The day when the missile shield from Deveselu became functional. What did the politicians and analysts say that about the efficiency of

9 years ago, in Deveselu commune, Olt County, was put into operation the famous missile shield, part of the Aegis Ashore defense complex built in collaboration with the United States. This defensive structure from the eastern border of NATO has sparked controversy at that time.

The Histor Complex from Deveselu PHOTO EPA EFE

On May 12, 2016, the missile shield, American, from Deveselu was activated. It was the first arrangement of this kind on the territory of Romania and the event was viewed differently in both the Romanian society and at the level of foreign policy. On the one hand, the American partners, but also the representatives of the Romanian state, saw the activation of the shield from Deveselu as a security guarantee and a consolidation of Romania's position within NATO. On the other hand, the Russian Federation criticized the initiative hard.

A missile system maintained on American money

The story of the missile complex in Deveselu began on February 4, 2010. At that time, the then president of Romania, Traian Basescu, convenes the Supreme Council of the country to submit for approval an American initiative to strengthen NATO at the Eastern border. It was a missile complex that had to be arranged on the territory of Romania. CSAT replied yes and on May 2, 2011 Traian Basescu announced this decision to the United States councilors. As a location, a former air base in the village of Deveselu, Deveselu commune, Olt county was chosen. The air base, which had been operating during the communist period, was decommissioned since 2002.

The Americans invested over $ 400 million for the rehabilitation of the air base but also for the installation of a SM-3 missile system. This system consisted of three batteries with 24 SM-3 Block IB missiles. The air base, according to the agreement between the US and Romania, was under the command of the Romanian Air Force but was to be served by 200 American soldiers. On October 28, 2013, the works at the Deveselu missile complex began officially. In 2015, the works were ready. The Americans would pay $ 20 million annually, maintenance for the missile shield in Deveselu.

Declared, the Shield Shield Complex from Deveselu was arranged to defend the southern Europe from short and intermediate Iranian missiles (at that time NATO was in conflict with Iran). On May 12, 2016, the missile shield was activated, becoming functional. The prime minister, Dacian Cioloș, the deputy secretary of the US Defense, Robert Work, as well as the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, participated in this event.

What can the shield from Deveselu can do

As I mentioned, the missile shield from Deveselu is actually a SM-3 system. It has three batteries with 24 SM-3 Block IB missiles. This type of rocket can destroy ballistic missiles by impact, at a very high speed. At the same time, the AEGIS system has the clear role of intercepting short -range and medium -ray missiles. At the time of the shield inauguration, in the Pacifi Ocean there were at least 24 aegis systems on American military ships. In short, when the missile system detects a rocket by turning to the territory of Europe, it can destroy it through the SM-3 block IB systems.

Hope in Romania

The commissioning of Al Deveselu shield was viewed with great optimism and as a diplomatic-strategic success, especially by those involved in the Romanian-American collaboration for the arrangement of the complex.

“First of all, the project of the shield from Deveselu has strengthened the political-military and security dimension of the strategic partnership. And it has this capacity and further, because the confidence he has added to our privileged relationship will design his effects in other areas of common interest and action, in this dimension, but also in others. The strategic partnership between Romania and the United States, defining it as “wider and deeper”stated, in 2016, Bogdan Aurescu, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania and the chief negotiator between Romania and the United States on the location of the US defense system in Romania, for contributors.

For his part, the prime minister of Romania from that time stated that the missile shield represents a guarantee in the face of possible threats. “In the eastern vicinity we observe both the perpetuation of frozen conflicts and the emergence of new conflicts, which confirms, if necessary, the strategic importance of the Black Sea region in the security and stability equation of the Euro-Atlantic area.”said Cioloș for DW.

Anger and negative reactions in Russia

The commissioning of the missile system from Deveselu was not regarded with good eyes by the representatives of the Russian Federation. Vladimir Putin declared in the summer of 2015 that “Only a” sick in mind “can believe that Russia will attack NATO”. For his part, Dimitri Peskov, noted in 2016, after activating the shield, that this missile complex would be a threat to the Russian Federation.

“The conduct of the American missile system is undoubtedly a threat to the Security of the Russian Federation”said Dimitri Peskov Tass. For his part, Jens Stotenberg, NATO's secretary general, in 2016, denies any danger to the Russian Federation. “It is not directed against Russia, because both physical and geographical conditions make it impossible for this system to undermine Russia.”said it for DW.

Skepticism on shield efficiency

Some of the American analysts proved to be skeptical regarding the efficiency of the Deveselu shield. An analyst George Friedman wrote, in 2016, on the geopolitical futures, that the shield would have no military value and that it was only a political symbol. He stated that, in fact, hundreds of millions of euros were thrown on a system that is not able to counteract a Russian air attack. “The money spent on the missile shield from Deveselu could have been invested to prevent much more likely threats.”wrote Friedman at that time. About the paradoxes of the missile shield from Deveselu, the former prime minister of Romania, Adrian Nastase, referred.

He did an analysis on the personal site, on May 19, 2016. “Of course, we are NATO members and the bases from Constanța or Deveselu mean, in particular, that the American flag, respectively of NATO, were located in Romania. From the point of view of our security are positive developments. But, in this way, we have become” part of the problem “. By installing the base from Deveselu, it has obviously created additional vulnerability to us, given that Romania has explicitly become a target, at the level of Russian statements and operating plans ”, Nastase said.