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Associated PressNov 05
US Opens Missile Base in Northern Poland
Above: On Nov. 13, 2024, Poland's President Andrzej Duda (C), US Navy Admiral Stuart Munsch (3L), Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski (2L), and US Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski (3R) cut the ribbon on the Aegis Ashore Poland missile defense system. Image copyright: Mateusz Slodkowski/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Facts
The US Wednesday opened its first permanent military base in Poland at Redzikowo, near the Baltic Sea less than 100 miles (160 km) from Russia's Kaliningrad exclave. The facility, "part of a larger NATO missile shield," is equipped with an Aegis naval weapon system.
Under construction since the 2000s, the base underlines Poland's NATO membership amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Polish Pres. Andrzej Duda emphasized the US' position as a guarantor of his country's security, saying Poland "was not in the Russian sphere of influence."
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The US' Redzikowo facility is vital not only for Poland's security and defense but also to safeguard other European nations. It's a purely defensive system and presents no danger to Russia. After hundreds of millions of US dollars in building costs and years of delays, the military system is now operational.
Pro-Russia narrative
Moving US military infrastructure so near to Russia's border is a threat to Russian security and will be greeted with a proportionate response. The claim that the missile system is designed to counter Iranian missile threats is false. It was designed to limit Russia's military capability.