Aegis Ashore returns to service in Romania
NATO’s Romania-based Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defence (BMD) system has completed an update and has been returned to service at its Deveselu base.
While details of the update are largely undisclosed, NATO affirmed that no offensive capability was introduced and the system remains a defensive capability, as the alliance prepares it to be able to focus on potential threats coming from outside the Europe/Atlantic region.
The update has also been introduced across the broader Aegis BMD fleet, and is part of the United States’ European phased adaptive approach to ballistic missile defence, which was announced in September 2009.
Throughout the update period, the US fulfilled its commitment to NATO's BMD defence via the temporary deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to Deveselu.
Now that Aegis Ashore has returned to service, however, that THAAD system will be redeployed elsewhere, NATO said.
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