by Marcus Papadopoulos
Poland has announced that it will deploy a battery of American Patriot missiles close to the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Bogdan Klich, the Polish defence minister, said last week that the missiles would be positioned near to the town of Morag instead of on the outskirts of Warsaw as had previously been planned.
Morag, which has a population of approximately 15,000 people, is just 60 miles from the Russian border.
Mr Klich stressed that there is no ulterior motive in the decision to locate the missiles close to the Kaliningrad region. He said: “It did not have any significance – neither political nor strategic. The only reason was the good infrastructure [in Morag].”
Last December, Warsaw and Washington signed a Status of Forces Agreement which laid down the conditions for the stationing of United States troops in Poland.
The Patriot MIM-104 air defence system, designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles and cruise missiles as well as tactical aircraft, will be manned by about 100 American soldiers and is scheduled to become operational in March or April.
Mr Klich said: “In Morag, we could offer the best conditions for American soldiers and the best technical base for the equipment.”
Speaking at a news conference after Warsaw’s announcement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov questioned why Morag has been chosen to host the Patriot unit. He said: “Perhaps there are reasons that these defence systems will be deployed. I don’t have the full information, but, nevertheless, the question emerges: why should Poland strengthen its defences against Russia? I don’t understand this. But we hope to receive some clarification and we will analyse it then.”
While the Russian Foreign Ministry declined to comment further on the deployment of the American missiles, the Russian news agency Novosti quoted an unnamed, high-ranking official in the Russian navy as saying that the country’s Baltic fleet would be bolstered to counter the presence of a Patriot unit so close to the Kaliningrad enclave. The source was reported as saying: “Primarily, surface, underwater and air components of the Baltic fleet will be reinforced.”
President Barack Obama last year scrapped plans inherited from the George W Bush administration to install a missile defence shield in Poland and the Czech Republic after threats from the Kremlin.
However, the Americans are pressing ahead with constructing a sea-based missile defence system which will see US naval ships equipped with radars and anti-missile interceptors patrolling the North Sea and the eastern Mediterranean.
