U.S. to switch on European missile shield despite Russian alarm

U.S. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 28, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - The United States' European missile defence shield goes live on Thursday almost a decade after Washington proposed protecting NATO from Iranian rockets and despite Russian warnings that the West is threatening the peace in central Europe.

Amid high Russia-West tension, U.S. and NATO officials will declare operational the shield at a remote air base in Deveselu, Romania, after years of planning, billions of dollars in investment and failed attempts to assuage Russian concerns that the shield could be used against Moscow.