Ballistic missiles remain one of the most serious threats to NATO territory and populations. Several countries near the Alliance possess such weapons or are actively developing them. Their destructive power has been clearly demonstrated during Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
To address this challenge, NATO has developed a comprehensive Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system as part of its broader Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) framework. The system is strictly defensive and is designed to protect NATO populations, territory and deployed forces against ballistic missile attacks.
Missile defence is now an essential component of NATO’s overall deterrence posture, complementing conventional military capabilities and nuclear deterrence, as well as space and cyber capabilities.
Strengthening NATO’s defensive shield
NATO’s territorial missile defence capability has been built gradually over the past two decades through a combination of common funding and voluntary national contributions from Allied nations.
The backbone of the system is NATO’s command-and-control architecture, which integrates a network of radars, interceptors and naval assets provided by several Allies.
Key elements include:
A NATO BMD command centre at Ramstein Air Base, hosted by Germany.
A US missile defence radar at Kürecik Radar Station.
A US Aegis Ashore missile defence site at Deveselu Military Base.
Another Aegis Ashore installation at Redzikowo Military Base.
Four US Aegis-equipped missile defence ships are stationed at Naval Base Rota.
These assets form part of the United States’ European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA), which constitutes the largest national contribution to NATO’s missile defence architecture.
Several other NATO members contribute additional air and missile defence systems such as Patriot or SAMP/T batteries, as well as advanced radar and sensor technologies.
Enhanced operational capability
At the 2024 Washington Summit, Allied leaders declared that NATO’s missile defence system had reached Enhanced Operational Capability, marking significant progress in strengthening the Alliance’s ability to counter ballistic missile threats.
This milestone followed earlier developments, including the declaration of Initial Operational Capability at the 2016 Warsaw Summit, when NATO achieved the first operational stage of its territorial missile defence system.
Missile interception in 2026
In March 2026, NATO’s ballistic missile defence system intercepted a ballistic missile launched from Iran that was targeting Türkiye. The successful interception demonstrated the operational effectiveness of the system and its role in protecting Allied territory.
Following the incident, Christopher G. Cavoli, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, ordered an increase in the Alliance’s ballistic missile defence posture.
The heightened defensive level will remain in place until the threat posed by Iranian missile attacks in the region subsides.
Why missile defence matters
NATO’s ballistic missile defence system is intended to provide protection for all European NATO populations, territory and forces against the growing proliferation of ballistic missiles.
Over the past decade, Allies have repeatedly expressed concern over Iran’s expanding missile programme, including tests of longer-range and more precise ballistic missiles.
Missile defence systems serve several strategic purposes. By improving detection and interception capabilities, they complicate potential adversaries’ planning and reduce the likelihood that missile attacks could succeed.
In times of crisis, they also provide political and military leaders with valuable time to assess the situation and determine an appropriate response.
However, NATO emphasises that missile defence complements – but does not replace – nuclear deterrence within the Alliance’s overall defence posture.
A long-term NATO project
NATO’s missile defence effort began in the early 2000s with feasibility studies on protecting Alliance forces against ballistic missile threats.
The programme evolved significantly after the 2010 Lisbon Summit, when Allied leaders decided to develop a full territorial missile defence capability to protect NATO populations and territory in Europe.
Since then, the system has expanded through successive NATO summits, infrastructure developments and national contributions from Allies.
Today, NATO’s ballistic missile defence architecture represents one of the most complex and integrated defensive systems within the Alliance — and an increasingly important pillar of collective security in an era of growing missile proliferation.