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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has confirmed that a US Navy ballistic missile defense site in Redzikowo, Poland, has been declared mission-ready by NATO.

While at the NATO summit in Washington DC, Stoltenberg told reporters this was “an important step for transatlantic security and NATO’s ability to defend against the growing threat of ballistic missiles.” Stoltenberg added, “Ballistic missiles have been widely used in conflicts [like] 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.”

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NATO’s ballistic missile defense site allows alliance members to detect a missile attack by using radar data to guide an interceptor that ultimately tracks and destroys the target. According to NATO, the new site in Poland will have the capability to “defend against short-to-intermediate range ballistic missiles.”

Originally slated for completion around 2018, the Polish site experienced significant setbacks due to technical challenges. This, coupled with construction challenges, also plagued the project.

Concerns from Russia:
The defensive nature of the missile system has been a point of contention with Russia. Although it is intended to track and intercept ballistic missiles, Russia has expressed concerns that the system could be adapted to neutralize its intercontinental ballistic missiles, thus potentially undermining Moscow’s nuclear deterrent capability.

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