The U.S. Navy will commission its new missile defense base in southern Romania on Friday, according to American military newspaper Stars and Stripes.

The American military base in Deveselu is one of the two European land-based interceptor sites for a NATO missile shield, which is strongly opposed by Russia.

“The base represents a rare expansion of the U.S. footprint in Europe, and the even rarer construction of a new Navy base from the ground up,” Stars and Stripes noted.

The base in Deveselu will be the first to feature the Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system, a land-based version of the sophisticated radar tracking system installed on U.S. warships since 2004.

The base is scheduled to become operational by the end of next year and several hundred U.S. military, civilian and contract employees will work there. Capt. William Garren will be the site’s first commander on Friday, officials said.

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editor@romania-insider.com