US THAAD task force returns home from Romania

The US 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command’s 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) task force began withdrawing from Romania on 9 August, following its deployment there in April 2019, the US European Command (EUCOM) announced in a press release on the day the redeployment began.

The US 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command’s 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade THAAD task force began withdrawing from Romania on 9 August, following its deployment there in April 2019. (US Army/Sergeant 1st Class Jason Epperson)

EUCOM announced the unit’s deployment from Fort Hood to Romania in April 2019, integrated into the NATO ballistic missile defence (BMD) architecture during a limited period of scheduled maintenance and updates of the Aegis Ashore missile defence system in Deveselu, Romania. The command said THAAD would remain operational in Romania only while Aegis Ashore maintenance and updates took place, with NATO’s Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) in Ramstein in operational control of the system throughout its deployment. Command of THAAD was transferred to the United States after the Aegis Ashore update was completed, EUCOM said on 9 August.

Moreover, the command stated, “The update did not add any offensive capabilities to the Aegis Ashore missile defence system,” echoing a NATO official’s statement to Jane’s on 14 April that the update did not change the defensive nature of the system.