US opens new missile base in Poland, affirming strategic determination

On November 13, the US officially opened a new air defense base on Poland's Baltic coast, marking an important step in strengthening NATO's missile defense system in Eastern Europe.

The Aegis Ashore base in the town of Redzikowo is a key component of NATO's missile shield, capable of intercepting short- to medium-range ballistic missiles. (Source: Reuters)

The Aegis Ashore base, located in the town of Redzikowo, near the Baltic coast, is a key component of NATO's missile shield, capable of intercepting short- to medium-range ballistic missiles.

The base has been planned since the 2000s. Warsaw insists it is a symbol of the strong military alliance between Poland and Washington, regardless of who is in power in the White House.

In a video posted on social network X on November 12, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said, "Although it took a long time, this project has demonstrated America's strategic determination."

"The Polish-American alliance will always be strong, no matter who is in charge in Warsaw and Washington," Mr. Sikorski stressed.

Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who has close ties to US President-elect Donald Trump, is also expected to attend the base's opening ceremony. Duda said he received a congratulatory Independence Day phone call from Trump before the event.

NATO's missile defense system also includes a second Aegis Ashore base in Romania, a US destroyer fleet based at the port of Rota (Spain) and an early warning radar system at Kurecik (Türkiye).

While NATO insists the system is purely defensive, Moscow expressed concerns about the base from the planning stage in 2007. Both Russia and Belarus have said they will closely monitor the new base's activities and adjust their military plans accordingly.

However, according to analyst Marek Swierczynski from the Polityka Insight research institute, the base in Redzikowo is somewhat similar to a "relic of an earlier era", as it was designed to deal with the threat from Iran rather than from Russia.

In addition, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on November 11 that it is necessary to expand the scale of the shield, and affirmed that Warsaw will continue to discuss this issue with NATO and Washington.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is scheduled to meet President Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk in Warsaw later on November 13.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/my-mo-can-cu-ten-lua-moi-o-ba-lan-khang-dinh-quyet-tam-chien-luoc-293611.html