BMD Breaking Ground

U.S. and Romanian officials this week broke ground on an Aegis Ashore missile defense site in Romania.

"Today, we are breaking ground both literally and metaphorically," Under Secretary of Defense for Policy James Miller said Oct. 28 in Deveselu. "The construction that this ceremony will kick off marks the beginning of a new stage in U.S.-Romanian relations and for the NATO Alliance."

Construction of the Aegis Ashore site is part of the Obama administration's proposed European Phased Adaptive Approach meant to stop a potential ballistic missile attack from Iran, with an interceptor site in Romania and an early warning radar site in Poland.

According to Miller's prepared remarks:

When Phase 2 of EPAA is completed here in the 2015 time frame, Europe will be safer, U.S. forces will be better protected, and the NATO Alliance will be stronger. Moreover, our efforts here in Romania serve as a precursor for the Phase 3 site in Poland.

And I look forward to a groundbreaking at the Phase 3 site in the not-so-distant future. Our commitment to EPAA is ironclad and I look forward to seeing the completion of the system in the coming years.