As the conflict in Ukraine continues to upset the security balance in Eastern Europe, the governments in Poland and Romania are increasingly eager to establish the US Aegis Ashore missile defense system and provide ballistic missile coverage against Russia for eastern and southern NATO members.

In late June, Frank Rose, US deputy assistant secretary of state for defense policy and verification operations, met with retired Gen. Stanislaw Koziej, head of Poland's National Security Bureau in Warsaw to discuss missile defense cooperation.

Koziej said at the meeting that, due to its location on NATO's eastern flank, Poland is particularly interested in the rapid deployment of the missile defense system on its soil to enhance its own defense and strengthen the alliance's presence in Eastern Europe, according to a statement from the bureau.

Meanwhile, local analysts said that while Warsaw and Bucharest long have supported the project, Moscow's intervention in eastern Ukraine and annexation of the Crimean peninsula have accelerated efforts by the two countries to secure a US military presence on their soil, including the missile defense capability.

"Russia's defense policy is, to a large extent, mirrored by Poland's military programs. The conflict in Ukraine has amplified the threat perception ... of Polish decision-makers," said an analyst with a government-run think tank in Warsaw. "Many officials here fear that Moscow will significantly expand its military capacities in Poland's neighborhood, in particular in [the Russian exclave of] Kaliningrad, where Iskander missiles are reportedly stationed."

The Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile system is a Soviet design that has been modernized by the local defense industry. About 120 new systems are to be put into service by 2020, according to data from Russia's state-owned defense giant, Rostec.

"These missiles have a strike range of about 400 kilometers, and ... Warsaw is located less than 400 kilometers from Kaliningrad. This puts things into perspective [for Polish officials]," the analyst said.

The Polish government officially says that there are no missiles in Kaliningrad pointed at Poland.

In December 2013, Russian daily Izvestia reported that the Russian military deployed Iskander missiles to Kaliningrad near the Polish border, quoting an unnamed senior Defense Ministry official.

"As far as I know, [the missiles] have been stationed there for a long time. The question is, in what amount?" the official said.

While this information has not been officially confirmed by the Kremlin, the Russian armed forces said they are upgrading their radar capabilities in Kaliningrad. Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said Oct. 15 that Russia's recently built early warning radar station fitted with a Voronezh DM-class radar will enter full combat duty this December.

"With its technical characteristics, this radar station is at least on par with all foreign counterparts, while such qualities as precision make it stand out," Borisov told local news agency RIA Novosti.

The radar is fitted with a range of 6,000 kilometers and is able to track up to 500 targets simultaneously.

Aegis Ashore is a land-based version of the naval Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) system, designed to address the evolving ballistic missile security environ­ment, according to the US Missile Defense Agency.

Phase 2 of what is called the European Phased Adaptive Approach will include deployment of the Aegis Ashore system in Romania to provide ballistic missile coverage for southern Europe, including the use of enhanced Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IB interceptor missiles.

Phase 3 will include a second Aegis Ashore facility in Poland to cover Northern Europe. The facility will be launched in 2018 at the military base in Redzikowo, in northern Poland, and is expected to use Aegis BMD 5.1 and Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) blocks IB and IIA.

Romanian Facility On Track

In Romania, Aegis Ashore will be installed at Deveselu air base, in southwest Romania, in 2015. This deployed capability will use Aegis BMD 5.0 Capability Upgrade and SM-3 Block IB.

Following critical remarks made by Alexander Grushko, Russia's permanent representative to NATO, who accused the US of disturbing the regional security balance by taking command of the base in Deveselu, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said the project is part of his country's strategic objectives.

"Our goals are clear — achieving energy independence, strengthening security in the Black Sea, and ensuring the European integration of Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Serbia and the Balkans. In this context, our country cannot accept threats," Ponta said, as reported by daily Romania Libera.

Romanian Defense Minister Mircea Dusa visited Deveselu Aug. 20, where he said construction at the facility is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014 and the system is expected to become fully operational in 2015.

A ceremony for the US $134 million Aegis Ashore installation was held in October 2013 in Deveselu. The US Navy took command of the base Oct. 10, 2014, in the presence of US Rear Adm. John Scorby the next commander of Navy Region Europe, Africa, Southwest Asia.

"Today's ceremony is an important milestone as we improve our ballistic missile defense capability in Europe," Scorby said, according to a statement released by the US Embassy in Bucharest. "Our continued close work with our Romanian partners exemplifies how crucial our European allies are to building up NATO's overall ballistic missile defense system." ■

Email: jadamowski@defensenews.com.

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