Komorowski says Poland should have own missile shield

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski said Wednesday that Poland should set up its own missile shield to defend its territory as part of the wider NATO project.

"We need our own Polish shield which at the same time would be part of the larger NATO system," Komorowski said in a speech marking national army day.

"It's a costly but tolerable project for the budget," because of Poland's economic growth and the savings it has achieved from disengaging from Afghanistan, he said.

"It's an indispensable development in order to no longer fear as much the grumblings of discontent against our commitment toward our security and that of our NATO allies, including the United States," the president said.

In May, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation officially launched the first phase of the shield that the United States has pushed for as a foil against a perceived threat from Iran, despite strong opposition from Russia.

The shield will be made up of a super-powerful radar deployed in Turkey, SM-3 missiles mounted aboard Aegis frigates stationed in the Mediterranean and missile interceptors based in Poland and Romania.

The structure will be controlled and commanded from the base in Ramstein, Germany.

Since the start, the project has been spearheaded by the United States, which developed the technology and financed its basic architecture. The European allies are expected to finance control structures.

Moscow considers it a threat for its security and demands to be included in the system, or at least receive guarantees it will not target its deterrent capacity.

However, the alliance has categorically refused the Russian requests as it seeks to retain its margin of strategic manoeuvre.