Breaking Defense

PENTAGON: The completion of a US-funded missile defense site in Poland – the bulwark of NATO’s eastern front – has been delayed for a second time, the head of the Missile Defense Agency said. US officials will decide this month if they need to find a new contractor to finish the project, originally slated to be completed in 2018.

The latest setback for the Polish Aegis Ashore site, designed to track and knock down Iranian intermediate-range missiles and provide a layer of security for Europe when combined with another Aegis site in Romania, will cost the US an additional $96 million in 2021. The completion date has also been pushed back to 2022, MDA director Vice Adm. Jon Hill, said this week.

The Government Accountability Office previously estimated the cost of the Polish site at $746 million before the latest cost increase; the additional $96 million would add 13 percent to the GAO estimate.

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