US Missile Defence Base Opened in Poland

A US missile defence base was officially opened in Redzikowo, Poland, on Wednesday, the first permanent US Armed Forces facility on Polish territory, RMF24 reports.

President Andrzej Duda arrived at the base together with US Navy Admiral Stuart Munsch and US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski.

The opening ceremony was also attended by the head of the Ministry of National Defence, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, as well as the head of the Polish Embassy in Washington, D.C., Bogdan Klich.

Duda emphasised that the opening of the Redzikowo base was a very important, symbolic and touching ceremony for him.

‘This American base will be built on our land, in Poland, in the centre of Poland, and from this moment on, when this base is here, the whole world will see clearly and distinctly that this is no longer a Russian sphere of influence,’ the president said.

According to him, the opening of the base in Redzikowo is ‘a kind of symbol’ of Polish-American relations.

‘I am extremely pleased that we are officially opening this base, which, like the US Army, will defend freedom and security in the world,’ he said.

The Redzikowo base is part of the US missile defence shield. It is designed to protect Europe from short-range (1000-3000 km) and medium-range (3000-5500 km) missiles.

Among other things, it is equipped with the Aegis Ashore system, the land-based equivalent of a ship-based missile defence system.

The launchers in Redzikowo contain state-of-the-art SM-3 Block 2A interceptors, which, due to their design, can fly very fast and far.

However, the launchers themselves are ‘the most versatile type of launcher’, which can be used for various types of missiles.

In October, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said that the country would soon open a missile defence base and expressed hope that it would also shoot down Russian missiles flying towards Poland.