in Redzikowo in northern Poland. It is capable of intercepting short- and medium-range ballistic missiles.
They noted that the NATO missile defense shield is designed to protect Europeans, territory and troops from ballistic missile attacks.
Other key elements of the shield include a second Aegis Ashore facility in Romania, along with US Navy destroyers based in the Spanish port of Rota and an early warning radar in Kurecik, Turkey.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at the alliance summit in Washington, said the base's readiness was an important step for transatlantic security amid the growing threat posed by ballistic missiles.
As a defence alliance, we cannot ignore this threat. Missile defence is an essential element of NATO's core mission of 'collective defence', — he said.
Stoltenberg also added that ballistic missiles have been widely used in conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
NATO says Aegis Ashore is purely defensive. About 200 servicemen are stationed at two interception points in Poland and Romania, and the base in Deveselu, Romania, has been operating since 2016.
Recall that it was previously reported that the Ukrainian legion in Poland: journalists learned details of its creation.