WARSAW, Poland — In a major step towards ramping up NATO’s missile-defense capabilities, the alliance took control of the Aegis Ashore Missile Defence System (AAMDS) in Redzikowo, northern Poland, earlier this month.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk used the Nov. 13 activation ceremony to announce his country would boost investments in domestic artillery ammunition production capacities amid Russia’s continuing invasion of neighboring Ukraine.
According to a statement by NATO’s Allied Air Command, Polish President Andrzej Duda and U.S. Navy Admiral Stuart B. Munsch, who serves as the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Force Command Naples, also attended the proceedings.
“I am very glad that we are officially opening this base which will, just like the United States military, defend freedom and security in the world,” Duda was quoted as saying in a statement released by his office.
Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said the Redzikowo site is the first permanent installation developed by the U.S. military on Polish soil. Construction work on the base began in May 2016.
The alliance move is accompanied by Poland’s national efforts to boost weapon and ammunition manufacturing capacities. The authorities believe a speedier production rate, alongside a bigger U.S. military footprint here, will enhance the nation’s deterrence of Russia.
Speaking on Nov. 19, Tusk said a new mechanism approved by his Cabinet will facilitate building new plants to produce key types of ammunition, such as the 155 mm artillery shells. These are required for Poland’s growing fleet of K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers, made by South Korean Hanwha Aerospace, and Krab howitzers, manufactured domestically by the state-owned defense group PGZ.
“The development of ammunition production and the creation of a mechanism to finance it will be a milestone towards ensuring peace in the region and strengthening Poland’s defense capacities,” the prime minister said. “This includes, among other things, higher production capabilities for artillery shells, which provide a huge advantage on the front.
The Redzikowo facility joins the Aegis Ashore site in Deveselu, Romania, as another component of the alliance’s broader ballistic missile defense architecture. The Deveselu site has been operational since 2016. The Polish and Romanian facilities are part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach to regional missile defense targeting threats from Iran. The architecture also comprises Aegis radar-capable ships in Spain’s Rota, and a Turkey-based AN/TPY-2 radar.
Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.
