Opening date of the missile defense base is set. MOD chief: the scope of the shield's operations must be expanded

"We need to expand, in my opinion, the scope of the missile defense shield, and we will certainly discuss this with Secretary General (NATO Mark Rutte) and our friends from the United States," said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz on Monday.

He emphasized that his party, the Polish People's Party (PSL), must play an important role in these discussions due to good contacts with both Democrats and Republicans. "We are prepared for this," added the Minister of Defense.

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed that the Polish-American alliance is very durable, as demonstrated by the missile defense shield being opened in Redzikowo on Wednesday. He added that this is no longer just an American investment, but an initiative involving the entire NATO alliance.

Jacek Siewiera, Head of the National Security Bureau (BBN), discussed the timing of the missile defense shield's opening in Redzikowo during an interview on Polsat News on Monday.

"It seems that Independence Day is a good moment to mention this. Today, the President is heading directly from the state celebrations to Azerbaijan, but on his return, he will land in Gdańsk and then proceed directly to the official opening ceremony of the Aegis missile defense base in Redzikowo. This will take place on Wednesday this week," announced Siewiera.

He added that President Andrzej Duda would participate in the event along with the highest state representatives, including MOD chief Kosiniak-Kamysz and representatives of the North Atlantic Alliance.

"This is a US Navy base, but one of its interesting features is that it is assigned under NATO command, EUCOM, which is the command of US forces in Europe. As an American base, it performs tasks related to transatlantic defense, aimed at intercepting air and ballistic threats of the highest tier, including maneuvering threats from areas outside the broadly understood Euro-Atlantic region," the National Security Bureau chief explained.

The conclusions from the NATO summit in Washington in July declared the operational readiness of the missile defense base in Redzikowo. The base is part of the American European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA), which represents the United States' contribution to NATO's integrated air and missile defense system.

Also, during the July summit, the then NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the missile defense base in Redzikowo, which is part of NATO's missile defense shield, was ready to begin its mission.

In an interview with Polsat News, Siewiera admitted that he would not be running in the presidential elections next year. "I have plans for 2025. I am pursuing my ambitions in my professional life," he stated.

The BBN chief noted that "it is difficult to associate him with any of the political factions." "These elections are about security," Siewiera stressed. He also pointed out that "it is important what position Poland will hold on the international stage in the coming years."