On the occasion of the opening of the American anti-missile shield in Poland, President Andrzej Duda recalled the words of Polish ex-president Lech Kaczyński, who declared in 2008 that when they build this base, the whole world will clearly see that Poland has broken free from the Russian sphere of influence. Given the statements of Prime Minister Robert Fico, the same cannot be said about Slovakia.
Duda recalled how years ago he was the youngest minister in Kaczynski’s cabinet. He stated how at that time the American soldiers were only on base in a village near the city of Słupsk on the Baltic Sea. Currently, American military units are deployed in various parts of Poland, and there are approximately 10,000 American soldiers in total with our northern neighbors.
During today’s solemn ceremony, the anthems of Poland and the United States and a short prayer were sung. US Admiral Stuart Munsch, who commands US forces in Europe, thanked everyone involved in the base project.
Joint protection against the threat of a missile attack
“This is an important day for our defense,” declared Munsch. According to him, the shield in Redzikov is a system that does not provoke, but protects.
“We know that our enemies are becoming more and more ferocious. They represent a threat to the international order. The threat of a missile attack is what we should focus on,” the admiral continued.
Let us recall that the construction of the American missile defense base in Redzikov cost almost 900 million dollars (823 million euros). It is surrounded by a high fence. It has a radar that recognizes objects even at a great distance. It is equipped with the Aegis Ashore anti-missile system, which serves the US and its Western allies to protect against a possible missile attack by Iran and North Korea.
Modernization of the Polish army with American weapons
Polish President Duda said today that relations between Poland and the US are the best in history. “We treat the United States as allies and friends,” he declared, recalling several purchases of military equipment that the Poles made from the US in recent years. For example, F-35 fighters are worth mentioning. For comparison, the Slovaks bought F-16 fighters from the Americans.
Good Polish-American relations are also illustrated by . While the Polish President, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj and Czech President Petr Fiala have already spoken to Trump after the election, none of the top Slovak politicians has yet reported a possible phone call with the former head of the White House.
According to Polish Minister of Defense Władysław Kosniak-Kamysz, today our northern neighbors have become part of the largest and most effective air defense in the world. For comparison, government politicians in Slovakia repeatedly complain that we lack an air defense system.
The Aegis Ashore system enables the protection of NATO and European Union countries against ballistic missiles. A similar base has been open in Romania since 2015. The head of Polish diplomacy, Radosław Sikorski, said about the base in Redzików that .
PHOTO: Footage from the ceremony on the occasion of the opening of the anti-missile defense base in Redzikov
