The ballistic missile defense agreement that the United States and Romania signed in September has entered into force, announced both nations in a joint statement. The pact took effect on Dec. 23, roughly two weeks after the Romanian parliament approved of it. Under the agreement’s terms, the United States will establish a missile interceptor site at Deveselu Air Base near Caracal in southern Romania around 2015. The site will host US-operated, land-based Standard Missile-3 interceptors to help shield Europe, as well as the US homeland, from ballistic missiles emanating from the Middle East. This is part of the United States’ broader European Phased Adaptive Approach BMD system that also will include an SM-3 site in Poland and a missile-tracking radar site in Turkey. Spain also has agreed to port four US Navy missile-defense-capable Aegis ships as part of EPAA.
Due to the prolonged delay in deliveries of the Tech Refresh 3 version of the F-35 fighter, Denmark is pulling six of its TR-2-configured F-35 jets stationed in the U.S. back to home base in order to consolidate aircraft and get better training for its pilots and maintainers, the Danish…