The U.S. has opened a new air defense base in northern Poland, underscoring a guarantee of security on NATO's eastern flank, Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Nov. 13.
The facility, located in Redzikowo near the Baltic coast, is part of NATO's Europe-wide missile defense shield system. The Kremlin condemned the move as an attempt to "militarily contain" Russia.
Construction of the base began in the early 2000s, and it forms part of NATO's "Aegis Ashore" missile shield, designed to protect Europe from potential missile threats.
Key elements of the shield include two sites in Poland and Romania, U.S. Navy destroyers in Rota, Spain, and an early-warning radar in Kurecik, Turkey.
In a NATO press release dated July 10, former Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the development as “an important step for transatlantic security and NATO’s ability to defend against the growing threat of ballistic missiles.”
He emphasized the importance of missile defense, saying that “ballistic missiles have been widely used in conflict in Ukraine and the Middle East.”
“As a defensive Alliance, we cannot ignore that threat. Missile defense is an essential element for NATO’s core task of collective defense,” Stoltenberg added.
During the Nov. 13 opening ceremony, Duda reiterated that "the physical presence of the United States in Poland is a guarantee of the security of Poland and the eastern flank of NATO", as cited by Polskie Radio 24.
Oleg Sukhov
The opening of the base follows a defensive trajectory already set by Poland's “East Shield” program, which aims to strengthen defenses along Poland’s borders with Belarus and the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.
Launched in May, the program includes physical barriers, modern surveillance systems, and infrastructure upgrades, with recent fortifications along the Kaliningrad border that the Polish authorities started building on Nov. 1.
The opening of the new base has been met with mixed reactions.
In particular, it comes amid concerns among NATO allies about the U.S. commitment to collective security, especially after the election of Donald Trump, who has said that the U.S. would not defend NATO members who do not spend enough on defense.
Polish Gazeta Wyborcza's Mateusz Mazzini told Monocle that Poland views the situation differently and more optimistically than its allied counterparts. Polish leaders have a "deeply rooted conviction" that Trump's presidency could be "bilaterally beneficial," he said.
Admiral Stuart B. Munsch, Commander of the United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa, praised the partnership between the two nations. Quoted by Polsat News, he said “The Polish and American nations stand shoulder to shoulder in the vanguard of defense against, in the past Soviet, and currently Russian imperialism and aggression.”
Moscow, meanwhile, criticized the base naming it “a direct challenge to its security” and a measure to “militarily contain” Russia’s potential.
“Of course, this (step) leads to the adoption of appropriate measures to ensure parity,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, though he did not elaborate on what those measures might entail.
Martin Fornusek
