Nato’s Aegis Ashore Romania site to undergo update works

Nato’s Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defence system at Deveselu Air Base in Romania is set to undergo scheduled maintenance and upgrades.

Works are expected to last for several weeks and are part of regular updates taking place on all US Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence systems.

According to Nato, the update will not involve adding any offensive capabilities for the Aegis Ashore missile defence system.

The Aegis Ashore site in Romania forms a key important part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA), which is the US contribution to Nato’s missile defence system.

EPAA offers protection to European Nato allies and US deployed forces in the region against threats from incoming ballistic missiles outside the Euro-Atlantic area.

The Romanian site is designed to provide defensive capabilities to deter future conflicts.

In a statement, Nato said: “The scheduled update is part of the US European Phased Adaptive Approach to ballistic missile defence, which was announced in September 2009.”

Meanwhile, the US will deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to the Deveselu site to ensure continued support to Nato ballistic missile defence.

Deployment of the THAAD system will be for a brief period until the Aegis Ashore Romania site is back online.

For the duration of its deployment, the unit will be under the operational control of Nato’s Allied Air Command and the full political control of the North Atlantic Council.

THAAD is a land-based element of the ballistic missile defence system, can intercept and destroy threats inside or outside the atmosphere.

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