Redzikowo base: Strategic defense or hidden offensive threat?
The American base in Redzikowo was established as part of a global missile defense system. A Russian military-themed website recently discussed the significance of Redzikowo for its readers. The article suggested that the base could potentially be used not just for defense but also for launching attacks on ground targets.
The base in Redzikowo is referred to as an American cruiser buried in the ground, according to one pro-Kremlin, Russian-language website. These Russian sources have suggested—among technical descriptions of the armaments at the base—that the missile defense installation, located close to the Kaliningrad region, may pose a future threat to Russia.
These warnings appear somewhat delayed, as the base officially began operations in mid-November 2024. In discussing the weaponry designed to intercept ballistic missiles, the author also opines that the base can be easily expanded and adapted to handle a wider range of weaponry, including offensive arms.
In this context, it's important to initially explain a key question: why was there ever a decision to build an American base on Polish territory?
What does the Redzikowo base defend against?
The location stems from a long chain of events beginning in the 1980s, when the United States decided to abandon the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). This was a Cold War program aimed at developing an orbital missile defense system, a plan that was shelved with the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Instead of SDI, the following two decades saw the development of various ballistic missile defense solutions, each designed to counter different types of threats.
The primary concern was recognized by Washington as so-called "rogue states," namely Iran and North Korea. To counter potential missile threats from these regions, the American anti-ballistic shield in Europe was optimized, ultimately shaped by the EPAA program, with installations sprouting in Turkey, Romania, and Poland—besides the base built by the United States in Alaska.
The European segment of the "shield" is not designed to counteract ballistic missiles launched by Russia towards the USA. This limitation arises from the reaction time, speed of the missiles and interceptors, and their trajectory, as a missile launched from Polish territory would need to catch up to a Russian missile, covering both horizontal and vertical distances.
Aegis Ashore: Naval system on land
The Russian commentator's remark about a "buried missile cruiser" is not far from the truth, although it may carry some journalistic exaggeration. Defending the European region against ballistic missiles is partially achieved by American ships equipped with the Aegis system and stationed in European ports, such as the Rota base.
Developed in the 1980s to defend surface action groups from aircraft and cruise missiles, the Aegis system's capabilities in the Aegis BMD variant have been expanded over time to include countering ballistic missiles.
In Poland and Romania, the U.S. did not reinvent the wheel; instead, they transferred key elements of the proven anti-ballistic system to the land, calling it Aegis Ashore.
This setup means part of the base resembles the superstructure of a ship, allowing, for instance, the installation of the AN/SPY-1 radar antennas, familiar from American cruisers. Another radar is stationed at the Turkish base Kürecik, and the operation is overseen by NATO Air Command in Ramstein, Germany.
Universal missile launchers
Land-based Mk 41 VLS (Vertical Launch System) launchers were also employed. This solution was first introduced to the U.S. Navy in 1982 and has since become a standard in Western nations—a 32-cell launcher is even set to be installed on Polish Miecznik-class frigates.
This solution allows for diverse armament storage without reconstructing the ship, as various types of missiles—such as anti-aircraft, anti-ballistic, rocket torpedoes, or cruise missiles—can be stored in VLS cells built into the deck. As such, depending on the mission, a single ship can carry different armaments without reconstruction. The contents of the VLS launchers in the Polish and Romanian bases include SM-3 anti-ballistic missiles.
According to Russian sources, these launchers could, in the future—following an expansion of the base—be used offensively, potentially launching Tomahawk missiles. This view overlooks the fact that using missile defense elements for such purposes would be pointless, given that the West already possesses ground-based cruise missile launchers.
In 2023, the Americans successfully tested the Typhon system, effectively a land-based, mobile variant of the Mk 41 VLS launchers. This system allows for launching Tomahawk cruise missiles or RIM-174 SM-6 ERAM anti-ship missiles from a ground-based launcher, which can be relocated as needed.
The system could be positioned near the Kaliningrad region, or—as demonstrated during maneuvers, when the Typhon system was relocated to Bornholm—on the Baltic islands. Unlike during the missile defense shield's development, Russia currently has no means to counteract this deployment.
