"We welcome Poland's intentions of developing its missile defense capacities that may contribute to better regional security. Based on the decisions made during the Chicago NATO summit, Poland's capacities together with the contributions of other NATO countries could become an important step in the development the Alliance's missile and aircraft defense system," Umbrasas said in a comment received by BNS.
In an interview to Wprost magazine earlier this week, Poland's President Bronislaw Komorowski said he had proposed that the government should work out a missile shield that would defend Poland against air attacks. The Polish missile shield could be incorporated in the NATO missile defense system, he noted.
"We must have this part in the Polish defense system. There is no sense in earmarking big money for military equipment at this time, if it does not defend against the most typical and threatening attack – a missile attack or air attack," Komorowski said.
In the framework of development of NATO missile defense system capacities, the United States plan to deploy missile systems in Poland and Romania to take down individual ballistic missiles. The Americans say that such measures were aimed at defending against countries, such as Iran, that allegedly seek to build a nuclear bomb. Nevertheless, such US plans have caused discontent in Russia, which sees NATO missile defense as a threat to its strategic nuclear arsenal. NATO has categorically dismissed the fears as unfounded.
