The U.S. Opens European Missile Defense System Despite Russian Opposition

The U.S. missile defense system aimed at protecting Europe from ballistic missiles will be strengthened with the activation of new facilities in Romania on Thursday, May 12, and the commencement of operations at another facility in Poland on Friday. According to Reuters, this missile defense system has been under development for years and, according to U.S. and NATO officials, its main goal is to counter the threat of ballistic missiles from the Middle East, particularly Iran. However, Russia strongly opposes the deployment of these advanced defense systems in Eastern Europe, and undoubtedly, this action will escalate tensions in Russia-West relations, which are at their worst since the end of the Cold War. The U.S. and NATO state that this system, capable of tracking and intercepting missiles, is purely defensive and is ineffective against Russian intercontinental missiles. The Russian government does not see the current capabilities of this missile defense system as a threat to its nuclear weapons, but it is concerned that its enhancement in the future could give an advantage over the deterrent power of Russia's nuclear arsenal. Russian officials reject the U.S. claim that this missile system aims to counter Iran's missile capabilities, with Vladimir Putin emphasizing that the plan has continued even after the nuclear deal with Iran, asserting that the primary target of this system is Russia. However, Western governments deny this claim. A NATO spokesperson states: 'The threat of ballistic missile development is increasing, with more countries acquiring or developing these weapons. At the same time, missile technology has become more precise and lethal, and the range of missiles has increased. We cannot ignore the rising threat posed by missile weapons.' The Russian government has threatened to deploy long-range Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad in response to U.S. missile facilities in Poland, which is part of Russian territory between the borders of Poland and Lithuania and one of the most militarized regions in the world. Iskander missiles, with a range of 500 kilometers, can carry conventional and nuclear warheads and can target a wide area of Polish territory. During last year's Russian military exercises, these missiles were deployed in the Kaliningrad region, and Polish officials confidently state that several of these missiles are still stationed in the area. Western experts say that Russia knows well that the missile systems deployed in Eastern Europe do not pose a threat to it and that Russia can easily neutralize them, suggesting that Russia's objections are not genuine. The new facilities in southern Romania will be inaugurated on Thursday with the presence of senior officials from that country and the NATO Secretary-General. The Polish facility, located near the Baltic Sea coast, will be inaugurated on Friday and is expected to be operational by 2018. Evidence suggests that the capabilities of this missile defense system will increase in the future, and various components will gradually become more active across Europe. This missile system includes a radar center in Turkey and four destroyers stationed at a naval base in southern Spain. Currently, its command and control are under the U.S. Navy, but after completion and reaching operational status, command will be transferred to NATO. The U.S. missile defense system plan in Eastern Europe began during the presidency of George W. Bush and continued with changes during Barack Obama's administration. One of the changes was the removal of facilities that were to be established in the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic's participation in this plan soured its relations with Russia, leading Prague to be dissatisfied with the changes in U.S. plans. In the early years of this plan's development, NATO and the Russian government cooperated under an agreement called 'strategic cooperation.' However, currently, the relationship between the two sides has become confrontational, with one prominent example being the recent confrontations between U.S. and Russian armed forces in the Baltic Sea. Since the onset of the Ukraine crisis and following the annexation of Crimea by Russia, relations between the two sides have significantly deteriorated, and NATO has attempted to reassure Eastern and Central European countries by deploying forces and conducting numerous military exercises on their soil to defend them against any potential Russian aggression. NATO has planned larger military exercises in Eastern Europe for the coming months and years, with one of the most important being held next month with the participation of 25,000 armed forces in Poland. NATO is also considering a plan to send an additional 4,000 armed forces to the Baltic states and possibly Poland. Western experts state that even if all these forces are deployed to NATO's eastern borders, their numbers are negligible compared to the Russian armed forces stationed at the borders of Eastern European countries and the Baltic region. According to assessments by these experts, Russian armed forces at the borders with NATO members are at least ten times greater.