During the opening ceremony, Polish President Andrzej Duda said the world would no longer see Poland as a Russian zone of influence because of the opening of the first US military facility on Polish territory.
The Polish president also said that the opening ceremony was an „important, symbolic and touching” event for him.
Duda also said that he closely followed the project since 2008 when the construction process started.
Back in 2008, Andrzej Duda served as a minister in the office of former Polish President Lech Kaczynski. President Duda reminded that the late president Lech Kaczyński was a strong supporter of the US military presence on Polish soil for security reasons.
The Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, the commander of the United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa, Stuart B. Munsch, and American Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski also attended the ceremony.
Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz said that the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East prove the importance of missile defence and is proud that „Poland becomes part of the most effective and largest air defence system in the world.”
The agreement on the construction of the US military facility was signed the agreement on the establishment of the base on August 20, 2008, with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Sikorski reminded that the conclusion of the project was possible thanks to the common effort made by several Polish government administrations.
Polish FAM Sikorski added that „it is a monument not only to the Polish-American alliance but also to the Polish-Polish alliance… and on matters of security and foreign policy, Poland’s political elites remain united.”
The Aegis Ashore Missile Defence System missile base strengthens the NATO security system. The installation In Redzikowo consists of an AN/SPY-1 radar, Mk 41 VLS launcher and SM-3 anti-ballistic missiles and is part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) system, which contributes to the NATO integrated air and missile defence system.
Source: PAP, MON
Photo: @MON_GOV_PL
Tomasz Modrzejewski
