Romania and the US Anti-missile Defense Shield

According to the US Missile Defense Agency, the anti-missile defense shield in Romania would be operational next year on the set date.

Valentin Țigău, 18.03.2014, 13:45

The US Missile Defense Agency told Radio Romania that the anti-missile defense shield in Romania would be operational next year on the set date. Elements of the shield are to reach the commune of Deveselu, in southern Romania, in July. Our correspondent to Washington, Ani Sandu, reports that based on the documentation received from Washington and on the talks with US officials from the Department of Defense, the US Court of Accounts has estimated delays in the implementation of the project in Poland and Romania. Technical delays registered so far have reduced the capabilities that the US Missile Defense Agency intends to send to these countries and have questioned the way in which those capabilities are going to be rendered operational, reads the Court of Account’s report, made public last week.

As regards Romania, the report says that the system that is to be deployed in Deveselu will have a preliminary version of the arms system’s functioning program and the final version to be delivered in 2017 will be improved. Subsequent information that our correspondent got from the spokesman for the Missile Defense Agency, Richard Lehner, has shown that the Aegis system has proven its capability for decades now, and the command center and the launching system, in its form adapted to ground conditions, are almost identical with the system on warships.

Currently there are at least 24 Aegis systems installed on US military vessels, most of them patrolling the Pacific Ocean, and additional tests will be carried out this spring, which will demonstrate the capabilities of the ground system. The Aegis system, installed on military vessels and offshore rigs, has the role of intercepting short and medium-range missiles. The system is to be utilized for NATO’s anti-missile defense shield in Europe, with a view to foiling threats from such countries as Iran.

NATO and the US have repeatedly underscored that the shield is no threat to Russia. According to the project, Aegis systems adapted for ground use (Aegis Ashore) will be fully deployed in Deveselu in Romania by 2018 as well as in Poland. The shield in Romania will benefit from the support of 500 US soldiers and implementation costs will stand at some 400 million dollars. Adding up will be another 20 million dollars per year, to ensure the functioning of the system.