Romania starts building base for US missile system

Romania Oct. 28 started building a military base, which will host a U.S. ballistic missile defense system as part of the NATO system.

The plan is to have the Deveselu base in southern Romania operational in 2015. It will house SM-3 interceptor missiles and radar equipment.

Romania’s participation in the NATO system constitutes the second phase of the missile defense. The first part of the system, an early warning radar station in Turkey, went operational in January 2012. Aside from Romania, other elements of the system will be built in Portugal, Poland, and Spain.