Deveselu Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defence system undergoing update

The Aegis Ashore anti-missile system commissioned at the 99 Deveselu Military Base Romania will undergo a previously planned update process in accordance with the decisions adopted at NATO level and under a bilateral agreement between Romania and the United States of America. "Works to be carried out on the Aegis Ashore parts located at Deveselu are part of a planned update of the Aegis systems in the USA. The process will in no way introduce offensive elements to the system and will not change its strictly defensive nature," according to a press statement released by Romania's Ministry of National Defence (MApN) on Thursday. The works were planned way back in September 2009, when the timetable for the implementation of the US missile defence system in Europe was announced under a new approached called EPAA / European Phased European Phased, Adaptive Approach to Ballistic Missile Defence. "For the several weeks it takes to carry out the planned, NATO will provide an alternative ballistic missile capability by deploying a Terminal High Altitude Air Defense (THAAD) system in Romania owned by the United States of America," the statement says. THAAD is a defence system that will fit into the NATO ballistic missile defence architecture that will operate, same as the Aegis Ashore system, under NATO operational control and full political control of the North Atlantic Council. "The deployment of the THAAD defence system in Romania will be temporary, with the system planned to remain operational only until completion of the update works of the Aegis Ashore missile defence system." At the 2010 NATO Summit in Lisbon, the alliance decided to develop a ballistic missile defence capability to protect its lands, populations and forces in Europe. The Aegis Ashore system in Romania is part of NATO's ballistic missile defence system, working under the operational control of the NATO military authorities. AGERPRES (RO - author: Daniel Alexandru Florea, editor: Mihai Simionescu; EN - author: Corneliu-Aurelian Colceriu, editor: Adina Panaitescu)

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