WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US Navy Aegis ships based in Europe could secretly carry cruise missiles threatening Russia, Russian Embassy to Washington Counselor Alexander Trofimov told a Congressional roundtable discussion on missile defense in Europe in the US Congress.
"Aegis can fire [anti-ballistic missile] interceptors and attack [cruise] missiles like the Tomahawk," Trofimov said on Wednesday.
Trofimov explained the defensive interceptors and offensive Tomahawk cruise missiles would be vertically deployed on the ships, making it difficult for air or space reconnaissance to identify them.
On May 1, 2015, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter joined two other destroyers, USS Donald Cook and USS Ross, at the Naval Station Rota in Spain as part of the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) to ballistic missile defense (BMD).
All four ships have had their Aegis combat systems upgraded to handle BMD threats.
Trofimov said the deployment was continuing without any US-Russian dialogue to address Moscow's concerns that it was threatening the power balance in Europe.
"The new missile defense deployment is not just about missile defense. It is about threats to strategic stability," the diplomat said.
US President Barack Obama approved the EPAA in 2009. The EPAA uses mobile radars and interceptors mounted on Aegis-class Ticonderoga-class cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
