Washington — The United States and Poland announced September 15 that an agreement to place land-based SM-3 interceptors at a small air base near the northern town of Redzikowo, Poland, part of a broader limited missile defense system for Europe, has entered into force.
“The U.S. ballistic missile defense system will be located at Redzikowo Base as part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach to missile defense in the 2018 timeframe,” a State Department announcement said. “This base represents a significant contribution by our two nations to a future NATO missile defense capability.”
The original agreement was signed by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski on July 3, 2010, in Krakow.
The announcement comes two days after the United States and Romania agreed to place a similar limited missile interceptor system at an air base near Caracal. And the Turkish foreign ministry also announced September 14 that an early warning radar system will be stationed at a military installation in Kürecik as part of NATO’s missile defense system.
The SM-3 missile interceptors are not offensive weapons, but are kinetic interceptors that collide with potential incoming ballistic missiles. They carry no actual warhead.
The White House said in a statement September 15 that President Obama is committed to protecting the United States, its deployed military forces, European allies and partners against the growing threat of ballistic missiles. In September 2009, on the recommendation of the secretary of defense and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Obama announced the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) for limited missile defense to provide a missile shield sooner and more comprehensively than previous programs, the White House said.
“To put it simply, our new missile defense architecture in Europe will provide stronger, smarter, and swifter defenses of American forces and America’s allies,” Obama said in the announcement on September 17, 2009.
“It is more comprehensive than the previous program; it deploys capabilities that are proven and cost-effective; and it sustains and builds upon our commitment to protect the U.S. homeland against long-range ballistic missile threats; and it ensures and enhances the protection of all our NATO allies,” Obama added.
At the Lisbon NATO Summit in 2010, NATO leaders endorsed a missile defense capability whose aim was to provide full coverage and protection for all NATO European populations, territory and forces against the increasing threats posed by the widespread development of ballistic missiles, the White House said. And, at the same time, NATO agreed to expand its current missile defense command, control and communications capabilities to provide the same level of protection.
The EPAA system devised by the United States is to be built in four phases. The first phase addresses short-range and medium-range missile threats by deploying U.S. Navy ships that are equipped with shipboard SM-3 interceptors. The first of these deployments began in March, according to the White House.
Also included in the first phase is a land-based radar installation in Turkey. By 2015, land-based SM-3 interceptors will begin being deployed in Romania and then in Poland by 2018, according to the White House.