The United States missile defense complex in Poland, replaced a planned site in Redzikowo, Poland with a phased plan—the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, including SM-3 Block IIA interceptors to be positioned in Poland from 2018; Naval Support Facility-Redzikowo was to transition from Missile Defense Agency control to the US Navy on Friday, 15 December 2023, according to the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, and Sixth Fleet.U.S. Naval Forces Europe/U.S. 6th Fleet Public Affairs (15 Dec 2023) The Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System in Naval Support Facility Redizkowo, Poland, Transfers Ownership from Missile Defense Agency to the U.S. Navy The official transfer to NATO was announced on 10 July 2024, at the same time, the missile defense site was declared operational. The base was officially opened on 13 November 2024; eight days later, Russia warned that the base "is a priority target for potential neutralization."
Development The European Interceptor Site (EIS), was a planned but never built American missile defense base. It was intended to contain 10 silo-based interceptors: two-stage versions of the existing three-stage Ground-Based Interceptors with Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicles that had a closing speed of about 7 km/s.
The EIS was to be located near Redzikowo, Poland, forming a Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system in conjunction with a U.S. narrow-beam midcourse tracking and discrimination radar system located in Brdy, Czech Republic. The EIS was cancelled in 2009. According to the United States government, the missile defense system was intended to protect against future missiles from Iran. Russia strongly opposed the system. As an alternative, Russia proposed sharing the Qabala Radar in Azerbaijan, which Russia leases, but this was not seen as an acceptable substitute by the US.AFP. Azerbaijan no 'substitute' for Pole, Czech bases: US. July 9, 2007.
While the Polish and Czech governments were in favor of the project, the missile shield received opposition from some groups within Poland and the Czech Republic. Opposition activity included protestsProtesters March on Proposed US Missile Base and a relay hunger strike by two Czech activists in May 2008, which lasted for 300 days.Czech Republic: humanists suspend relay hunger strike that lasted 300 days Retrieved on 09-09-20
On September 17, 2009, the Obama administration announced that plans for the EIS project had been scrapped.
In October 2009—during a trip by Vice President Joe Biden to Warsaw—a new, smaller interceptor project to go forward on roughly the same schedule as the Bush administration plan, was proposed; and it was welcomed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk."Poland Agrees to Accept U.S. Missile Interceptors" by Peter Baker, The New York Times, October 21, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2009. Naval Support Facility-Redzikowo was to be declared operational on Friday, 15 December 2023, according to the prime minister of Poland, Donald Tusk.Ido Vock (11 Dec 2023) US anti-missile base in Poland to start operations - Polish PM The base was officially opened on 13 November 2024.
History
Since 2002, the U.S. had been in talks with Poland and other European countries over the possibility of setting up a European base to intercept long-range missiles. According to U.S. officials, a site similar to the American base in Alaska would help protect the US and Europe from missiles fired from the Middle East or North Africa. The Ustka-Wicko base of the Polish Army (at ) was initially mentioned as a possible site of US missile interceptors. Poland's prime minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz said in November 2005 he wanted to open up the public debate on whether Poland should host such a base.BBC. US considers Polish missile base. November 17, 2005
In February 2007, the United States started formal negotiations with Poland and the Czech Republic concerning construction of missile shield installations in those countries for a Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System.Europe diary: Missile defence, BBC News In April 2007 the Washington Post reported that 57% of Poles opposed the plan.U.S. Might Negotiate on Missile Defense, washingtonpost.com
Russia threatened to place short-range nuclear missiles on its borders with NATO, if the United States went ahead with plans to deploy 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic.Russia piles pressure on EU over missile shield, TelegraphChina, Russia sign nuclear deal, condemn US missile defense plans, International Herald Tribune In April 2007, then-President Putin warned of a new Cold War if the Americans deployed the shield in Central Europe.Russia threatening new cold war over missile defence, The Guardian, 11 April 2007 Putin said that Russia was prepared to abandon its obligations under the Nuclear Forces Treaty of 1987 with the United States.U.S., Russia no closer on missile defense, USA Today, 12 October 2007
In July 2008, Poland did not agree on the conditions set forth by the United States regarding the installation of anti-ballistic missiles on its territory.Polska nie zgadza się na instalację tarczy
In July 2008, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that if the missile defense system was approved, "we will be forced to react not with diplomatic, but with military-technical methods."
On August 14, 2008, shortly after the 2008 South Ossetia war, the United States and Poland announced a deal to implement the missile defense system on Polish territory, with a tracking system placed in the Czech Republic. The Russians responded by saying such action "cannot go unpunished."Russia Lashes Out on Missile Deal, The New York Times, August 15, 2008 Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's NATO envoy, said, "The fact that this was signed in a period of a very difficult crisis in the relations between Russia and the United States over the situation in Georgia shows that, of course, the missile defense system will be deployed not against Iran but against the strategic potential of Russia."Russia angry over US missile shield, Al Jazeera English, August 15, 2008
A high-ranking Russian military officer warned Poland that it was exposing itself to attack by accepting a U.S. missile interceptor base on its soil. The deputy chief of staff of Russia's armed forces Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn warned that, "by deploying (the system), it is exposing itself to a strike—100 percent".Will Russia Attack Poland Next? Time, August 15, 2008
On August 20, 2008, the "Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Poland Concerning the Deployment of Ground-Based Ballistic Missile Defense Interceptors in the Territory of the Republic of Poland" was signed in Warsaw by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski.Ballistic Missile Defense Agreement Between the United States of America and the Republic of PolandAgreement regarding the placement in Poland of anti-ballistic defensive missile interceptors - full text
On November 5, 2008, in his first State of the Nation speech, Russian president Dmitry Medvedev stated, "From what we have seen in recent years—the creation of a missile defense system, the encirclement of Russia with military bases, the relentless expansion of NATO—we have gotten the clear impression that they are testing our strength." Russia would deploy short-range Iskander missiles to Russia's western enclave of Kaliningrad, sandwiched between Poland and Lithuania "to neutralize, if necessary, a missile defense system."
On November 8, an aide to U.S. president-elect Barack Obama denied a claim made by Polish president Lech Kaczyński's office, that a pledge had been made to go ahead with the EIS missile defense system during a phone conversation between the two men. "His [Obama's] position is as it was throughout the campaign, that he supports deploying a missile defence system when the technology is proved to be workable," the aide said, but "no commitment" has been made.Obama denies Poland missile vow BBC News Retrieved on 11-15-08
On November 14, French president Nicolas Sarkozy stated that plans for a U.S. missile shield in Central Europe were misguided, and wouldn't make the continent a safer place. "Deployment of a missile defense system would bring nothing to security ... it would complicate things, and would make them move backward," he said at a summit. He also warned Russian president Medvedev against upping tensions by deploying missiles in Kaliningrad in response to the planned U.S. missile defense system.Sarkozy questions US missile shield plan Yahoo News. Retrieved on 11-15-08
On April 5, 2009, President Obama, during a speech in Prague, declared: "As long as the threat from Iran persists, we will go forward with a missile defense system that is cost-effective and proven." President Obama continued to express conditional support for the program and sought to isolate it from U.S.-Russian nuclear arms control talks.
On September 17, 2009, The White House issued a statement saying that the US "no longer planned to move forward" with the EIS project. According to President Obama, new intelligence had shown Iran was pursuing short-range and medium-range missile development, rather than long-range, necessitating a shift in strategy.President Obama announces scrapping the planned missile defense system in Poland and the Czech republic New York Times. Retrieved on 09-17-09Spiegel reviews analysis of President Obama's decision to scrap the missile defense system in Poland Spiegel. Retrieved on 09-17-09 The outlines of a reformulated, scaled-down project began to emerge in October, 2009.
After the project cancellation, Vice President Joe Biden visited Poland in 2009 to "mend relations" by announcing the SM-3 deployment plan (see below for details of the new plan). Polish sources complained that the new plan no longer gave Poland an exclusive role (because an SM-3 site was also planned for Romania).
In 2010 leaked diplomatic cables showed that Polish diplomats felt more threatened by Russia than by Iran. The (leaked) responses from the Pentagon show that Alexander Vershbow sought to assure that the missile shield, including the SM-3 alternative, was adaptable to "hypothetical" threats.
On March 26, 2012, there occurred a microphone gaffe between President Obama and President Medvedev. Obama said that he would have "more flexibility" to deal with controversial issues such as missile defense. He was heard telling Medvedev, "On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space." Medvedev told the president in English, "Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you…" and President Obama continued his statement, "This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility." Medvedev responded saying, again in English, "I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."
In March 2013, Polish Deputy Minister of Defense Robert Kupiecki announced that Poland intended to build its own missile defense within NATO, complementing the US deployment. Poland's tentative budget for the next decade is "$10 billion for the modernization of air defense, where half of this sum is dedicated to lower-tier missile defense."
International reactions to discontinuation of the project
Polish response