U.S. activates Romanian missile defense site, angering Russia

[Fantastical]

[quote]The United States switched on an $800 million missile shield in Romania on Thursday that it sees as vital to defend itself and Europe from so-called rogue states but the Kremlin says is aimed at blunting its own nuclear arsenal.

To the music of military bands at the remote Deveselu air base, senior U.S. and NATO officials declared operational the ballistic missile defense site, which is capable of shooting down rockets from countries such as Iran that Washington says could one day reach major European cities.

"As long as Iran continues to develop and deploy ballistic missiles, the United States will work with its allies to defend NATO," said U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work, standing in front of the shield's massive gray concrete housing that was adorned with a U.S. flag.

"It is part of the military and political containment of Russia," Andrey Kelin, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, said on Thursday, the Interfax news agency reported.

"These decisions by NATO can only exacerbate an already difficult situation," he added, saying the move would hinder efforts to repair ties between Russia and the alliance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's office said Moscow also doubted NATO's stated aim of protecting the alliance against Iranian rockets following the historic nuclear deal with Tehran and world powers last year that Russia helped to negotiate.[/quote]
[URL="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nato-shield-idUSKCN0Y30JX"]Source[/URL]

[video=youtube;O5_oigUbazQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5_oigUbazQ[/video]

[Electrocuter]

[quote]Russian President Vladimir Putin's office said Moscow also doubted NATO's stated aim of protecting the alliance against Iranian rockets following the historic nuclear deal with Tehran and world powers last year that Russia helped to negotiate.[/quote]

Pretty sure the shield was already planned and being built way before Iran's nuclear deal.

Also if the shield was for Russia it'd be build in like Poland, not Romania.

Romania is nearly perfectly between Iran and Central Europe.

[Sableye]

[QUOTE=Electrocuter;50309332]Pretty sure the shield was already planned and being built way before Iran's nuclear deal.

Also if the shield was for Russia it'd be build in like Poland, not Romania.

Romania is nearly perfectly between Iran and Central Europe.[/QUOTE]

Same argument from China and we literally have a nuclear armed madman over there

It's all sabre rattling, Russia claims we are violating the 1987 treaty for arms limitations but they're blatantly rebuilding a nuclear stockpile with improved capabilities

[ROFLBURGER]

[QUOTE=Electrocuter;50309332]Pretty sure the shield was already planned and being built way before Iran's nuclear deal.

Also if the shield was for Russia it'd be build in like Poland, not Romania.

Romania is nearly perfectly between Iran and Central Europe.[/QUOTE]

Not defending Russia's paranoia, but the us is actually building a site in poland.

[Joey Skylynx]

I'm hopeful this will ease old wounds with Romania. The fact we let the Soviets take over their country when they were pleading for us to come and save them, is a great embarrassment to our country.

[Download]

The Russians will kick a fuss up about this despite the fact it has a very limited to non-existent ability to reduce Russia's ability to threaten Europe with nuclear weapons. It's only capable of defeating IRBMs and is a very soft and tightly clustered target making it susceptible to being entirely destroyed with only a few weapons.

[Zenreon]

[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;50309790]I'm hopeful this will ease old wounds with Romania. The fact we let the Soviets take over their country when they were pleading for us to come and save them, is a great embarrassment to our country.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, pretty much everyone in Romania is still salty about that. My parents explained it to me when I was a kid as "The US and the rest of them [B]abandoned[/B] us to the Russians." Though, there is a shitton [I]more[/I] salt reserved for Russians and communism.

[Fantastical]

[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;50309790]I'm hopeful this will ease old wounds with Romania. The fact we let the Soviets take over their country when they were pleading for us to come and save them, is a great embarrassment to our country.[/QUOTE]
There was a lot of hope that the american would save us, there was even a resistance group that fought on with the idea that they will be ready to fight with the americans when they come. Didn't happen.

[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vin_americanii[/url]!

But we don't have resentment for America that it didn't happen, couldn't expect USA to go to war with a superpower over Eastern Europe. We hate Russia for all that happened, simple as that. At least now we're on the proper side of history and we can develop properly.