The US has vowed to take Russia’s threats seriously after Moscow said a US missile base in Poland is on its “priority targets” list.
“The opening of a missile defense base in Poland is another provocative step by the United States, which leads to an increase in strategic risks.
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“The American missile defense base in Poland has long been added to the list of priority targets for potential destruction by Russian troops,” Russian state media RIA Novosti reported on Nov. 21, citing Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
The new missile base Zakharova referenced is known as the “Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System (Aegis Ashore MDS)” and is located near the town of Redzikowo close to the Baltic coast in northern Poland. It was opened on Nov. 13 having been in the works since 2009.
Asked about Washington’s response to Moscow’s threats on Monday, Nov. 25, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said the US “obviously [takes] it seriously.”
“Yeah, we’ve seen those comments, and, obviously, you know, you have to take those kinds of threats seriously, and we do. As reckless and irresponsible as they are, we obviously take it seriously,” Kirby said at a press briefing on Nov. 25.
Kirby also hinted that Washington could retaliate should that ever happen by citing NATO’s Article 5, which stipulates that an attack on one member is an attack against all.
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“President [Joe] Biden has been rock-solid. We’re going to do everything we have to do to make sure our troops on the European continent are safe and secure. And just as importantly, you know, we take our Article Five commitments to our NATO Allies incredibly seriously. It’s rock-solid, and that’s not going to change,” Kirby added.
The land-based Aegis Ashore MDS was originally designed to detect, track, and intercept ballistic missiles from the Middle East, but following the increased threat from Russia, a version was built at the Redzikowo site around 230 kilometers (143 miles) from the Russian border. A similar facility was established and has been operational in Deveselu, Romania since 2016.
Although the US designed and funded the Aegis sites operate under NATO’s Allied Air Command based at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, which has the responsibility for the command and control of the alliance’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) systems.
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