NATO activates Poland antimissile site, as Warsaw ups ammo production

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.

波兰华沙——为大幅提升北约导弹防御能力，北约于本月初接管了位于波兰北部雷济科沃的陆基宙斯盾导弹防御系统（AAMDS）。

波兰总理唐纳德·图斯克在 11 月 13 日的启动仪式上宣布，鉴于俄罗斯持续入侵邻国乌克兰，波兰将加大对国内炮弹生产能力的投资。

根据北约盟军空军司令部的一份声明，波兰总统安杰伊·杜达和美国海军上将斯图尔特·B·蒙施（他同时担任美国海军欧洲-非洲部队司令兼那不勒斯盟军联合部队司令部司令）也出席了会议。

“我非常高兴我们正式启用这个基地，它将像美国军队一样，捍卫世界的自由与安全，”杜达在其办公室发布的一份声明中说道。

波兰外交部长拉多斯瓦夫·西科尔斯基表示，雷济科沃基地是美军在波兰领土上建造的首个永久性设施。该基地于2016年5月开始建设。

波兰加入美俄联盟的同时，也在大力提升本国的武器弹药生产能力。波兰当局认为，加快生产速度，加上美国在波兰扩大军事存在，将增强波兰对俄罗斯的威慑力。

图斯克11月19日表示，他的内阁批准的一项新机制将有助于建设新的工厂，生产关键类型的弹药，例如155毫米炮弹。这些弹药是波兰日益壮大的K9“雷霆”自行榴弹炮（由韩国韩华航空航天公司制造）和“螃蟹”自行榴弹炮（由波兰国有国防集团PGZ自主生产）所必需的。

总理表示：“发展弹药生产并建立相应的融资机制，将是确保地区和平、加强波兰国防能力的一个里程碑。这其中包括提高炮弹的生产能力，这将在前线带来巨大优势。”

位于雷济科沃的设施与位于罗马尼亚德韦塞卢的陆基宙斯盾系统共同构成联盟更广泛的弹道导弹防御体系的又一组成部分。德韦塞卢系统自2016年起投入运行。波兰和罗马尼亚的这些设施是欧洲分阶段适应性区域导弹防御方案的一部分，旨在应对来自伊朗的威胁。该体系还包括位于西班牙罗塔的配备宙斯盾雷达的舰艇，以及位于土耳其的AN/TPY-2雷达。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。